Chopping a Bubble Top: Hypothosis

The article that Speed Addict is talking about, "How To Chop A Bubbletop" is in March 2001 R/C. The Chop's done by a guy named David Guymon out of Cartwright. OK

 

Did they tilt the windshield or sink the windshield?

 

There was a 60 sedan delivery done in southern Ontario 10 + years ago ,I saw it at Can-nats and talked with the owner builder for a while,I believe it was 2-2.5 inches vertical that he cut out ,it looked way more radical than it really was...he said he sank the rear hatch gl*** down abit,door gl*** just didnt roll up as far,and a stock hardtop windshield,only gl*** he cut was the vent windows.I dont have access to the pics I took to scan and post...maybe another hamber from Southern Ont chas a pic or two???

Koolkemp

 

fit your gl*** before you paint or even primer. you might have some cutting, bending, pounding to do.

 

me personally i would never cut the gl*** on that car...its more work but why dont you sink the gl*** in the cowl..do some research on sinkng glas front windsheild..i'll bet you changer your mind about cutting that gl***..contact **** dean..im sure he can help you out with the understanding of sinking those windsheilds...

 

Nice job and good thinkin. You'll be fine with the template. Major improvement. Hope we can see more as you progress.

 

I would never sink the windshield because a half inch below are the winshield wiper posts. So in order to sink it you have to move those, then you have to move the connecting arms(and their supports), then you have to move the motor in order to jive with the new location. After all that is said and done you now have to move the openings in the cowel grate where the wiper posts come out because you moved the posts. Hopefully you moved them in a good location where the wipers will work with the pitch and height of the gl***. Then you have to mess with the over hangs that hold the corners of the winshield. Then once you have all the metal work and re-engineering of the wiper system, you put your gl*** in, sweet you can just slip it right down in there. Hopefully your fenders are far enough away when you put those on that they won't hit the gl*** when the body flexes. Also the doors close under the windshield trim, but the gl*** is explosed beneath there so when you open the door you can see is and when you shut it you hope the edge of the door doesn't it (and that no one ever slams the door). Speaking of that trim I know realise it can't use the stock clips that sit under the rubbers, so you have to come up with a clip system. Which will be fun with that piece that the door slides under, since it now has to float out there. If you ever need to take your window out again, you can't get to the bottom rubbers because they are down inside this tight little channel and wedged in around the wiper ***embly.

People have been reshaping gl*** for just as long as they have been chopping cars. Getting the gl*** cut isn't a big deal. It's making sure the shape you need the gl*** to be can be cut from what you have. That's why I made the template of the final shape of the window before I ever cut the car. Once I was sure the shape could come from the original window, I made the car match.

In the end, there was zero metal work on the roof, I had to weld up a relief cut in the supports at all four corners and then the single seam in each pillar. Everyone seems so worried about the gl***, but that's the one thing I took the most time to make sure would work. I researched it for almost a year before I ever made a cut and then posted this thread just to make sure.

I didn't cut the car up and then make the thread asking if I did it right.

I'm really sorry if this sounds like I'm being a jerk, but I've explained why I did it the way I did and how I made sure it would work and where I got all my information from about 4 times already. So far the only people who've actualy mentioned that they have chopped a bubble top, or have friends who chopped a bubble top said that laying the windshield back was right and worked. After breaking into the car and seeing what all would have to change in order to sink it, I don't like that method. I wouldn't suggest taking it to someone and I wouldn't agree to do it for a customer. The windshield for the car is reproduced, so it's not like you are working with rare gl*** anyways.

 

this is one of the only constructive suggestions I've gotten when it comes to fitting the gl***!

 

the blk 60 in the pic the gl*** was sank front and back thats an old 80's custom we bagged that car last year for the cow palacec show

 

i said in the very begining do the gl*** first

good luck just the same

 

UNchop it.........

And since when are '59/60 GM's bubbletops??????????

