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Customs What is the 'perfect' '35-'36 3-window chop?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Surf City, Apr 4, 2018.

  1. I have to agree with you there - it could do with a bit more out of the rear window. Looks slightly disproportionate to the side windows.

    Scanned the R&C feature this afternoon...

    evans36-1.jpg

    evans36-2.jpg

    I'd love to see a side on shot of this one.

    Bear:)
     
    EVL401 and chryslerfan55 like this.
  2. Bear! Here´s a sideshot of mine. 3 inches from the A-pillar and 4 from the rear.
    [​IMG]
     
    EVL401, bobbooth, tr_rodder and 9 others like this.
  3. I kind of like a 2'' chop. '36 all done 007.JPG
     
  4. Hamtown Al
    Joined: Jan 17, 2007
    Posts: 2,899

    Hamtown Al
    Member Emeritus
    1. Virginia HAMB(ers)


    Sorry, Bear.

    I thought it was just right but never bothered to document the specifics... duh!!!

    I wish I had.:(

    I'm honored that you and others liked the car. It was a sweet one but the firewall was set way back.. had plenty of room for anything yet interior still had plenty of room.
    Al
     
    chryslerfan55 and Surf City like this.
  5. TagMan
    Joined: Dec 12, 2002
    Posts: 6,312

    TagMan
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Hamtown Al,

    My '36 3w has no chop and the windows are out of it. I can give you any measurements you'd like and you can check your car against those figures, if you'd like. Just thought I'd offer.
    -Bob
     
  6. Thanks for that Kenneth. Great to have some 'real' numbers to compare.
    Looking at that pic I would have sworn you had taken the same amount front and rear. I guess it's the way you moved the rear of the roof back to meet the body -gives more 'crown' in the rear whereas the 'more slice in the back' type chop usually tapers the roof off. It's amazing how changing one element can affect the overall look of the chop
    Yours definitely has the traditional 'Calori' look!

    I've been busy re-reading yours and Kipp's build threads....

    Bear:)
     
    chryslerfan55 and j hansen like this.
  7. Hamtown Al
    Joined: Jan 17, 2007
    Posts: 2,899

    Hamtown Al
    Member Emeritus
    1. Virginia HAMB(ers)

    TagMan,
    Thanks for the great offer but sadly I no longer have the car.:(
    It was another of many keepers that I didn't keep!:eek::D

    You might want to take a few pictures and record a few measurements as an aid to others that got a car that was already chopped and are trying to figure out just how much and where so they will know and also can share with others on this thread. A kind of "public service"... or should that be "public reference?";):D
    Al
     
    chryslerfan55 likes this.
  8. Another 'purple' one. 3" front and 2 1/2" rear chop.

    36Fordleadslead4or-vi.jpg

    choppedpurple36.jpg

    Bear:)
     
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2018
    EVL401, tr_rodder, akoutlaw and 2 others like this.
  9. Hey Lon, does this one look a little better?


    20180505_185438 (2).jpg


    Bear:)
     
  10. brigrat
    Joined: Nov 9, 2007
    Posts: 5,844

    brigrat
    Member
    from Wa.St.

    Is this a trick question?
    JMO, But your building a mild '36 3/W custom, mild being the key word to me.
    Stock back window would be "out", heavy hot rod coupe chop would be "out" so your stuck with something in the "middle'. The problem I have with the Brizio built chop (on page 3) is it reminds me of a '30-'40s Chevy coupe back window, once that stigma was stuck in my head I replied that I hated the back window. Hate was to harsh of a word to use, but it turned me off. I understand this is all personal taste that varies with each person. Since you asked, the back window on the coupe above would work for me with another 3/4" to 1" taken out of the middle of opening.
     
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  11. Actually, kind of a trick question! A real observant guy may recognise some of the background details.:D

    This one has 2 1/2" vertical (3" of window height) taken out of the back window, and the opening has been moved around an inch closer to the beltline.

