Customs Fixing my shoebox...long time coming

Well between work, school, and a head-on collision back in '06, all the time I've spent chipping away at my shoebox is kinda paying off. The one thing that has been bugging me forever was the back window that I did way back in '03...simply put, it was ugly and way too flat. So last Monday I decided to do something about it

More soon...

 

Wow, that is a bad ass chop!

 

Thanks. I have been doing some little subtle tricks to correct the proportions...I also opened up the front windshield into the roof, shaved the driprails, and installed my Appleton 552s. Check out more on my shop page...

 

Wow! Is it the same shoebox you used to run in white primer? If so, you really went at it w/ a vengence! I think it was great then, its goin to be even greater now.

 

Cool!
What's your plan with the tail light?

 

Hey man! Looks killer, always loved this Ford and it looks better and better! Loved that you opened up the windshield, that's the peg leg of shoebox chops.

 

WOW looks like your shoe needs some shirts to go with it. WTF is that?

 

glad to see this one coming back, beautiful work!

 

Im sorry but im not gettin the windshield thing, could someone explain? Thanx.

 

Raising the top edge of the windsheild higher into the roof and thereby making the windsheild opening taller. Kind of unchopping the windsheild a little. makes the rook visually less "heavy". Also this trick has been done with several 39/40 merc coupes that I have seen.

Lots of people would not pick it out unless they were told it had been done but it makes a big difference in the visual proportions of a car.

Cool shoebox.

 

Man...I don't know how some of you young guys do it. I mean, school alone is a huge time-drain and commitment. Add in a head-on crash? I suppose it came with serious injuries? Damn...sounds like a big bite to chew. I'm whining because it's too hot to work on my 34...hmmmmmmmm, think I'll jump in the daily driver and get over to the shop and get to work. You've inspired me.
BTW, this a 50 sedan I bought already chopped a few years ago. Bought it to sell to get build-money for my coupe. Posted are photos of what the new owner did with it....he made it pretty nice. Long live shuboxes!

 

My goodness. Your gonna get alot od compliments on this one! You nailed it!

 

Thanks guys...this is how the car looked in 2006. Yep, it's the same car as the white primer one I used to run around in...but no more bags, flat roof, and bad bodywork. After the wreck, I tore into it pretty hard and replaced EVERYTHING. It's finally coming together now and I want to thank my good friend Octavio Chavez for the fine bodywork he has been doing...

Anthony, how the heck are ya...I've been meaning to email ya...

Here's the same car in 2006 after some fat bitch on a cellphone hit me. I almost killed her.

And some other recent pics, too...

 

Lookin' great so far

 

Moving thet roof foreward on the backend really makes the car....nice job.

 

Glad you made it out of that accident! The new work is looking great! are you no longer running bags at all? If not, why? Thanks, Stan.

 

robert it looked great before! and it looks better with the appletons. i would love to see it painted! rad man simply rad!

 

looking good..i love the fact that you have real spotlights instead of dummy spots like alot of people,keep pluging away: its going in a good irection from what i see

 

Looking good Man!

 

Really wicked looking chop,this is going stop people in their tracks.Really nice work.well done on the achievements.

 

It looks really good with the new shape of the rear window, and back portion of the top...what an improvement, and bold move to do. Most would have left it alone. The opened up windshield and Appleton 552's are perfect.
This sure will be one that will be remembered... and hopefully copied.
Good work Rob, and Octavio.

 

Thanks, Rik!

I got a lot more done today but nothing worth posting a picture of- mainly just finish welding the sailpanels and rear roof area. I will post a pic of the completely finished chop when it is done.

I took out the airbags simply because I am over them. I thought they were cool in 2002, but I don't anymore. I never once had any problems with them and the car rode great, but I am taking the car down a more "traditional" path now. Just don't look under my hood cuz the 350 is staying haha

Having the time to redo my roof has really motivated me and now that it's almost done, I think the rest of the work I have planned will fall into place.

I'll post pics of the tail lights when they're finished, too...I don't want to spoil it for now...not a new idea at all, but something I haven't seen repeated since Barris did it.

 

Oh i see, pretty clever! Talkin about the windshield.
Theres a pretty big hint on the tailites on page one theyre gonna be rad!
About the bags dude........im not too sure its a good idea, but hell its gonna be nice as fuk anyway!
About your fab work 5 years ago, how do you say it was bad? looked right on to me.
Guess the executor knows best.

 

I finished restyling my chop today...onto the tail lights next. More pics soon.

 

badass!

 

Nice that Elvis stopped by to help. Thank ya, thank ya very much.

 

Wowee! Looks amazing Rob, doesn't even look like the same car. Are the bags already out in the new pics you just posted? Sits beautifully.

 

Bags are still sitting in it so I can eyeball the stance then take some measurements for when I lower it. I had a pair of rear leaf springs dearched 4" and they're ready to go. Coils are on stand-by too But, yeah, that's about how I want it to sit...

 

Today I got about 90% finished with my tail lights...just a small bit of work left on the passenger side outer windsplit area where it meets the new bezel. That proved to be the most difficult thing when making these lights transition into the stock Ford body...it's really tricky to make the very ridged shoebox windsplit flow into the prefectly round tail light.

This is a crappy phone pics here...better pics tomorrow if you're interested...

 

Great work!