This may turn out to be more of a philosophical question than a historical one but if nothing else please let me know your opinion. On '50's merc's, chev's, fords, etc Is their a STANDARD or more historically correct B-pillar mod when chopping? Slanting or not slanting? Which do you like best and why? Which have you done, or wish you had done differently? it's a long and boring story but I've finally acquired my chop candidate, '51 chevy fleetline, after 4 years of hunting. I'll go the MarkX and Stickylifter chop route but I'm leaning towards "leaning" the B's . (BTW NICE rides guys thanks for posting your stuff!)
I have not personally chopped a car so this is just and opinion of taste from me. I like to think that the B pillar should take it's direction from the rest of the car. If we are talking about a heavy chop a lot of times slating the b pillar is the only thing that doesn't make it look squished. The angle should also take direction from the angle in which the rear gl*** is lean forward and the rear deck. Also the angle can follow things like (on a 53-54 Merc the rear quarters are leaned to a certain degree and following that angle will show consideration for the car as a whole and not just the chop. All in all it depends on the car and the chop. I would set the height of the chop first and make sure that it's proportional to the car entirely then decide if the B pillar should be leaned so that it does not take away from the lines of the car.
I do not beive there is or ever was a 'standard'. If the psots are left straight, then the topof the window frame must be longer and that may be one of the driving forces behind the slanted post. Also the builders isdea of what he - or she - wants the finished product ot look like., It is all in the eye of the beholder and that is why we build customs in the first place.
I've done both, and as Jeffrey said, it does matter case by case. My old shoebox was a way radical chop and altho I cut it for straight pillars, putting them in place with tape made it look idiotic. So I leaned them forward. Made more sense. All over tho I think I like straight better. Reason being is with a well done straight pillar chop there will not be an ugly angle of the car period. My 51 Merc I did a straight chop, a tad more to the aggressive side but elongated the quarter windows and kept it straight with the window just laid down. Car looks a half mile long and really low and sleek. 99% of the Mercs with leaned B pillars look stellar from dead side or near angles, but get wierd front or rear quarter shots making the quarter window look like a short afterthought. Just my .02
It does depend on the car. I think slanted looks really good on a Merc, but on some other cars not so much. I did NOT slant the posts on my '53 Chevy tudor because it would have made the rear side window very long. I probably WILL slant the posts on my '51 Chevy coupe for the exact opposite reason (really short rear window). I think uprights posts were much more common in the golden days of the early-mid '50s, but there were at least some slanted post chops then. Look at photos of cars like your that you like AND some that you don't like and see what the differences are. That'll be your answer.
i chopped the top on my 50 ford and slanted the b pillars because i think it helps give the car the look of being in motion. it is probably less work to keep them straight but its just a matter of personal preference.
On that car, I'd leave 'em straight. The quarter windows are long enough and I'm not sure that slanting 'em would look good with that roof-line. Like Dave said, check out some similar cars you like and figure out why. You already quoted two nice examples...the B***-built fleetline, the one Oz chopped in a recent TRK (I think), and this one come to mind... Bryan
Not only does it depend on the car, it also depends on the chop. There are only two kinds of chops. A good one and a bad one. It is all about proportions.
Most don't, but you can just slant the entire rear window track and mechanism so it follows the angle of the post. (Ford, Merc, and Chevy coupes don't have roll-down rear windows anyway. On the cheapo models they're just fixed in place, and on the deluxe models (and the Mercuries) they are like a big wing vent that flips open or slides back a few inches.)
i have not seen a fleetline with a slant... (maybe for a reason).... so i photochoped mine... but i like it.... i have a while to decide but i truly appreciate your responses! i will have to look for pix of the other mentioned cars. that green one rox too.
Like it was stated before slanted or straight just depends on the case.....You know, a slight slant wouldnt hurt...... it may be the thing that makes it "yours"......
Hey, Sam Barris was purported to have been the first one to chop a '49-'51 Mercury. His first chop featured a vertical B post. Later, Gil and Al Ayala built the Lou Bettancourt Mercury with canted B posts and rounded hood & deck openings. This design flowed better and looked like a more finished design. Sam's later chops would follow Ayala's direction. **** Dean's early Merc chops featured vertical B posts, but later went with the canted B post and shaved drip rails. Most vertical B posts are at odds with other design lines in the greenhouse area of a vehicle, and kill the flow of the chop. If a chop design doesn't have flow all you have is a butchered vehicle, 20s era vehicles excepted! S****ey Devils C.C. "Meanwhile, back aboard the Tainted Pork'
42-48 fleetlines have slanted B pillars!!!! and they look good it depends on the chop(and car),,but personally,.,i like slanted B pillars...to me it gives the car flow,,when a car is chopped it starts to have all these swoopy angles and to me the slanted B pillar works,, its all what you like.
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