taking the top off, a full time convertible

We've had this 53 chrysler windsor sitting around for years, a project that just keeps getting pushed back because cooler cars roll in. I've searched for other threads reguarding converting a car into a convertible and it seems to be the cardinal sin of some hambers, however unlike the other thread this car is out of the field with all the glass broken out and some good dents in the roof. where as the other thread the guy was pondering doing it to his beautiful 50s caddy hardtop.

my question is what and where do i need to brace the body to keep it from warping and folding once the top is cutoff.

any help would be appreciated

 

Well since it's a full frame car it shouldn't fold....but you could put a roll bar in there from side to side...no back seat just some nice buckets in the front and maybe a toneau cover behind the seats.

 

yeah, those old mopars are x frames... cut er off and let it eat.

 

or.....make it look like a carson top car..your wouldn't need the side windows and just put a oval window in the back. I really like the slanted b pillars....maybe weld in some curved metal in the side window and then put a cloth slider top on it..to get rid of the beat up roof.

 

Really? That's news to me. Mine's not.

The area behind the b-pillars, which the doors latch too, is the weakest point. A buddy of mine hardtop chopped is '50 Plymouth. Without bracing it almost falls in on itself. That's what I would focus on first.

Are you planning on making a carson top for it? If not, are you going to put it in a garage, or just turn it into a big bath tub? Haha. Good luck.

 

That car will look killer as a parade car. you gotta keep the trim at the base of the roof. I was thinking about doing a top off on a beater Plymouth that I had a couple of years ago... My was was to build a c-shaped brace going around the top of the back seats with legs that extended down a couple of inches behind where the door latch is and attaching to the frame.

Chop the windshield, too... not too much, maybe 3".

 

Full frame car or no, you need reinforcements to keep the door gaps from pinching shut. Most of that reinforcement will need to be in the rockers. I can see this car has rusty rockers already, if you just take the top off it'll hinge at the body mounts and your door gaps will be gone forever.

I'm really not a fan of cutting the roof off of an old car, especially a coupe like this one. For every roofless car I've seen on the street, I've seen 10 abandoned projects that get the roof cut and the project is abandoned.

If you are going to actually finish the car, cut the old rockers off first, build some new heavy inner rockers and fully weld them to the floors (which also need to be solid, no rust around any body mounts is of top importance) and tie those rockers into the underside of the firewall extra strong. Basically, your outer rockers should be covering a well built set of what you would call subframe connectors on a unibody car.

That done and a removable carson top or at least a snap on tonneau cover could make a half way respectable car. But at the risk of sounding like a real dick here, if you don't have time to work on this car now (it keeps getting pushed back on the list by your own admission) I doubt you will have time or motivation to do the roof mod properly.

 

Maybe its just DeSotos then?

My mistake..

 

no on the desoto also i have had 4 plymouths and a desoto none of them were an x frame. the car i own now is a factory hardtop and it has the same frame as my old post cars had. so i would say brace the body at the b-pillar area and you would probably be fine. and please build a carson top for it.

 

Man, don't cut that roof off? It's already on it's way to a cool custom, slanted posts and all. Reconsider. Just my 2 cents.

 

From looking at the picture you have posted it looks like there is already some major frame weakness, what are the blocks holding up? Just alleviating weight on the wheels or is the structure weak? If it's for the wheels I would suggest blocking the axles.

 

Joe for the win, that looks bitchin

 

A car that has a folding top is a convertible. A car with no top at all is considered a roadster. If all you are looking to do is cut the top off and drive it around town for kicks, just weld the doors shut, cut off the top and hop in the car over the doors. Thus solving your door gap/opening/closing issue.

 

Coulda swore the 50 desoto my friend had was an x frame... oh well.

my mistake x2

 

Quickie check on how bad it'll be: jack it up in the center of the door, and try to open/close the door. Bet you can't.

Bracing: double thickness on the rockers, and about a 3-4" deep piece of 1/8" running above the rocker, behind the inner door, to give it a fighting chance. Yes, you'll have to step over it, but you won't have a top to interfere.

'A' pillar: taper a brace from very near the top to the floor, then run it into the floor around 6-12". It'll be an 'el' shape.

'B' pillar: same as above

Frame: box it, and try to run about an inch deeper by welding on a 'C' channel to the bottom of the frame. If there's room for an 'X', so much the better. At least another crossmember.

Trunk: at least 'X' brace behind the seat. Another just ahead of the opening is good, too.

Firewall: another 'X' brace here, too.

Finally, look into what the factories are doing. Your car is flimsy-er than anything put out today, and today's convertibles are braced heavily to boot.

Cosmo

 

Well to make proper/useful work of this, I´d strongly suggest You find some body assembly manuals for similar-era Mopar convertibles, do Your homework, and then brace the hell out of that body and frame accordingly before attempting to drive it too much. What most people don´t realize is there´s a lot more to making an open car than just hacking the roof off. To start with, factory convertibles weigh more than hardtops for a reason, as in all the said bracing in the body and frame, thicker-gauge rockers etc. to keep it from twisting and flexing while driven with no stiffening provided by the fixed roof structure.
Even on cars with "X"-frame structures, conv models came with their own, unique frames, with extra reinforcements and thicker-gauge walls on the frame beams.

 

that's a nice looking car. I'd hate to see it ruined by cutting the top off. can't see how that would be an improvement.

why not chop the top instead?

 

The top is the goofy part of those cars. Brace the crap out of it and take the top off!

 

hey all thanks for the input, sandiegojoe has made my decision a fairly easy one, I agree with most of you with how good the slanted pillars look but also agree with sandiegojoe that chryslers had goofy looking rooflines. I would most likley not go with a carson top and make sure it got into the garage when not in use or like squablows plan to create some sort of snap on cover to protect it. I'm pretty dern sure its a full frame car because thats what the blocks are setting on (the blocks are there only to support the car from sitting on the rims) if you guys beleive this is harmful i will move the blocks to the axles.
this project will get started after the moab car show in late april, because as of right the 49 ford is in the process of a new coat of paint

I will start with cosmos and everybodies advice on the rockers and go from there

 

Go man go!

 

In my opinion, the design would improve by reducing the slant of the B post . That's a carryover from the previous generation. The result would make for a smaller quarter-glass. An example, is the great looking '49 Ford coupe.

 

Resurrection!