Hey all I'm new here and am looking for any advice and guidance on doing a chop on a 47 dodge deluxe 4door. Anything will help!
Use the search button (magnifying glass near the top of the page) and look for any of the dozens and dozens of threads on chop jobs over the years. Lots of Mercs and Chevs, but the principals are the same.
The idea is the same but the process is not.........you have picked one of the hardest cars out there to chop and have it look good, look at the rear window section between the window and trunk lid. There is absolutely no way to do standard cut the roof off and move it forward to meet the A pillars........that leaves a gap and a window that will not lay down without looking like a gross lump. look at the images and you will see. The only other two ways are to quarter it.....ugh....and add tin to the huge cross in the middle of your roof, good luck ever getting the crown to ever look right again, or cut the roof off and tack the back half down where you want it then cut the roof forward of where the B pillar. Attach the front half to the A pillar.....once every thing lines up measure gap an fill it with hand formed metal or a strip from a dodge donor roof from the same area of roof. Those are your real life options, I have seen maybe 7 or 8 of these chops in my life and the only two that looked good were done using the third method.
HEY Joseph and Frankie,,,,,Did you happen to see this thread is posted in the INTRODUCTION page You are not doing an Introduction ...Follow the rules
Why take a chance screwing up your car and not just enjoy it the way it is? Not every car needs to be chopped. Most rounded 40's cars, especially 4 doors, start to take on cartoonish looks when chopped, it's hard to get smooth flowing lines with all the curves. I know, there are exceptions to this, but most 4 doors look better stock height.....
Hi. As you did not add photo's and just asking in general we cannot assess what you have so these were really good answers. Those 2 that Frankie pictured look great. If you decide to not chop you might use photo shop to play around with a few different looks on your car. Things like fender skirts, lowering a bit but if you plan to drive it a lot you may just end up with a tail dragger if you go more than a couple of inches and even at just 2" you likely will have to enter and leave driveways at an angle to prevent dragging. Photo shop fender skirts. I had planned on skirts some years ago when I bought my 46 Chevy coupe but the more I looked at those wide whitewalls filling the fender openings the more I liked them that way. Also try this on your car as it sits on its tires. Just open drivers door and get in. Depending on your height is it easy or hard to enter? How much harder would it be if the roof line were4" lower" You might tape a piece of 2" X 4" across the top insice of your door opening & try it that way??? They you will really know if you will like a chop or not. To WBRW32 - Did you ever get a chance to get a photo of that Chevy donor car? If you could get a quartering rear photo showing rear and left quarter that would be great. Still have not heard back from the insurance co so I still do not know which way I will go. Do not know if they are going to total it or pay for repair and that what I need to know to decide. I have a trailer avalible with a winch that I can load it on even without the front suspension & wheels if I can back my trailer in front of the car. It is just a long way to dreve without knowing if what is there will work on my coupe as most 42 & 47 - 48 stuff will work on the 46 if same coupe body style but not all. If I were to just jack it up a bit to get 2 x 10 wood on ramps under the front car frame it should slide the frame up the ramps & onto trailer. In any case thanks for the offer. Jimmie
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