chopping a 55 buick

hey guys, has anyone seen or done a chop on a 55 buick moredoor, im keen to do it but feel it may look a bit squat and boxy, also fairly complicated around the front windsceen, any tips or leave it alone, cheers



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if ya aint smilin cant be much fun..............

 

Nautical Mike did his on a tri year Buick. Looks great! Thing is, why screw up something that GM did so right?

The roofs are too flat for a chop personally but I'll look for pics for ya of Mikes car.

 

yeah i know what you mean being to flat i thought by nipping a couple of inches front four at the back just to take that high profile out, also pull the back shelf forward about two inches, just trying to get a sweep in the roof line........

 

More like flip the rear gl*** to the front.

 

well yeah that could work, and do a reworing on the hole rear, might have to do a bit of photochopping to get a feel for it ......

 

It DOES work......................how do you think Mike did his?

 

now thats what im talking about, just trim off the excess, that car is the bomb, do you guys use that expresstion up there, bomb means way cool, looks just right, cheers brad.......

 

Yah we used DA BOMB ohhhhhhhhh lets see back in the mid to late 90s.

 

well ya know we are a bit sloooooowww down here, it still is the 90s, kinda knocks 10 years off which has gotta be a good thing now dont it.......

 

Brandy where the heck is Nautical Mike? I haven't heard from him in a while...regarding the car I should point out that it started life as a 4 door hardtop. I can't remember what back window he used on "Ironic Karma" but it looks good

 

On a work($) to effect ratio on that car, especially the 4 door version, I'd say leave the roof alone.

 

save the money on the roof, lower the **** out of it and drive it to hell and back thats all that require for those shape buicks. just my opinion.
oh and "da bomb" is a tad old in lingo here in aus too

 

I think it was 40 Ford wasn't? It's round like that. I haven't seen him around in a while. Maybe he found a sweet mama to make him swagger and ran off with him?

That's a good question.........maybe it's time to phone home OR wait til the drags in October.

 

Check out this guy's problems with cutting a curved windshield - I think he's gone through 4 of them - if you are prepared for issues like this you are good to go

http://www.cadvision.com/blanchas/54pontiac/windshield.html

 

Hey,

The OEM rear gl*** in that Buick isn't laminated, and therefore can't
be cut down. It's also, not a great idea to use the back light for a
windshield/windscreen because they'll explode in your face, in the
event of impact! Yeah, they do it on show cars all the time, the
Deora comes to mind, but drivers......nope!
If you decide to follow through with the chop, find a really good
auto-gl*** guy, early on in the project! I'm hearin' of lot's of tails
about broken & rare auto gl*** at the hands of guys who don't
know what the **** they're doing!

S****ey Devils C.C.

 

Watch out, if its a 4 door post, your going to have a hard time finding windhields. The 2 door and 4 door post 55 buicks had a slightly taller windshield than the hardtops had, and to my knowledge, the 2/4 door post windshield is not reproduced. So spare gl*** for when you get to cutting (and Im sure you may need it) may be very hard to find. If you do find new 55 buick 2/4 door post gl***, let me know, I need a windshield.

 

That's VERY true, but it's obviously something that you have to consider when doing it. Risk vs cosmetics. Back gl*** will blow up under the slightest pressure.

 

That chopped Buick is "da bomb"!!

 

i know the cost would be out there , have a mate in brissvegas chopped his 55 caddy and to get the gl*** done was outa control, you know got the car cheap thought i would maybe do somthing different, although there is a guy here in sydney chopping his 55 but then again it is a coupe, might just leave wellenough alone and put the money else where, thanks for the imput everyone , cheers....

 

I'm sure there will be plenty of other areas that the money will help with. Be careful of using "different" as a justification for anything though. Can often equal really ugly and why no one else has ever done it.

 

get rid of that fourdoor and get a two door......and then dont chop the two door...

 

I've looked at your posts. You've come on with a pile of at***ude for a FNG.

 

Totally... perfect example of a ''internet hard ***''.. 20 posts of useless *****ing..

(and so my post isnt useless *****ing)

Id leave the 4door the way it is, yea chop would be cool but the buicks already had a lower roofline than most cars of there era

 

well ya know when i say different i mean there is"nt to many chopped 55s running around down here, and that maybe for a good reason, there is however a lack of imagination, seems like its all been done before, and im pretty sure that way back when someone somwhere did somthing different and bingo they had a custom, its all trial and error but ya gotta have a go.........

 

Hey downunder,

Whata 'bout the idea of sectioning the whole greenhouse-

The cowl, above and below the door hinges, no need to usher in
a **** load of work rehangin' doors, the backlight area inm***.

By this method you would avoid any gl*** cutting and could pretty
much pick the extant of your chop (with in reason) to suit your
ideas of "different". This would require building up false cowl and
cat walk panels, and a good method of sealing up the gl*** channel,
to prevent rust traps, but it has been done before.

Whether this would be a dance ya would wanna enter into on a
four-door Buick, only you can answer.

" The one thing all nations share is the fear that a member of the
family will want to be an artist "
-Robert Frost-

 

It's a rare tri-5 that looks right chopped, and a 4 door sedan isn't gonna be one of the select few. IMO, the chopped ones that look right are chopped maybe an inch, so imperceptable that you wouldn't know it unless parked next to an unchopped version. Definitely not a modification I'd do just for kicks cause the car was cheap. Good luck with your project.

 

Here are some photos I took at the 2007 A-Bombers Old style weekend in Sweden from a Dutch 1955 Buick four door with a very well proportioned chop.

 

suit my ideas of different? theres not a hole lotta 55 hardtop chops getting around down here ,so yes it would be different, for down here, as for your idea , love it "brilliant" now that would be different, puttn my dancing shoes on right now!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

hey rikster, nice real nice ,you guys have some cool cars up there, thanks for the pics...........

 

I know this isn't a 4 door, but its in Aus and its chopped.....



Personally, I'd just drop it, flake it, and drive it.