    Bear:)
     
    Hamtown Al likes this.
  12. Gasolinefed
    Joined: Apr 17, 2018
    Posts: 97

    Gasolinefed
    Member
    from OR

    Fan of the calori coupe chop personally.. was thinking it was almost the perfect mix of custom and class when studying my hot rod mag.. always thought the car could have been greater with a different cap and tire treatment.. thumbed threw my mag and all it said is that The top has been chopped 3”...
     
    Last edited: May 9, 2018
  13. 1946caddy
    Joined: Dec 18, 2013
    Posts: 2,167

    1946caddy
    Member
    from washington

    Not the perfect chop but someone chopped the back of this 35 3 window and made a pickup out of it. I noticed that they mounted the Model A body backwards on the frame also. :confused:
    WP_20180508_17_58_59_Pro.jpg
     
  14. In progress, 2 1/2" front and 3 5/8" rear measured vertically. Rear pillar section cut out and relocated to avoid pie cutting rear pillar.

    20181031_194954.jpg

    Bear:)
     
  15. Nice work, interesting approach. I like the amount of chop, but personally like the pie cut rear pillar look better........takes some of the "bubble" out of the roof and looks a little more swoopy. But that's just me.

    Keep us updated please.
     
  16. Interesting that you say the pie cut chop takes some of the 'bubble' out of the roof - I actually think that moving the rear pillar section up and laying it forward does just that, and is the reason I did it that way.
    The picture I posted above probably doesn't show it off at it's best, and it seems that particularly with the very curved '35 - '36 roofline, the camera angle can tend to 'trick' your eye.

    In an earlier post I compared the Rusk and Bello coupe rooflines, and said that (in my mind), perfection may lie somewhere between the two.
    Now that I have the main portions of the door top mocked up in place and can get a better comparison of the profiles, I'm thinking that I'm actually dead on where I want it to be.:cool:

    choprusk.jpg


    20181114_223857.jpg

    chopped14 (2).jpg

    There's still a long way to go to finesse the lines, and I know that my metalwork is never gonna' reach the level of these two, but right now I'm pretty bloody happy with the overall look!:D

    Bear:)
     
  17. And now, with the door top stitched back together, I think I'm there! (apart from all the work left to do:rolleyes:)

    20181125_193110.jpg
    As this thread has shown, everyone has their own opinion of the 'perfect chop" (or noto_O), but I'm happy to say that the lines of this are as close to my vision of perfect as I could get them.:cool::D

    Now I just need to focus on all the small stuff....

    20181125_193159.jpg

    Bear:)
     
  18. redoxide
    Joined: Jul 7, 2002
    Posts: 768

    redoxide
    Member

    Any updates on this 36 chop?

    A few years ago I was resurrecting a rough 36 3 window with an eye on a chop but unfortunately I eventually sold the car which was subsequently completed and ended up in the Netherlands ,last time I saw a pic of it, it was still un chopped :( Looked good but really needed a roof top trim .

    Fast forward a few years and a friend of mine turns up with the car in the attached pic . What a beautiful car . If any one doubted if these should be chopped stop looking at pics for comparisons and find a very nicely chopped one and your mind will be made up.

    It doesn't matter what angle you look at this car from the proportions are simply spot on. If Michelangelo or daVinci built Kustoms this would be there vision..

    Im sure the car was built in the USA , Lived in England for a while and its now in Scotland . Making Scotland brighter and better place to live :)

    Does anyone know the history of this car ?

    chopped16.jpg
     
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  19. brigrat
    Joined: Nov 9, 2007
    Posts: 5,844

    brigrat
    Member
    from Wa.St.

    SurfCity passed away a while back, don't know what happened to the '36................
     
  20. aussie57wag
    Joined: Jul 13, 2011
    Posts: 673

    aussie57wag
    Member
    from australia

  21. Crocodile
    Joined: Jun 16, 2016
    Posts: 361

    Crocodile
    Member

    For what it's worth, it seems like many of the chopped 3 windows turn out looking quite nice. They lend themselves to this quite readily.
    Most 5 window chops end up looking clunky and disproportionate. Like they were stepped on. Maybe 1 out of 10 look good. I happen to prefer 5 window coupes over the 3 window, and mine will not be cut.
     
