Can we have a talk about "Shorties"?

You know, cars guys will saw in half and shorten up.

I want to know what you guys think, as customizers of a much higher caliber than myself. Keep in mind that looks are always subjective and that's not the question I'm asking.

How do you feel about them? Do they have a place in the customizing world?

I've seen a couple that the fab work on was top notch. Does that account for something in your eyes?

Are these guys doing anything different than the rest of us who chop our cars up to change the looks or stance or performance of?

Would you consider this different from say, someone chopping the bed down on a longbed pickup to make a short bed? Or shortening a long wheelbase van?

 

they usually look goofy, and this is indeed the question you should be asking. Just because you do an excellent job of making a car look goofy, doesn't mean I'm gonna like it.

The guys who shorten long beds or turn 4 doors into two doors, are just creating labor because they don't want to spend the money to buy what they wanted in the first place. If that's what they want, have at it.

 

That's all valid, I just didn't want my opinions to shape the conversation.

 

I've never understood putting that much work into something, only for it to turn out looking ridiculously out of proportion.

 

Ditto!....

 

I liked em in the 70's. There were a few you would see cruising on Friday and Saturday nights. I had a friend that had a 57 and he would do wheelie hops, good teenage fun. I found a 57 someone had started and snapped it up too quickly. Work was crappy and one side was a bit shorter than the other, I sent it down the road. Cant say I would have one today, but when I do see one they make me smile ... another silly thing we did back in the day.

 

Personal opinions dictate whether someone finds favor with a design or not. I don't think that turning a long bed into a short bed was the point but I may be incorrect. Look at how many 32 pickups have the bed shortened to the end of the chassis. We all have seen tri five chevy's shortened to where at the end of the door, the top has a steep angle going down. Not my cup of tea but it's not my deal, either. Allowing everyone to have their freedom of choice is part of this hobby. We all have varying degrees of skill level. Sometimes that dictates the end result. I don't have a good answer for this other than we see it often so it does appear to be part of the hobby.

 

I think they're goofy looking, though of course, I realise that may be the whole point. I'd add them to my list of 'off the wall stuff that people did in the 1970s', along with Rolls Royce grilles on VW Bugs. Not everything has to be so serious.

 

That says it all.

 

They are in the same category as 4 doors, not sure they are worth the effort and resources, but every once in a while there is an exception.

 

There was a shortened '55 Chevy rolling around here. It was an ex 4dr, still using the 4dr front doors. I *think* with the roof line the creator was going for the hardtop Vette look, but ya cant pull that off with a sedan roof.
It looked like a handful to drive as it was also backhalved with stupid big steam rollers on the back, and was constantly pitching up and down, like a tractor. Just too short of a wheelbase for its weight.

Always thought, if you're gonna cut a 1'+ out of your 4dr car, and it has front vent windows, why not use the back door as primary and blend on the front hinge and vent window of front door to the front of back door. It lengthens the door, making it less goofy looking, and removes a bunch of work in trying to locate the door jambs properly. Aesthetically, the vertical line breaks up the stubby look, it cheapens it.

 

You ask us for our opinions about a type of car mod, but then say you don't want our opinion on how they look?
Why was it modded unless it was to change how it looks?
It's not performance. It's not for better dynamics.
No comprende.

 

Looks are subjective. You can hate the way something looks but still respect the work that goes into it. That's what I'm asking.

 

They can make good wheel standers. About the only good thing I can think of.

 

As in jackstands!

 

It is all about the symmetry in my opinion. Body work is judged separately from the total car. Yes the craftsmanship of the cuts can be perfect and if the car looks disproportional it still doesn't work in my opinion. I have seen some posted that look like the manufacturer should have produced them that way and some that look like what the heck were they thinking. If they have not preplanned the overall appearance, they have failed in my opinion. There is always someone that doesn't like a modification. But if the majority of people look at the work and don't like the overall result, someone didn't put enough thought into the project and vision is part of craftsmanship.

 

Not to say you couldn't shorten one in a somewhat pleasing way, but even this would need to be cut to ribbons. I guess if you're time rich and really, really enjoy welding....

 

The only ones I would consider would be a tri-five wagon (preferably a bright yellow 57) but it would have to have a blower motor sticking up out of the hood. It'd be like a "Zinger" car, or that "purple people eater" coupe in California, something that's not ment to be serious just a fun machine.