Hello all, just acquired a 1954 ford with a botched chop, ive been researching a few differnet threads on here, havent found any real techical for this particular chop, but i found a pic of someones 54 id like alot more info on if anybody has it?Who chopped it? Or more pics of the rear window! Any help appreciated!
Can't see the rear window, but it looks like the stock Ford window. Because of the high crown and rear window shape, it's really hard to chop these '52-'54 sedans and have them look good if the stock rear window is retained in either the stock dimension or some variation of it. Start with planning on using a window from a different car. Since it's already chopped...there's not a lot of room for advanced planning.
Try this. HRP http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=159726&highlight=chopping+1954+ford
This one looks pretty good,looks like the stock windows were cut down.Here is a link to more pics. http://socalcarculturesblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/53-ford-chopped-mild-custom.html
This is a mercury that one of my friends chopped. Every time I see a radically chopped '52-4 ford/merc it looks too squished, but chopping them to about the same height as a hardtop gives them a decent balance.
Custom Crestline has it nailed. Most are chopped way too much and they look like a piano fell on the roof. That Merc is very tasteful.
I just chopped my 54 ford this winter! It was a fight the whole time!!! Changed the way the rear window sat a million times. Took a break from the Ford, chopped a 47 Plymouth and put it back together in 2 nights...... still working on the ford!!!! Haha Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I'm doing it a bit different. I'm using a 56 hardtop roof, rear window and all with the chop built in from newLess crown=instant chop.
Here's a new thread ob chopping the 54 Ford. HRP http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=874897
Man,that chop is very pleasing to the eye,sometimes a slight chop has people scratching their head,,knowing something ain't right but can't quiet put their finger on it. HRP
I was gonna post the link to that chop Bryan up there and me have been working on but HRP beat me to it! The one thing we struggled with was the back window. We looked at Mat Egans car a lot. Almost swapped the window out but he was very insistent on keeping that back window and making it work. It's a tough car to chop right. Those were our first two chops and we've definitely learned a hell of a lot from doing research on here and then getting in the garage and trying to figure it out! If us two dickheads can figure it out I'm sure you can! Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Thanks for all the response! thankfully i work at Gambino Kustoms and alex has a pretty good idea of what its gonna take to make this thing come out nice. ive decided to use a 48 ford rear window, and the shops settled down enough for me to start crackin on this car, so would anyone happen to have one of these in a state you could get me a measurement from bottom front of rear window across, or even at the door jamb, at the height of the latch, any help appreciated!
If anyone is still interested in chopping a '54 hardtop, my club and I have chopped mine 3" and it's looking pretty dang good so far. We used a Lincoln roof because mine was trashed and made some wizard hat shaped filler pieces to keep it from looking "pancaked" on top. This kept the flow way more natural looking. We looked really hard at some shop pics from "El Sueño" at Altissimo Restoration to give us some ideas. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app