My New Project `51 Ford with 4" Chop & Then Some...

here are 2 shoeboxes with padded carson style tops...the white one is my 51 victoria, the purple one is a also a 51 victoria that was sectioned in the early 60's and later chopped by Dick Dean.....

 

As someone said above, 51 Victoria's are a hard car to chop and get right.

I have a chopped (soon) and channeled (already) one I'm doing, and have spent a LOT of time checking out chopped victorias.........some absolute shockers out there.

As everyone has said, the sail panels are too full on this one.......but why?.

In MY opinion, the problem is that they didn't lengthen the roof when they chopped it.....instead they have slid the roof forward, which created a 3-4" longer sail panel.

I'm not sure there is an easy fix for it (other than decapitation and a carson top).

A bigger back window, beltline stainless and a two tone paint job might nail it.

An idea I have measured up for and that looks promising is a 54 Chev rear window .......yes I KNOW shoebox into 54 Chev is a more normal swap......but the wrap around rear glass from the chev measures up as a good fit for a chopped vicky.

Or just go for a Tudor/Fordor rear glass.....sort of a hardtopped tudor look.

The really interesting thing is that the short quarter window and big sail panel look it has going is perfect for a carson top........as the above photoshop shows.

It would almost be tempting to lay up a mould off that roof and use it as the basis of a glass carson top ?? It actually has the look.

 

so then why go through all the work of pulling a mold, makin the carson, cuttin the top off, doing all the metal work on the beltline to get the thing ready for the carson, just to have the same look with a carson top? ? ?

just fill the quarter windows in with tin, and get a landau kit for the roof. . .

 

I`m still thinking a bigger back window is the key.....just have to find one that fits the bill....not too many "good" junkyards left around here though.

BTW...I`m on a budget like most on here....so cheap ideas are god ideas! I have all the tools though...and the ambition to make it right...lol

 

I resisted the temptation to say "fill the sunroof and put a fabric cover over the roof"........but yes, that would be a cheap way out of this.

It would be nice to see some photoshops of it with a bigger rear window, beltline stainless and maybe a contrasting color on the roof.

 

The idea I have always had for MY vicky was to make the chopped hardtop roof removeable and also have a carson top.

Best of all three worlds. Chopped hardtop. Carson top. or convert.

A local guy here made the roof removable on a early sixties Falcon hardtop.......worked out very neat.

......just an idea in the back of the head.

 

I do have ALL of the stainless for the car BTW.

 

I'd say you're all right here....just remove the rear area and replace with a shoebox rear glass and it's opening.
While doing that move the new opening forwrds about 6" and add new metal between the trunk lid and this new panel,that will improve it 100 percent!
Fil that sunroof and screw the carson top look- that sucks....