Projects ‘51 Mercury Botched Top Chop Repair

Damn, this thing is going to be a stunner!

 

great work, you should be proud of what youve done there.

 

It's a stroke of luck for the Merc that you got it before the butchery went any further. Fortunately there was some bracing present to keep the body fairly rigid. It looks like the lines are now right and the chop will enhance the over-all appearance of the car... as a chop should. This looks like it's about to become a sweet custom. By the way nice door gaps!

 

Question....Can anyone enlighten me to the plan or why would someone split the roof above the quarter windows and cut the B and C pillars off any way. Don't get me wrong, I understand pie cuts in the top to fit the rear window if needed and cutting the quarter window frames and moving them forward or back as needed to put them back together. I know this is the second owner fixing it. I just look at the first couple of pics and wind up just shaking my head. Be bitchen when you get done, shoot its already a different car.

 

I wonder if the previous builder was going for a straight pillar chop, slid the roof forward to match up the A pillars and cut the top of the quarter window out with plans to slide it backward? I've seen cars chopped that way. Not a great idea on their part to do all the cutting at once but that's the only thing I can think of.

Either way, it is very well saved.

 

impressive save!

 

Maybe its because im young, but it still looks... okay?

 

Yep, that’s exactly what happened.

 

Thanks everyone! Glad to see you all enjoying the build

So with the roof in place and tacked on. Time for the hardest part. Getting the rear window where it belongs

The car came to me with a ‘49-‘50 window frame and was the plan for the original chop. So that’s what I’ll be using. I like them a little more than chopped ‘51’s as well.

First up was getting in centered and leveled and all that good stuff. Gave me a fight as I usually just go off the package tray. But upon tacking it in and stepping back to give it the eye ball inspection. It was way low on the passenger side. Turns out the package tray is in the car pretty crooked and out of whack.

Ah well, get fancy and do it from the top side…



With it tacked in place…in the right place this time. It’s time to start on the filler panels. Always exciting getting to this point!




I like to make a paper template and then flip it to the other side and compare. Sure it’s paper and will vary some. But it’ll still show if something is really screwed up and got over looked in the other steps.




Luckily all was well so I turned it into metal…



After roughing in the lower panel I went ahead and made the upper panel and got that tacked in. Before final fit and trimming on the lower panel.

 

Fantastic job, having a great time following along. Inspirational save. Dan the metal fabbin' man.

 

Amazing how many guys can do the hard work but can't figure out the easy work.

 

Still loving it, and I've always liked the earlier rear windows best but I like the '51 quarters best. That's definitely what I plan on using in my own '51 coupe. All these pictures are great reference points for the future.

 

Looking real good, Dan. I totally agree on the '49-'50 rear window, much better looking.

Ted

 

Neato!!!...was that actually gas welded in the as recieved state...it looks to me as if instead of sawing or abrasive wheeling it apart they literally gas cut it...that is really a terrible method to begin with but the gas axe may have been standard procedure back in the day......then again maybe the hacksaw was perhaps the go to tool...

 

Ha! Certainly been called worse

 

No gas axe action on the top chop. The stuff I took apart was MIG welded. Cuts were all fairly nice for the most part really. Guessing sawz-all work from the looks of it.

 

Looks real good, are you going to round the pointed rear part of the qtr windows? That'd really finish off a good looking chop.

 

You sir have talent

 

Absolutely. That’s coming up soon!

 

Much appreciated! However talent falls a lot lower on my skills list than determination and perseverance

 

Ya know, the guy who did the original chop on that merc ought to be tarred, feathered, kicked in the pants and run outta town.

 

I was thinking when he picks up the saw the teeth should mysteriously go smooth...

But another way to look at it is it makes for a way better deal when it goes up for sale as no one wants it...but those with the skills can see the diamond that we're seeing resurrected as we speak...it reminds me of that Deuce Tudor that had that botched up top that resembled Moes Hair......it became quite the Hotrod...

 

This is probably unnecessary to say for a Guy with your talent but here goes. I learned the hard way and have found it much easier to reshape that rear window glass frame and then do the Body Opening to match the new radius of the window glass frame. Made it much easier to get good Gap between the two parts. I always make a buck from metal plate that fits into the Glass channel and bring the S.S. frame to it. I can go further into detail how I do that if you'd like. I have seen to many nice Top Chops and then you look close at fit and finish and that corner is way out of the park for fit into the Rubber Gasket. Drives me nutz. Front Vent window, same thing.

 

Nope, never occurred to me. That's a damn good idea! I've done more '30's cars chopping with no stainless or vent window frames, than I have cars with. Be great to see how you do it. Always in to learn something new!

 

Every time I go into Home Depot I eyeball those rolls of stiff paper that they sell for floor covering during construction. Wanting a roll to use for making patterns like that.
Nice work I always tend to learn a bit from your posts and threads.

 

Wow, I've always admired the talent people on here posses. It's enjoyable for me to watch the pictorials of the projects as they progress.

 

After some searching on 2 different external Hard Drives my Wife reminds me I had a computer crash several years back that eat a lot of my photos. Right after that I learned the importance of backing things up. I suspect I lost what I had of the last Merc I cut. Lucky for us (or so I think) at 75 years young I think I remember most of the how and also I currently have my 50 in waiting with some loose extra parts. I do have some photos of doing the Vent Windows in my F-100 and they show the same basic approach. I have to leave for a bit but will put together something latter today and try to get it posted up tomorrow. You should also know my typing skills are of the Hunt-n-Peck system so then there's that. I'll be back and I'll enjoy doing this, might inspire me to go draw some lines on mine.

 

Nice, nice work. I really like your efforts at leveling the back window. Nice set up!

 

Well, no you didn't lose me, I just got hit with reality and a trip down memory lane. A guy needs to be careful where he goes inside his storage room. I walk past this "Project" multiple times a week knowing it has to wait it's turn. Sad to say it's been waiting over 20 years now. I've owned this Car since High School and I'm now 75. I won't go into its full story just know I haven't done any hands on for a long time and that reality really hit me yesterday. What a kick in the nuts. Here's how it sits today. Good intentions don't get much done.


I'll try to stay focused on the Quarter window issue. I'm just more than a little overwhelmed with Reality right now. I'll be back!

 

My waiting in the wings projects are behind the barn so I don't get, as you say, overwhelmed with reality.