I am on the lookout for things like 49-50 Plymouth backlites, maybe 40's Buicks GM in general, etc.. The 49-50 Shoebox backlite just seems too rounded, that cool green one which was shown on here a while back then sold on ebay had it done that way. It looked great, but I can imagine the crazy work that had to have gone on with making it fit. How flat are the 50-52 Chevy backlites?
Hey, Instead of a doner roof clip, why not jus, pie or section the oem roof panel? By the time you let in another roof clip, off some other vehicle, ya won't be savin' much time, if any, over a pie or section. With the stock turret crown you keep the flow more in context with the vehicle. Swankey devils C.c.
Looks more like a 53/54 chevy hardtop roof to me but Im not sure? Like what was just stated above if ya took a pie or wedge out from about half way back and flatened out the back half of the roof it would reduce the bulbous looking backend of the roof. I looked at my 54 merc today for a bit and it looks relativly easy to do !! Just My 2cents post some pics of your chop I would be interested in seeing it. LTR Dave
OK, I like the pie cut idea, and I have tex's book. But this is my first chop, or will be it's cold here right now and I'm gunna do it in about 3 months. So how do you take a pie cut to lay the roof down a bit, correctly, any pics or places to read on this? Kaos
Hey, I'd start by first chopping this '54 on paper. Get a good profile shot of your car, a clear ninty degree shot, take that picture to kinko's or some place that blows up copies. Get several copies made, for several chop/section ideas, now cut up one of the copies till it has the flow and lines of your mind's eye. This sounds kinda geekey, cuttin' up paper copies and all, but will save ya from wastin' time and metal on an ugly idea. The idea is to do your planning and guess- ing, on paper, where it won't cost ya time, material and cash. Try several different versions and hang um' up in the shop/pad for a few days, see which one grows on ya. Scale the copies, say off the wheel or tire, for comparason. Remove from the copy, in scale that which doesn't work for your design. Swankey Devils C.C.
Here's my 53. I took out 4 inches in the front and about 5.5" in the rear. I put a 51 ford backglass in then moved it forward about 4".....slim
Two major areas that stick out about the roof and chopping on this body style is the drip rail is flat and across the front and the rear window is boxy. If you look at the side of the profile and imagine a better flowing line with that drip rail to create the back part swoop and then perhaps pie-cut the rear boxy section to flow with that new line in the drip rail (this is where the flatter backlite will lend itself to a new shaped rear), then maybe it would be a better profile? Remove the front drip rail and bring it to points on the A Pillar as far as you can. The top is just flat, nothing you can really do about that. A 55-56 or 57 rear roof may also be a way to go as this body style is pretty transitional between the shoebox and 50s swank that was about to come. Jeem did a 57 Ford using 53 Mainline side posts in illustration in a magazine with slanted B pillars, and it looks fantastic! I keep that magazine at hand and think what it would be like to take that 57 roof, keep entire sides of the doors from the A to the C pillars and make that appear on the 54 Body. Just thinking out loud, I have studied this roofline, since it is the only car I have right now, and discussed it with a local metalshaper extrodinaire and there are a few different ways it could go.
Sounds like 49 Ratfink learned it's easier to bend metal to fit the glass then it is to bend glass to fit the metal!
here's a picture of a back window I did long time ago on one of my old cars . It's a 40 merc backlight , and it fit in there like a dream .
Unfortunately, that's where it sits. Don't worry, I'll update it as soon as it's....uh...updated . I really like that Merc backlit too.......slim
heres some pics of Bill Layman's 54 merc chopped 3 and 3 1/2. backlite is plastic. looks perfect to me. out of RJ#31.
how do i post my pics bigger. every time i try, it says they are to big. so i keep sizing down till they go through. they are 72dpi jpegs. i got some pics of Sam Barris chopping the 54 that inspired Bill Layman, but i want to post em bigger.
I've been thinking about using a 55-58 hardtop to replace the 54 hardtop from the windshield back.(to get rid of that bulkiness) I wonder how they come out for widths being the same? & while your at it might as well take 3-4" out too & use the later Ford rear glass. I think it would look great! Has anyone every done it?
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