And looking for some feedback - Found this 49 Ford for sale, already chopped and that frankly scares the hell out of me... TONS of parts with the car though. All trim is there, dash is complete, column and wheel look good. SEATS are all there and in surprisingly good shape. a little rust in the usual areas, but nothing that can't be fixed...trunk solid. Fenders, hood, doors, trunk lid, etc all solid and look to be a pretty good foundation to build from, but no history on the chop, and current owner doesnt have any answers. Oh yeah, clean ***le, and true roller. THoughts, feedback??
Welcome to the HAMB! Having once owned a '51 Mercury that someone else chopped, check the welds and Bondo depth in this case. If the gl*** won't fit I'd keep looking for another project.
Price is right, I think I can get into it for 2K...and he says he has the rear window too. "Brand New" in the box - but I havent actually laid eyes on it. No Motor or Trans, but I like the flexibility that gives me... Am I crazy here?? I sure appreciate the feedback...I've been struggling with this one all night long.
Looking at it from the inside - no headliner, I can see where mud was used to fill the cracks, but it looks like all metal for the most part. Back window just looks like its "really flat" to me - if that makes sense. Hard to explain I guess, but just looks like it's laying really flat..
Make sure rear window fits, you will need the rubber. Id pull the trigger! thats a steel for 2k. even if its a little heavy on the bondo, they all have bondo anyways. 2k is well bought!
With your ramblings, I kinda expected to see a hideous looking chop. I was pleasantly suprised to see a well done chop, that is not extreme. I hope the back window is there, and it would be a bonus if it was already properly cut for the chop. I suppose you can't be that lucky though. Did the current owner suggest why he is abandoning a project that is that far along. Seems to me that one could be finished fairly easily unless he found an issue... Nice score if you decide to grab it.
That chop is screwed up. Is it just me or does the back window look like they threw it in just to say were done?
If you like it then why the hell not? If someone else buys it you will kick yourself for not getting it.
Thanks for the welcome and the feedback - this is exactly the kind of stuff I was looking to bounce off of some similar minded folk... Gotta believe the back window isnt cut yet, and I know I would need all of the rubber, there is none anywhere in sight. Even with how I "think" the chop is concerning to me, the rest of the car checks to be pretty solid...I mean, a little rust in the rockers (comes with new patch panels in the box) and a little rust in the top right of the windshield frame that I am pretty confident could be filled, but other than that, I didnt see a whole lot of "major" issues. Just REALLY concerned that the chop will cause me a ton of heartache down the road. Sorry for rambling!!!!
There is nothing wrong with the back window! It looks just like the chop I did on my 1950. You just lay the window down when you chop these,you do not cut the rear window frame or gl***. The only gl*** that gets cut is the front and side. Again nothing wrong that I can see. Easy decision here.
As far as I know, that back window CANNOT be cut...it's probably tempered, which is the way most rear windows are made...it'll simply shatter if it's tempered. The only gl*** in old cars that can be cut is safety plate...gl*** with plastic sandwiched between them and I don't know if Ford used that for their rear windows. Looking at the 3/4 view pic of the top, the rear of the roof looks terrible, there's no "flow" to it and it appears they simply laid the window in without any consideration for the smoothness of it. If it were me, I'd plan on rechopping it. Only the guy that did the actual bodywork knows how much bondo is covering the welds...was it welded properly...??? What about rust patches...were those done properly...??? With the black covering it, you will never know until you strip it or start driving it, only then will the bad body work start showing up as cracks in the primer. Personally, for 2K, you will find there's STILL a lot of work in that car and you're going to pour a lot of money into it. I can see another 7K to 10K IF you want to completely finish it. If you think I don't know what I'm talking about, go here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=329070&highlight=the+best+55+caddy+build R-
Look at the rear side window curves. They just quit and finished it. The rear window and package tray need cut out and moved forward 5 or 6 inches. I would plan on taking the rear lose and slanting the side posts and doing a total chop repair. No clue on what they covered up. For $2000 its probably worth it but the tops gotta be fixed.
Look at the far side of the rear window in the third picture. The sail panels do not look right on this chop. Black car and marginal pictures and only three images. You can't tell if the chop is good or bad. The asking price might be a steal but you might spend what you're saving fixing everything the p.o. did to screw this car up. I would ALWAYS be cautious of chopped projects being sold at this stage of the game. No gl*** = raised eyebrows... Sent from a pay phone
You typically don't cut the rear gl*** on a Shoebox. It's leaned forward and is the only piece of gl*** that is not flat and is not cut on the chop. The rear gl*** is ~$350 new. Looks like a fairly severe chop, especially from your 3rd pic (hard to tell??). Can you post a pic from the side in order to see the actual chop profile? Basically $2000 is a steal for something like that... a good chop alone can cost approx. $3000 to $7000 (doesn't include new flat gl*** for ~$400).... ***uming it's a reasonable chop that doesn't need to be re-worked. Regards, X
Its not quite the same as marriage, seeing as the price seems reasonable go for it, and re-do as necessary. You'll get a thousand opinions but yours counts most.
I don't have any additional pics - like a dumb a** I didn't take any, and have been wishing I had since leaving. So - IF I am prepared to spend, say $8-10k on this over the next year, 2 years, and hone my skills building a car...the consensus seems that most of you think this is a fairly decent start? Lotsa questions, I know - just not looking for my first project to be a 2 ton paperweight...
I once bought a car that was partially chopped by someone else, and ended up spending a lot more time on it than if I had chopped it myself - and a lot more frustrating. 2K is a good price, but there are probably other un-chopped cars out there for that money, and I don't look at that chop as a plus.......!!! Looking at the pictures, the rear of the top is really screwed up - the rear window must be cut out again and raised up, raising the rear of the top and lengthening the panel in front of the trunk - this is the area that makes or breaks a chop, and takes a reasonably good body man. If you are comfortable with that work - go for it - if not, run !! Be sure the rear gl*** still fits the frame - the gl*** cannot be cut - and make sure you have all the parts like window frames,etc Good Luck !!
I had a back gl*** and trim I sold to Virminator here on the HAMB to go with the rear window metalwork he cut out of a junk body. If he still has all this stuff it may help in the redo of this chop if the window is messed up. Bob
-------------------- Awsome start if it's a decent chop... not a good start if the chop is butchered. I'd get more pics from the owner... the 1st pic looks pretty good, but in the 3rd pic the rear window looks really bad. Could just be the odd angle of the pic?? Good Luck! X
to me it looks from your pics they laid the rear window in about 3to 4 inches lower then it should be and im not crazy about the 1/4 window openings either try to get it cheaper
does this guy have any other chopped cars out there? chop just dosent look right. if this is a builder with a good rep, then id say go for it ,but a chopped roller would be worth way more than 2gs. it seems like he messed up the chop, spread some bond, sprayed it and is lookin to cut his losses and move on. if you dont have the skills to chop a top id say p*** on it. you wont know how bad it is untill you fit the gl***
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