Nice...this was exactly my thought at the start of this thread. I knew it wouldnt take long for a Hamber to step up. That is a great offer.
This place was given "mad props" and so far its true. Very awesome of you guys to offer assistance and parts to help us get started! Guess I found a new home
There is some CRAZY talent on this forum. You have definitely come to the right place. I'd look at that body and walk away, where some of these guys would look at it and ask "What time tomorrow do you want to have it in paint?" Unbelievable knowledge, a billion years worth of experience, and 99% of them hearts of gold. Most of 'em won't ever ask for a thing in return other than that you help someone else down the line if it's ever within your ability to do so. If THESE guys can't help you, you're fucked. If I could buy them ALL a beer I would. Welcome to the H.A.M.B.
i think it's fixable (that is, i've seen worse actually driving down the road) although it's a job that would be beyond my skill set. if you're a good enough fabricator/metalworker, i think you could make the pieces you need without much trouble. i would probably try and even out the cut lines first and then maybe add material if it has the lid sitting too low. but again, i'm pretty much talking out of my ass. i'm not even sure why i'm making this post.
This is how i would go at it too. You can fix it, it's just going to be a severe chop when finished. It's just metal and can be reshaped with a hammer, dolly, torch, and welder. Get it squared up and fill in with small pieces of metal cut with a jigsaw. Kirk's right, posterboard makes great patterns. Keep the patience.
Well I'm not willing to give up on this thing. With patience and time I think I can do it. With your guys help anything is possible. Thanks for the advice and I'll keep you posted on how we are coming along.
cool man. my chop was also bad i am still trying to fix it. I got a coupe because i wanted a coupe not a roadster. you can fix her its just time,money,parts,
That chop is not a bad fix. The roof filling attempt might be easier fixed with the replacement panels that they sell for over the doors though. Id make sure the body and roof were parallel then mask off right over the exising cuts with 1" masking tape and mirror cut the body and roof. Then Id weld that bitch up and rock it. I like a nice hard chop though. Donor roof is for pussies
Man, what a mess but you don't need a doner roof. The extra posts, ect someone offered would be a big help if you want to raise the roof up a bit and square it as you go, flat strips welded around the back fixes the bad cut. It almost looks like whoever cut it took those cartoons of a guy chopping with a chainsaw to heart! The window corners can be fabbed easy enough. After seeing this I spent 10 minuets with a bead roller and shrinker/ strecher and came up with this (I have a 31 coupe in the shop I used for the pattern. It would take a little longer but you could form it with hand tools. Or PM me, I'll make you a set, cheap.
Glad to see you guys have the stones to take this on a save the old girl. You came to the right place for help and advise, so have fun, make mistakes and take time to have a beer and laugh about what just happened. Good luck and remember it's just metal so shit you can do it.
Save it 100%. The one's telling you to junk it are just untalented and jealous. Why does everyone keep saying to get a donor roof so thatyou can unchopp it? I think the amount of chop on this car looks bitching. Just fix the bottome, gather up the pieces, and then fix the chop and the window. Just keep you head down and get it done.
these are nice window corners , also have you looked at SNYDERS MODEL A AND T PARTS ? they have the new cowl panels , rear inner fender panels and new side roof panels and much more . when i built the 29 , i used a bunch of parts from snyders and was very pleased . you can almost build a complete car from these guys , of course i was lucky , its only a 30 minute drive from my house to snyders , look them up on line . todd
Wow, that is a horrible chop some guys just shouldn't even touch tools. It's a coupe, good on you for saving it. It can be fixed with some metal work and patience. Good luck with it.
no one has mentioned coupster ... gee model A's with good roofs are every fricken where ... keep lookin save yer beer money for two weeks
Here is a couple of shots of the A pillar posts and one of the driver's B pillar. Workmanship is incredible!
Metalman - that's the shit man. What brand bead roller ad Shriner/stretcher do you use or recommend. I'd like to give it a try and see what I come up with.
I use a Mittler Bros. bead roller, I love it. I have their standard 15/32 tank roll die, it rolls 1/2 the radious so if you look you'll see I made the corner in 2 pieces, then welded them together. Not only does it happen to make perfct size early Ford window frames the same die turned around will make perfect body reveals for them as well I found out! Of course the outside ridge is just an 1/8" step die. Very versitile machine, today I'm using it to put a wire edge into a set of 1912 Stanley Steamer fenders I'm building. I use a 20 year old Eastwood shrinker/ strecher, has served me well. Invest in a couple good tools like a bead roller and the shrinker/ strecher and you won't have to spend money buying patch panels ever again, little pratice and you'll find yourself making them all!
I have the same bead roller and I love it though a bigger motor would be nice. That mixed with an English wheel and a shrinker stretcher and you won't be buying patch panels every again. Nice job on those little corners you made, just shows how quick a patch can be made with the right tools.
Dang Metalman, I might have a job for you...I've been struggling with the design of latch handles for the storage boxes on my COE. Maybe you could take three and a half minutes and build them for me?
Look at it this way,whatever you do to it,it will only get better and you get OTJTraining.Pleeeeease get the Mustang front off also.
Props to you guys for tackling one that's just on the outer edges of your skill set. It might be a little bit rough, but it's definitely salvagable. And props to you guys offering help in the way of stuff that most people toss away. I stripped a 51 Chevy door that was WAY past roached out of everything I could imagine someone using. Even cut off the entire window frame. Sooner or later, someone will make a mistake during a chop, and that window frame will save their ass.
Nothing like a challenge to get you going. Yeah, it's a hack job, but as others have said, you can fix it. Just take your time, straighten up those cuts, top and bottom and go from there. Kudos to all you guys who offered parts. That's really nice. Tom
Mabe advertise for someone who did a model a chop 4'' or more and saved the cut sections. Rechop and work them into the top and body.just add what what you need.i still have the sections i removed somewhere.there are 4".my buddy has some off his a bone 5.5''.
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