54 Bel Air, Chopit?

I recently was able to pick up a 54 Bel Air 4 door for 500$. I am currently debating whether to chop or not to chop? I am 17 and my father is completely against it but I love the chopped look.

 

drive it for a while first.. you are young (no offense)... enjoy it then decide after the rest is done (im assuming that for $500 you didnt get a good driving car)

enjoy the car... and if you MUST chop it, please dont fuck it up.. like 3" or so... dont be a crazy fuck with a slammed chop...

 

if you like it and you have the means to do it then i say do it!! there are alot of guys on this site that can help you if you get stuck and the thought of a more door chopped, that sure would bump the kool factor up a bunch!!!!

 

granted ive never chopped a car before and dont know what condition this car is in, id have to agree with todd and say work on making it a driveable car first. after that a mild chop would look good on a 54

 

IT is a drivable car, I bought it in running condition. The only work left that is necessary is a few holes in the floor.

 

HAMB Chop '03...

 

id drive it till it doesent drive anymore and you live in ma , me to wait till winter its a long winter , summer is sort so injoy it while you can , my car is close to being done and chopping a top is a lot of work.LETS SEE SOME PICS

 

If you answer yes to any of the below, I say NO

your first ( or second) old car
you have Equipment, TALENT to weld and MONEY to do glass and other items that will be necessary
you own a 4 door


drive it and enjoy the car,

 

money time skill and equipment.

i have 900 wrapped up in my windshield and gasket
about 40 hours getting the back of the roof very close
another 30 or so figuring out the chop and cutting it apart and getting it back together. hell im only about half way down with my chop so far

worry about driving it first then cut it when ya have sumthing else to drive

 

enjoy it for awhile, then if you still can't resist the urge, save up a bunch of money, get something else to drive. Those quick projects always take three times as long and cost four times as much as what you expect. But would probably look good if not too radical

 

I say its so cheep chop it, no time like the present to chop a top. Hot Rod mag in about 2002 put out an article on how to chop a 54, a great bit of advise. Shit if it dont work you can always have a convertible. There is not a whole lot cooler than a chopped 54.

 

Chopping a top takes a few days (hours if you're a pro). Finishing the damn car back to the point where it is usable as a daily driver (glass, moldings, rubber, etc, etc, etc, etc.) takes FOREVER. It's not the cutting and welding that takes all the time, it's the details. And those details matter if you plan to drive the car when it's raining, cold, etc, etc. It's not like you live in Southern California.
Drive that sucker all summer long, and if by Fall you still think it needs a haircut, THEN chop it. Do it now and you'll have a half-done car all summer.
For what it's worth, I had a '54 Pontiac 4-door when I was your age and the chicks totally dug it. They don't care if it's chopped, they just think it's neat because it's old.

 

chop it and convert to a 2 door later... "hay that sounds familiar!"

 

being that your 17 don't do it. there a reason why guy's that have done it say its not easy.me being one who has done it. chances are your to young and green to pull it off the way it should be done. enjoy the car first and learn and read every thing you can before you even think of taking an ax to it and even when you think you know you won't know enough

 

i have a chopped 54 im not finished with yet...alot of work..but after seing this car you might change your mind..spend your money on bags and frame mods...i love my chop it looks good to me but its alot of work and costly

 

Chop it just like all the 4 doors at the Coachmen's car show on Ryan's blog.


Wait.......(wink)

 

DON'T !!..... chop it.

 

do what most have done on this forum, we had the car cleaned up first then ad up some speed items goodies like triple carb set up, dual exhaust, bags, etc, etc. then after we had all that done then you can decide if it's something you want to do. I'm not against it, I just think you can up the coolness factor first, then chop it....

pictures of your ride?

 

Fix the floor,and all the other nickel and dime bullshit
that goes along with having an old car.Drive it and enjoy
it as you collect tools and skills to do more ambitious projects.

Just about anyone can cut the roof off a car.
To chop a top SUCCESSFULLY takes a lot of skill and experience.

 

How many of the HAMB Chop cars ever got completed ?

I can think of one that did.

 

I have been in your shoes before, same car (exept mine was a 2 door, same outlook by my father, exept i was 15 (im now 17). So what i did was i bought a seperate car for cheap (a 50 ford) and chopped it to satisfy my chopping needs, but shit, after all, your 54 is a 4 door, and it was only $500, so it must not be THAT nice, but if it is, dont do it unless you have some sort of experience, and becuase of it being a 4 door, shits going to flop around on ya more than a 2 door. just my input

 

4 door is tougher,and more work.

 

Just paint it Yellow with a Black & White checkerboard graphic down the side and "Driver carries no change" on the front passenger door.

 

ehh, keep er tall dude. i got my 49 an think they look jsut as good stock. drive that thing and enjoy it!

 

Just curious,how much is insurance for a
17 year old driving a 54 year old car ?

 

When I was a teenager I spent 2/3'ds of my driving budget on insurance and 1/3'd on the car itself.
I'd sell cars every 6 months to afford the next premium and buy another driver with whatever was left, which was typically $200 or so.
That was late '60's.
I doubt the ratio's changed much.

 

I /we spent 2 days chopping my 54 tudor a few years back and it was my daily as usual.In a few more i was driving it daily again with the windshield cut down and installed and the roof tacked together.I spent the next few months afterwork everyday and on weekends finish welding ,grinding,cutting and welding garnish moldings ,etc.You are in for alot of work ,but if youve got to have a chopped car ,i guess its worth it.Mine was cut 4 1/2 with a stock rearglass layed down.Good luck...

 

how bout a pic of the car before you take the weed wacker to it ?? i have one suggestion though if you are still livin at home you might just want to listen to the dad man...

 

If it's your daily driver fix your brakes ,engine ,trans first ,then repair all your body work ,rust,dents and put it in primer . By then you should know how good or bad your car is ,and if it's worth chopping .And if it comes to that, make shure you have something to drive. And also, by then you will know how fast you can complete projects, and if you will start to lose intrest.

 

For $500? Hell, I'd chop it!
Actually you should enjoy it for the summer and do your research on four door chops. Info can even be found on The H.A.M.B.
If you and Pops are handy at the torch then go for it. Otherwise I think you shouldn't. A "SHOP CHOP" could cost you ten times more than the car is worth.