Here is my 52 chevy chop I did last month. I built the car 4 yrs ago and never had the balls to chop it. Than I found "Flops chop" thread on here and said screw it... I can always weld it back together. lol I took 4" of the frontposts down to 5" off the back. I think it turned out really good... happy with how it flows. Not to bad for a carpenter. The start...
side profile with door tops welded back on... had to add abot 3" to the top. Just used the side of the door post to fill in the top. It worked good.
Had to move the center post back 3"... I had to move the bottom of the window track up 3/4" up after I tried to fit the window. The belt line is staying. All smooth and ready for primer...
The front is a long story. lol I couln't find a glass guy who would cut the winsheild. So I tried an oldschool trick, "sinking" the glass. I found a couple of pics on the web and decided to just try it. You cut the window track out and slide the factory glass in it and on to a shelf you build, the rest of the rubber holds it in place. the firt piece fit great, left the rubber in to get the right spaceing
After all that... the glass guy decided that he would try it and since I had two sets of winsheilds I let him take it and figured he was going to break them. Two days later he was at my house with a perfectly cut winsheild! What sucked is I had to reweld all the cutting I did... but made for a better fit and job. Not saying that the "sunken" window wouldin't work, just that it was my last resort. Here it is all done with cut winsheild and new weatherstriping...
Well done. You obviously did your homework and thought it through before giving it the cut. Seriously, well done. All the best, Dale Cleveland OH
Congrats...looks great! Thanks for sharing. Now lower the rear and maybe add some skirts! And a custom grill...frenched headlights...dagmars...nosed decked and shaved...
Thanks guys... @ black 62 - If your talking about the middle of the back side of the roof, where I over lapped it? I used self tappers "screws" to hold it where it looked right. After both sides were welded i than cut off the over lap and welded it. And alot of hammer and dollie work because it warps with every tac. lol
Here is the wingwindow... just a couple of cuts, and left the broken glass in to check the spacing to the car. It wast to bad, probally the most easy part of the whole chop. If anyone is checking this tread because they are trying to decide to do it or not... Honestly it wasn't that bad. If you can weld, use a hammer and dolly, check your measurements, and do one area at a time... you can do it. Hardest part of chopping a car is the dam glass. ANd also getting it to flow right.
Thanks for the pics of the vent windows, D.b. It looks as if the relationship of the upper-to-lower pivot points has been changed? Does this affect their operation?
I know it's already bee said but dude, you made that look way too easy. I've seen some where they fabricate a whole new sail panel out on english wheel which would be beyond my capabilities. This looks like a great way to go. Your end result is awesome!!!
@ 'Mo yea, good eye... they only open about half way. I screwed up trying to rush it because the glass guy was coming the next day. I didn't realize it till I had both sides already cut and tacked. I'm planning on finding another set before I paint the car, and remake them. I can still use the glass and it should be an easy sat. fix one weekend. @ Hussey thanks, I don't own a english wheel either. You woud be surprised how much you can bend metal by hand when you have to. Also, I don't know if it was the right way, but it worked for me.
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