TRUE bubbletops are '61 GM hardtops and '62 Chevs

 

So I guess you guys don´t have anyone making new windshields for you? When we chop our cars here in Finland, we just make a mold and have a new windshield made. I chopped my Dodge a few years ago and the windshield cost about $200 + new rear window was the same. I just made a gl***fiber mold from the old gl*** and fitted the mold in to the opening (with weatherstripping). You could also make the mold using steel strips, sheet etc. It just has to be rigid enough to keep its form.
D´Agostino had a few of his cars´ windshields made in Finland.

J

 

are they making gl*** windshields from these fibergl*** molds or plastic ones? because it's illegal here to run a plastic windshields. Granted for a show car no one cares.

 

noname, the only part of my gl*** that needs cutting is the lower corners. And there isn't a compound curve there. The only place where it's compound is at the top where it wraps over the top of the a-pillars. And if I were going to not do something because it was going to be hard, I would just stop building cars now and save myself a lot of stress.



I've heard about the gl*** coming from china. But I was told by a friend that his girl had one in her impala that you could see waves in it and that it would distort your vision in places.

 

I'm all for you, I whack everything. good luck! its all yours. I just like to cut the gl*** first and fit it as I go. but that's just me. when it's done it really doesn't make any difference how you got there. keep the pictures coming. it's a 59 pontiac, right?

If you want to see real distortion, next time your at a stop light with a new Mercedes look in the door and out the windshield. you won't be able to see across the street. I don't work on anything newer than 1970 but I have never had a problem with quality of chineese gl***. I just resent the fact that nothing is made in the U.S.A. anymore....Jim

 

Well I guess I'll look into finding a company that gets gl*** from over there. Though the place I was going to pick up my gl*** from is here in oregon so I could pick it up and save on shipping.

 

the only brand name gl*** that I've had problems with is AGP made in Argentina. haven't made one cut on one without losing it. if you can find LOF or PPG there fine. Virocon is my favorite all round.
I'm "The Old Car Gl*** Guy"
since 1965
in Oregon City. get a price then call me I can probably save you some $$........Jim

 

Gl***. I didn´t even mention plastic because imho its not suitable (or legal) for cars, in any opening.
I´m just wondering why no one in the States is making custom windshields

J

 

Mainly because of the cost. Few people here have custom windshields made. Pretty much big name builders who can afford to spend an extra $5,000 on a winshield. But, I'm very curious as to how they are forming a winshield with a fibergl*** template. I was talking to one gl*** guy here who told me he could make a windshield in any shape you wanted, if you could make him a form out of quarter inch plate! He said that it had to be so thick so that it would not distort with the heat that it takes to soften the gl*** enough that would bend around the form. What exactly is their process with a fibergl*** template? How do they use that that to produce a gl*** windshield?

 

I´m not sure how its done but the guy from the company said that they need a rigid template (in my case it was fibergl***).

There was an article in some magazine (Custom Rodder if I member correct) in which they made a template for D´Agostinos "Imperial Royale" and send it here. It was made from steel strips.

As I told earlier, my windshield cost around $200 (150€) a few years ago. If you are willing to pay $5000 for a windshield, with that amount of money you could fly here and get it fresh from the factory and also have a nice holiday
Anyway I´ll try to find out how the process works.

J

 

This one was done without cutting the gl***. The gl*** was just recessed into a channel around the dash.

 

How far in was it sank and what was done about the wiper posts being in the way? Or maybe they weren't in later years... mine is a 59 so it might be different. Also is the stock trim being run? If so how are they mounting the bottom pieces?

 

Or is there any contact info for this company? I mean, if the price is comparable why not have a custom one?! ****, then they can leave the nasty black tint off the top 4inches and I could drive happier.

 

Ok, I called the guy at the windshield shop. He told me a little about the process. They actually do make a steel gage out of the mold that the customer delivers them. Then they cut 2 pieces of gl*** just the right size. They place them both on the gage and heat it to 600-700 C (1100-1700F) He told that the steel "blushes" little in the process but they use just regular steel. After the heat has bent the gl*** and they have been cooled, they laminate them together.
So nothing too difficult. Actually they run the shop in a barn that has been converted in to a little factory.

J