Hi guys, first thread. I think im doing it in the right place..i chopped the top on my 53 olds post car and have a question for you old timers or pro's...what is the easiest way to achieve a propper angle with the gm wrap arround rear window to mate well at the valance pan between rear window and trunk lid bottom side..i can get the top to sit beautifully, but it leaves the bottom side of window frame on a hard angle up...i realy want to stay away from using a flat oval paice of glass..thanks in adavnec for your reply and looking..and yes..its my first chop so go ahead and bust my balls..i can take it.
yup.. need better pics... I have a 50 olds.. gonna chop it pretty severe. I think I will have to swap in a rear window from another car.. Jason.
Hey, You are aware that unlike the windshield, that backlight can't be cut down. I think you will have to use another backlight, from another vehicle, one that flows better with the line of the chop or add and reshape metal above the opening. Swankey devils C.c.
Just in general....the more you take out of the top, the harder it is to put ANYTHING back in, esp. the rear window! If it won't look right, use a different one. The 150 series 53 Chevy is popular, as well as shoebox Ford, and Merc, for getting out of trouble on a severe chop, or one with a lot of wraparound. Sometimes flipping the surround upside down works. The "cheezy" way to do it is to sink the rear glass into a pocket welded into the car. (pimpin is totally correct, you CAN NOT cut it!). Just cut the rubber gasket, let the glass slide down into the pocket, and try to seal it up as best you can with some sort of goop. Probably works well in SOcal, or wherever it don't rain much...... To make a chop look good is more than just knowing how to cut and weld sheet metal. The angle of the rear window really makes a big difference in how the chop looks. You would not believe how much just a few fractions of an inch make. On Kustom7777's 41 Caddy, we moved the rear window surround forward and back, and angled it up and down until we got it JUST right! At one point Jim thought it looked real good, but I wasn't happy, and we moved it just about a half inch forward more, andgled it up accordingly, and it looker perfect. Take your time! Keep stopping and step back and look at the car from all angles. Stand far enough away to get the whole picture. You'd be surprise at what looks OK when you're right on top of it, but looks terrible from 10 feet away! It works much better when you take time to plan your chop, including drawings to scale. Saves a lot of time, and cutting! Sometimes I look at a car, measure it, and sketch it out, taking a few days to plan it out well before actually cutting!
thanks so far guys...ill get some more pics up soon....i took 4 inches out of it and cut the rear glass out before starting any other cutting..i left 2 1/2 inches around the rear glass which is still in the frame and diadem...i can get it to look right at the top, but the angle its on would put the patch panel for under the window to the trunk...out into the truck area...but yes i have been told a few other places as well now to use earlier glass, and that no matter how hard ill try..it will never look right with the wrap glass, but thank you guys for the responses...you know how it is..you cut that much metal; and put the lid on..your pumped-then you put the glass up ther and....you get a lil nervess...but i love the car and wont give up....lotsa history
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