Projects ‘51 Mercury Botched Top Chop Repair

Driver side stainless and corners coming together…

 

Beautiful work, Dan.

 

Great looking work!

My brain says, 'I can do that!' (Reality sucks sometimes, lol)

Tim

 

That´s some inspiring work! Just great!

 

I like what you did with the quarters. Slddnmatt did the same thing with mine, instead of the big radius on the stock window. It keeps a better balance between the door window and the quarter.

 

And the window stainless and door corners are done!

 

We oftentimes hear folks being degraded because they either buy someone else's car or pay someone else to build it.

I guess that I really fall into that category. I have done less on Clarence than the folks who have helped me. Actually it is I who helped them. I do little things on Clarence but by no means anything critical.

The reason is because I just don't have the skills to do what you're doing. I wish I did but the fact is that I just can't. I'm 71 years old now. If I take my 71 years of learning and live another 71 years I still won't be able to match what you're doing.

Kudos my friend.

 

Nice work

 

Great job.

 

Funny you should mention that. As this car is a perfect example of that. This car belongs to someone else, I’m just doing the work. The guy who owns it has other old cars, has and still works on old cars, likes working on old cars etc.

And he wanted to chop this car himself. He was super excited to do it and thought he could. He bought all the books, watched all the videos, read all the articles. Then had the terrible (or is it wonderful?) revelation that he just can’t do it. He said with all the measuring and angles and measuring he was sure to screw it up. He knew his limit and this surpassed it. Hats off to the dude for knowing his limitations and knowing when to put down the sawzall. If only the first place that started on this chop had done the same

 

Do you think Sam Barris got halfway through the first Mercury chop and went "holy shit, this is a lot of work..."

It is easy to hack the roof off one, but it is a whole 'nuther thing to actually finish it.

-Abone.

 

Very impressive metal work. I have done a little, but never did anywhere near as impressive as you.

 

I know I still say that every time

 

One vent window done. One to go. Both the upper and lower pivots have been moved. And the frame shortened approx. 5/8” in length so the seals will fit in the original manner.

 

^The fiddly shit that makes a big difference.

 

The fact that you went to the trouble of retaining the vent windows shows class.

 

Yep. Way above my skill set. Nice.

 

And the passenger side vent window is done. Time to finish up the exterior welds and do a little hammer and dolly work. Closing in on this one!

 

Very kool! The vent windows look great!

 

beauty!....well,now better put power winders on them ,like my '60 cad had!

 

And just like that, the exterior work is done! Pretty pleased with how this came out.

 

SO much better! Great save!

 

Holy shit, super nice!

 

The transition from the lower edge of the rear window frame to the trunk lid is especially nice and has very factory feel to it. Beautiful work and save.

 

Brilliant!

 

That Merc should have been in one of those ASPCA commercials. Sad music in the background, poor neglected little Merc shivering in the snow. But she is all better now, the best save of the year so far.

-Abone.

 

Patiently waited to see the photo of the finished job to say well done! Amazing thread from the very start.

 

Thats gorgeous work. It looks like a million hours of grinding. What grinder/sander do you like?

 

very well done!!!

 

Thanks a bunch! That’s what I usually shoot for. I want it to look customized but have folks wondering how and where. I’ve always liked the drawings of concept cars. They’re always so clean, lean and flowy. But they never look like that when they hit production haha. Always all lumpy and bloated. So, I prefer my custom work to just kinda clean things up and put things where they should have been from the factory.