Hot Rods now a '33 5w chopped ford hemi coupe

I cannot tell you how much I am happy with the chop on my 34. I personally wouldn't chop it any more. You can definitely tell that it is chopped, but its not chopped so much that driving is hindered. When I pull up to stop lights, I do have to lean forward to see the lights as it is. In the pic with me (the trophy was for a spectators choice I guess just because people like seeing them in progress), you can see just how short the windshield really is.

Also, I'm looking at your lines, I also recommend totally cutting out the rear window and trying to save as much of the height of the rear window as possible. Plus, with lowering the window all the way down to the belt line, it'll help you to be able to see when you have to back the car up.

If you haven't cut into it yet and can afford a visit to Oklahoma, you're more than welcome to come down and check it out before you commit.

 

nice rod 35.....nice stance......looks real good......

 

tomorrow I start cutting.....front windshield post 3, 3/4 "....middle post 3, 1/2" and back of sedan 3, 1/2"
that should give her a nice sweet look.

 

first cuts......first cut was a little wobbly, second cut was pretty straight... .nothing a welder can't fix......

 

got the roof off the body.......

 

well, I got the easy part done.....now the real work begins.....
it's 3, 3/4" front windshield /door post....3, 1/2" middle post, and 3, 1/2" rear of car

 

That's pretty much how I cut mine. Line up your center post's, tack it together. Are you going to lengthen the top front and behind the center post? The yellow car above was lengthened as was mine. Just asking. You can see that you'll have to "curl" the corners of the back window to align them. That is barely visible in the pics of my car. I'll PM you my cell number if you'd like to go over any thoughts or details. Tim

 

The point of no return !! Looks good to me .

 

man, your car looks great.......the back lines are perfect, I look at mine now and go holy shit, how do I fix that.

thanks ragtop.......thanks for your help also......

 

Which area are you concerned about? Send me a pic.

 

this area.....

 

You can see how I overcame this in my pics. I lengthened the top. I've studied this and it is about as easy as anything else. Align the center post first. This area will still be out of alignment. Then lengthen the rear section, sliding the top back until the arch of the window opening is lined up. The beautiful sculpted part will still be off but is easily "worked" to align. I heated mine with a torch and hammered the bottom line until it met the upper line. That may be visible in the pics, I'll check. I didn't have to split the rounded part of the top at the rear, it lined up pretty good. Then you can go to the front section. Fun heh???

 

"I heated mine with a torch and hammered the bottom line until it met the upper line."
That's the missing piece of the puzzle.

 

save the pieces you cut out. The next owner may want a less radical chop or your pieces may save another car that has been chopped to much. Either way those pieces are valuable

 

ok man.......I usually save everything.......

 

not for the faint of heart......the Rod & Custom article stated "remove the wood" . Sounds simple, right ....wrong. In order to do metal work, hammer and dolly, when welding a patch panel in the roof , you have to cut some wood out of the roof supports so there's room to work. Its pretty interesting how intricate the roof wood supports are. It took me several hrs. to figure out how to get the wood pieces out then cut about 3" or so off the re-install them. Tomorrow, I'll tackle the other side. Then I can mount and tack on the B pillars.

 

well,I got the roof wood sections cut out and the roof's in 3 sections.I welded a piece of metal inside the B pillar to keep things some what aliened. I just replaces the middle section of the roof for mock up purposes.

 

It's looking good. Be patient, it will fall into place just fine. Tim is correct in splitting the top in 3 sections like you have. When he speaks of "curling" the rear window corners to achieve alignment, you can use this method where the corner section is cut out, then "slid over" until it aligns. You'll then be faced with a small rectangular shaped hole to fill. This keeps slicing and welding of the reveal down to a minimum which will save a lot of tedious grinding. This method will also work for side quarter window alignment w/o having to lengthen the top.

Pic taken from Kiwi Kev's terrific 34 chop thread; http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/nice-weekend-to-chop-a-34-5-window-coupe.417981/

 

thanks HRTHell......thanks to your explanation, I can finally see and comprehend it.

 

well, I'm working on the A pillars. Ran into a couple issues. I tried to tack the drivers side pillar , it was acting like I was welding cast metal.....it was full of lead. The passenger side pillar needs adjusting.Takes a little time to get all the pieces lined up , but its coming pretty good.

 

Windshield height looks rad! Gonna look real tough once the windshield frame is in place. Cut weld repeat.

 

Yea man,... Diggin this build thread.

 

thanks 401, I'm hopping it will, just can't see it yet.

thanks Pete, I'm having fun. I like facing new challenge. I'm doing what I've always wanted to do..... Build and drive hot rods.

 

I used this method on both of my tudors and didn't have to split the top rear of the B pillar. . I lengthened the top in the front like you are doing except I made my cut z/d rather than straight across. On the 34 Vicky I cut the top in 3 pieces like you and Tim did. I think the amount of work would be about the same with either method.

 

well, I did some work fitting the A pillar and got the rear section of the roof up and on the body. Have to study it so I can see how to manipulate it to fit better.

 

Hey 2345 coupe --Chopping a 34 is a lot harder than a Model A !! Taking care of and adjusting the "jogs" to make smooth rounded corners and stretching and shrinking different radii takes time and effort. As you know these things separate a good chop from a hot mess. Your lines and gaps look good to me-- just keep fine tuning and it will look great. Bill

 

thanks Bill..........your right it is different than an "A" chop, but the experience that I got by chopping both my "A"s is really helping me keep my cool with the complexities of the '34.

 

well,I worked the rear roof section a little more today. Not quite finished yet. Probable another hr. and I'll be able to start putting some tack welds to her. I'm real pleased with the way the sections line up.
For me, the trick is put some tack welds in and go pile a 1/2 cord of wood. Then put some more tacks welds in and go pile another 1/2 cord of wood. This method prevents excessive heat and warping of the metal. I've learned that the hard way.

 

Looking good 2345 coupe,i like the chop,,,keep up the work,,,ps. really like the 32 frame,thanks,Glin...

 

should grind the paint off around where your welding, Then you could see if you need to clean led off, And it would weld easier being clean