Projects ‘51 Mercury Botched Top Chop Repair

So this one’s gonna take a little work…











A-pillar welds didn’t do too much…



Didn’t need a straight edge to see the B-pillars weren’t straight…




And leaning back at that…




Not much better on the C-pillars…




So I guess it’s best to get to work. After a little head scratching.

 

Good luck. I hate fixing my own crap let alone someone else's

 

Lift off Carson top time?

 

I've got to watch this, you have your work cut out for you to fix this mess!

 

That's ugly but fixable. Establish some good reference locations, cut another inch out to even everything up, glue it back together for a truly slammed Merc.

 

looks OK to me - just started new meds

 

Well, at least he stopped. I don't see a big issue with taking over where it's at. For sure part off every weld and start over. When you do that about the only thing you don't have is a center line established from the beginning prior to any cuts. A bonus is you have a 49/50 back window opening to work with. It's hard to tell if there is any bracing in the inside, still not a big deal. If you weren't afraid to buy it, you probably already have a plan. Let's see what you end up with.

 

There is one like that right now on my local classifieds .

“ chop started , hard work done just need fittment “

is how it’s listed looks a little worse then yours .


Good luck , keep us posted !

 

Good luck with that, Dan. You've got your work cut out for you !!!

 

Looks like a solid start. I'd start with four heavy duty casters, and build a dolly to set the car on. Take the tires off it, determine a ride height you like and fix the roof to match what you think looks right. Buying another roof isn't out of the question.

 

Brutal. Looks like it was a really nice body when they started, too. Should be fixable though, just that every cut will need to be redone. Hopefully you have the pieces that were cut out/cut off. I would very much like to see this one come together.

A second roof would be great, but it's gotta be incredibly hard to find a Merc coupe that's junk for parts with a good roof on it anymore. And shipping one would cost a fortune.

 

Let this be a lesson to everyone that thinks chopping a top is easy. Were not talking Model A, but several compound curves involved. If you don't have the skill's just stop, before you turn a decent car into scrap.

 

A man's got to know his limitations. At least the guy stopped before going further than that.

 

Most of us have heard that if you can't do a Good weld just Weld a lot, it'll be fine. I think this shows that statement don't hold up. Just because you own a Mig Machine don't make you a welder.

 

I think there is at least one screwed up chop in every part of the country.
This one ended up at my buddy's house 10 years ago in some sort of trade.



https://photobucket.com/u/mr48chev/a/dcf8dfa6-8073-41b9-9d67-4d3ee75ac4fd

I came close to trading him for it but couldn't find another roof before making the deal. I figured to cut that roof off and start over.

 

Why do they always start with the chop?

(It's rhetorical question)

 

Maybe someone shot his ass before he could do more damage!!

 

What? You mean there's more to it? I've never seen anything done before you cut in the Magazine how to's I've read.

 

The good thing...it's only steel. Cut, fabricate, weld, repeat, it'll come back to shape.

When I was first starting out, and was very hesitant/reluctant for fear of screwing things up, a bodyman buddy of mine gave me the best advice ever. He said, " there is nothing you can do that will f@#k things up so bad that they can't be undone...it's only steel".

I've never looked back.

 

They did not weld good or even lots. Too cold of a weld. Did not stagger cuts on pillars. Did not brace. Oh so many mistakes.

 

To be honest though guys, getting it apart and eyeing up the damage, the cuts were..astoundingly even and square ! Dan lucked out hard in that department with the fix so it wasnt tooooo bad

 

oof, OP dan just bought himself a bone stock mint original one of these.. this pic might make him tear up a little lol

 

It is REVOLTING how rust free this botched merc is! Aside from that scrape, theres not ONE dent, bit of rust or filler ANYWHERE in it !

 

It’s just metal.
A friend of mine chopped one like that. Used a tape measure to lay out cuts, not as a reference to how far or to check evenness.
Meaning, a 4 inch chop in front. A 4 inch chop in back. Never looking at the car how things flowed during the cut.
The roof looks like it’s running down hill in front
A custom should flow to the rear.
The roof has to flow with the car.
Study the American Graffiti merc. Don’t repeat it.
A lot is personal preference. The B pillar not being slanted forward looks odd to me.

 

I'am 75 , I have chopped two coupes and one convertibles. You need a better starting point. I put a 4x4 long enough to go from door to door then add some 2x4 or what ever you can find to get the door opening where you want it. then center the roof to the cowl THEY WILL NOT LINE UP but that is ok , clean up your A pillars tack weld then together they should be out of alignment by about 1/2 to 5/8 of a inch, fix that latter. Now clamp up your rear window, I use some wooden strips from Lowes they are about 1/4 x 1 1/4 they bend real easy and will give the roof a good line. Clamp the wood to the out side of the top and pull it down to meet the trunk pull the rear window up to the wood strips and start welding in rear window then line up b pillars then line up the front posts

 

How may Barris top chops are still with us today that were gas welded back in the day?

 

If I didn't have my Tig machine and only a Mig or Oxy/Acetylene I'd gas weld it long before I turned the Mig on.

 

Unless your a die hard you might try another roof from a different model car.

 

Yikes! Guess I better get to some updates

First up getting the roof back up and somewhat where it's suppose to be. The rear quarter window pieces were hanging up. So I gave them a quick jiggle to break the tack welds and got them out of the way. Made some adjustable rods so I could move the roof up/down while getting it all in place...




Then got to work putting them back in. Took a bit of fitting and trimming to get it all lined up...




Starting with the most crucial piece, the drip rail...




Then getting the roof section fit and tacked in...

 

Thank you! Not your first rodeo is it. Looking forward to following the save.

Bob