Technical Chop or not ...36 3 window pontiac

Just bought this car any one out there done it ???i haven't been able to find much out there for this car .... for info it will be low and old school style ... if it's been done I would love to see some pics

 

I would leave it uncut.
Vic

 

No cut. No need too

 

id leave it alone.pretty car as it is.that windscreen looks

 

uncut it looks chopped as it is.

 

I'm not a Chopaholic, but as a matter of opinion...chop it.
I would, however, open up the windshield a bit (i.e., less chop) as done on the Matranga Merc.

 

Based on this one alone, I would not chop it.
Posting a picture of an old build like that is pretty much the same as posting an old picture of yourself with a paisley shirt and big wide bell bottoms along with a 3' diameter afro

 

If you chop, I would do a mild chop of only an inch or so. Personally, I wouldn't chop at all

 

I am on the NO CHOP list.

 

Depends on the build style you're going with. IMHO, the only style it would look good chopped is an early tail dragger full Custom.
Having said that, you should first do any structural floor, rocker metal work, align the doors. No fair doing the fun stuff first! You have to earn it by doing some of the ****py work. I've seen instances where guys have chopped a Model A body that was missing a floor, rockers and needed lower patches.
Consider building the entire car out and driving it in shake down mode. Then decide if you want to chop it.
Post a good side profile pic. Someone will photoshop it for you.

 

Not everything needs to be chopped. A good California rake and fenders on that one and you're golden.

 

If going mild, I can see an inch (or more) from the windshield, another inch (or more) from above the windshield,
and an additional inch at the back, leaning the back light forward for some rearward taper. Though conservative, this would total 2-3" front (3-4" in back), and create quite a bit more flow to the profile.

 

Needs a quality chop, like 'Mo suggests in response #7

Sent from my SM-G930V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Ya this is the look I'm shooting for

 

Great idea

 

Finish everything else and get it on the road in primer, then make the chop decision. An awful lot of cars never get finished because they get hung on radical bodywork and never see the road.

 

You could cut door above beltline and move window bottom up to same level as windshield.

 

Post a direct side profile on the photoshop thread & tell them exactly what you want to see. My biggest concern is flow. In the front 3/4 view you posted, the grille looks so tall and vertical that if you start making the rood lower & leaning the pillars that it might look odd & out of proportion. A good photoshop will let you see what it will look like.

 

If its gonna be a custom the side profile of that car is begging for a chop. Definately too tall for a custom. Id get the stance right first. For me it would probably be a small chop at the windshield, removing some of the crown above the windshield then cut the rest to flow. Ive chopped a few pick up cabs where decreasing the crown above the windshield really made the roof flow better than if I just chopped through the a pillar alone.
Chevy Pontiacs Oldsmobiles, they're harder to make look right than say a 36 Ford. There's a lot of surface area on the sides of the car above the fenders and they have a big long nose. Super easy to **** the proportions up.
You could also leave it stock roof height, build an early aircraft hydraulic setup for it and build it as a lowrider bomb. That's an awesome look for early GM stuff but maybe not on topic for this website? I dunno good luck.

 

No chop, the hood is too long, car will look out of proportion, I think long body style cars look best with no chop, unless a ton of other body mods are done. Secondly, ask yourself why you want to chop it? If you have any experience with a cut windshield, you'd know they can be a real pain to drive.

 

^^^^
This X 1000

 

If you are going to chopped it, might as well as channel also

 

Definitely in the no/Chop camp, I like the chopped one in picture above, Except with out Chop is exactly what my first thought of your car, ****ies ride!

 

That roofline with the side window larger than the front windshield is very similar to my 36 Packard. My roof has been chopped, and I think it looks great.

 

I think 34phil has the right idea. Take a look at the top picture, which is the one he posted, untouched. Then look at the bottom picture, which has absolutely no top chop whatsoever, all that was changed is the bottom of the door opening was raised to about the height of the bottom of the windshield opening. Not sure of scale but 2" or less. Look at the dramatic difference it made, with what would be a pretty easy straightforward body modification for anyone with good sheetmetal skills.

Top chops look best when they bring good proportions to a car that has bad ones. The roof height on your '36 is in good proportion to the grille and the rest of the body, but the door window openings are not. This is what I'd do if I had that car.

 

Your door fix nailed it !

 

That sounds like a good fix.

 

With you on that Matranga technique, 'Mo. A pillars lean back several degree and the lid dropped 3" max. Figure out lesser amount for windshield opening so final profile ends up reet . Thirty-six Pontiac in any model is few & far between, Neat coupe with or without the chop.

 

dad has the exact car in his garage, 54000 mi gonna get it someday, will leave mine be but think it would look ok chopped maybe 2" no more