Ok, here it is started choppin this 51 Chevy 2 dr sedan a few days ago. Nothing crazy, 4 inch chop, and canted b pillars. started out with this started marking out cut lines. We cut the package tray out for reasons to be revealed further down the page rear window and package tray gone Roof off set the roof back on to look at how the pillars needed to move cut A pillars top and bottm, and B pillars top and bottom to lean them in to line up saved the curve out of the quarter window to finish off the newly chopped quarter window with a nice curve slightly bent the curve then tacked into place ok, here is why we cut out the package tray. after a lot of thinking we decided to move the rear glass forward iinstead of making the roof longer we mad ethe catwalk longer all gas hammerwelded of course ok, roof Shortened, and rear window tacked into place thats it for tonight more pics and such manana. sam
Interesting idea, extending the catwalk. I will be interested to see the finished product. Good luck.
ok, I cant fall asleep so here is a little more. here is what a finished hammerweld looks like. not much to grind new, extended catwalk welded here is the unchopped door top showing how much it was chopped new profile welded B pillar
and a quick little video of some hammer welding I guess it takes a few minutes before the video will work <object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WRqbdKZAzoU"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WRqbdKZAzoU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object>
Wow, and all this time I thought hammer welding was a one man operation. That sure beats putting down the torch and finding the hammer & dolly with welding goggles!
it is definitely doable as a one man thing, torch stand, and tools nearby. however it goes much faster and smoother with two guys. plus if you fuck it up you can always blame the other guy
welded A pillar. then smoothed out the welds. Gas welds require very little grinding shot the sail panels in, and test fitting the reshaped beltline trim. the belt line trim need a little straightening so I made this little dolly to fit inside the trim more to come....
the reason we decided to move the window forward is that when you just lay it down, the sail panel gets HUGE. We decided that moving it forward gives the roof a more proportional look, and keeps the sail panel around the stock size. it also gives the whole car a more aggressive coupe look without the little coupe 1/4 windows
hey thanks, we spent a lot of time planning before cutting. here is another thread I did about how we fixed the rusty beltline http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=262715
GREAT LOOKING CHOP!!! Kustombuilder and Sam F did basically the same treatment by moving the rear window forward and extenting the catwalk. It really cleans it up.Todd
that looks great,,,i like it when the catwalk area is extended,,,makes the car look more like a coupe in my opinion,,,,,,i gotta learn gas welding,,looks like fun,,,,,,,,,,, keep the pictures coming!
we should be wrapping this chop up in the next couple days, and I will get some pics of it all leaded and cleaned up. Gas welding is pretty straight forward, its just a matter of getting over the fear of the flame. It can be pretty intimidating at first. Also I like to use the RG45 filler rod, it is plenty strong but the welds stay really maleable and dont crack very easily. Your shoebox is gonna be one crazy custom. cant wait to see that one done.
a lot of time has gone into learning how to make it look easy Even though it is still not easy, just a couple wrong choices can ruin your whole chop.
Can't wait to see some pics of the side profile of that roof... you made extending that catwalk look simple... nice work. Please keep the pics coming
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