  22. deathrowdave
    Joined: May 27, 2014
    Posts: 3,983

    deathrowdave
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from NKy

    My vote is 0 !
     
    olscrounger and das858 like this.
  23. It was John Saint Germain's car. Built in Canada.
    https://public.fotki.com/Rikster/11...cars/35_ford_custom_cars/john-st-germain-193/
    https://www.customcarchronicle.com/forums/topic/for-sale-1935-ford-coupe-custom/
     
    redoxide likes this.
  24. Rick & Jan
    Joined: Apr 9, 2008
    Posts: 537

    Rick & Jan
    Member

  25. JOHN H EDGE
    Joined: Dec 8, 2015
    Posts: 407

    JOHN H EDGE
    Member

  26. redoxide
    Joined: Jul 7, 2002
    Posts: 768

    redoxide
    Member

    Im sorry to hear this . It might be informative to add with reference to another 36 Kustom referred to on the post that Kenneth Kristiansons 36 project had stalled due to Kenneth having had a massive stroke . Unfortunately I have lost contact with Kenneth and a mutual friend . I hope that Kenneth is making a good recovery .
     
  27. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 10,095

    jnaki

    Hello,

    We have seen plenty of 1935-36 Ford 5 window coupes. To us, drawing and photographing various makes and models has become a fun thing to do during the pandemic. But, the more we saw the chopped 5 window coupes, the more a 3 window coupe became front and center. For some reason, on the drawing boards, a 5 window does not have the looks at any level of chop. The less chop, the better, but overall, IOHO, the chop looks out of place.


    The 35-36 fords have a cool front end that makes people notice. When most of them are sitting at car shows they have the hood up to gaze at the motor. The hood and sides make is easy to view what is inside without peering over the top of most fenders. But, despite the cool hood/sides, and front end with fenders, the 5 window still looked better not chopped.

    The story on Manuel Reyes’ 3 window coupe got me to thinking of various versions of the 35-36 Ford 3 window coupes. The chop looked well done and did not look like someone dropped a piano on top. The proportions looked good.
    upload_2022-8-24_4-47-54.png
    https://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=51120

    So, I drew a 3 window coupe and started chopping the top lower and lower. Finally, there was a compromising position on paper that did not look like the hot rod got stepped on from some giant person, like, Andre the Giant Wrestler from the old days.
    upload_2022-8-24_4-50-24.png Manuel Reyes
    My versions were adjusted each time a chop was made to the original drawing. The 5 window looked too awful, but the 3 window looked, as Goldilocks once said… “ahhh, just right.”

    Jnaki

    Then, I went to town drawing various styles of 35-36 Fords.
    upload_2022-8-24_4-51-22.png Car show version with early flames...
    A mild chop + rake with Purple paint and Claw flames.
    upload_2022-8-24_4-54-0.png
    Even to a radical chopped coupe set up for the vintage hot rod division of the El Mirage Dry Lake Races and/or Bonneville when it is not flooded.
    upload_2022-8-24_4-55-1.png
    Not only did I go a little overboard with a different design, I made a custom RPU for those that did not just like Model A RPU builds. This one had an extended bed and cab to fit two teenagers comfortably.
    upload_2022-8-24_4-55-47.png
    So, what is the best chop top? Why none at all in the 5 window, where any level of proportion is good on a 3 window. Then, there is even one without a top that fits nicely, too. "... in the warm California sun..."










     
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  28. douglasarthur
    Joined: Mar 21, 2012
    Posts: 5

    douglasarthur
    Member
    from Tacoma

    Ive looked at this article a few times as I have a 35 3 window and have contemplated chopping it....but this is the first time that I read the entire thing and this just slapped me in the face. I really hope he got that thing on the road and enjoyed his build. And I hope someone is still enjoying it now. Life is fragile.
     
  29. mrspeedyt
    Joined: Sep 26, 2009
    Posts: 1,017

    mrspeedyt
    Member

    imo it does NOT make sense to chop most all cars. my 6'3" prefers stock.
     
  30. brady1929
    Joined: Sep 30, 2006
    Posts: 9,419

    brady1929
    Member

    Damn, there are some beautiful cars on this thread!
     

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