Art & Inspiration ----HOTDAMN'S Chopped '54 Pictorial----

Thanks dude! Word on the street is that Del got some more done last night and it was just enough to give him a kick in the pants and finish it!

We try to remind ourselves how lucky we are to be able to have the shop and a good group of friends around here. I'll tell you what, it sure as hell helps with the workweek (getting over the hump and all). It's also nice to have a pizzeria that gives us half off next door and a ice cream shop across the street. Thanks!

 

Wow that car is so cool. I wish I were closer so I could check it out in person. seems like a great group of fellas there buildin some real cool stuff.......

But where are more pics man this is bullshit...... I need more visual stuff I dont have the attention span for this reading shit.

 

I'll have some more tomorrow....it's shop night tonight!

 

Del certainly has an eye for style. A custom car can easily be overdone. Everything on this car has been well thought out. Good job old buddy!

 

Subscribed.... Another great thread bro!! Somehow I missed this till now and just came upon it...Great blk/wht photos too! The cut is coming out great, looking forward to seeing the end result! Question tho about the car...is it a 54 with 53 fenders or a 53 with a 54 bumper an tailight bezels? just courious....either way its gonna be bitchin!

 

It started out as a '54 then he traded the front sheet metal for a '53. I think a full floating Kaiser grille might find it's way in that "mouth". Thanks buddy!

 

Thats kinda what I was thinking he did...great call on the grill treatment too, it will look good in that opening! Keep up with the killer pics

 

I think earlier this year we were thinking that the his car would get a late 50's treatment with no chop, chrome steeiies, and a candy fade paint job. But now after decided to cut the top so mildly I think we're or he I should say is shooting for a 1954-56 period. Still very classy and most of the fluff removed but moving towards a new era. Lately talk has been about some sort of dark green (think Barris Merc) with Orange accents. I'm stoked for him to say the least.

When I was planning my '54 Chevy I was thinking along the same lines even the paint color and accent color. Now that I have changed directions completely it's nice to perhaps still see a vision that I was thinking through even though it's really all him and it's just coincidence that the ideas are lining up.

We're pretty close so instead of our "periods" being lined up like dorm room college girls our taste often comes up the same hahah!!! Did I really just say that?

 

Alright JJ, let's see some more...

Delton and Jeremy make it look soooo easy. They did some more work last night with stretching the roof to the new window and panels below the window. Man does this thing flow now. So perfect!!! Y'all are rulers!!!

 

Yeah, JeffyCakes....Wheres the PICS!

 

I didn't get a chance to take any more pics but I should be able to the next time I'm out there. I did shoot this with my iPhone.

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thanks again jj!!

if you didnt post this stuff for me I would never figure it out

and tawney, I learned it from watching you

so in the video here, you can see those two big pieces cut out there on the sides.
we did that because the belt line had to be cut loose and moved in about 1 3/4" so it would better fit the contour of the styleline rear window.
well when that happened the location of the quarter panel seam in conjunction with the fact that we had to raise that rear panel up almost a full inch, lets just say that area got a little sketchy looking.

so instead of relief cutting it like most people do, JeremyJames devised this plan to just completely cut that area out and make it out of one piece.
stellar idea as it is working out rather nicely thus far, should be all TIG'd in this weekend hopefully!!!

sorry the progress has been so slow and I promise more and better documentation
to follow suit!


and thanks again guys for the interest and compliments

 

I think I can hear Ron over the die grinder.
Look killer there son. what's the plan for paint on the roof?

 

What is the back glass out of? Very cool build for sure.....

 

Looks awesome, looking forward to seeing the progress

 

Nope Ron is too cool to come to shop nights lately.

 

thats what i was wondering???? i dont see any!

 

There is bracing, just hard to see. These dudes are so smooth the way they work this out. The panels cut out above the trunk along with the sail panels will have no compound curves in them. This means making these patches is much easier. And they flow just like they should be there. The way Del and Jeremy did it was so much better than trying to mess with that factory seam above the trunk.

Man, wait till all you guys see this chop finished! So tasteful and so nice!!

 

the doors are welded shut with fender washers.

the rear of the roof has bracing as well.

the rear window is out of a 52 style line, fits nicely with a little work.

the recontouring of the belt line was a little scarry at first but after I got in there it wasnt that bad, with some planning it went rather smoothly.

 

na that's jeroma laughing

as for the roof, I imagine it will be painted the same the same color as the rest of the car. which as jj was saying earlier, will probably be a dark green.

 

But damn I was looking at a car today in an old magazine and a Deep dark Copper could sound really really good.

 

yea but copper is the new flat black

 

And flat black was so 2006 making it cool again hehe. Gold was the new flat black and white was the new gold.

The copper I am talking about is dark almost root beery.....it's a little darker then the familiar "SAM's BRONZE" which many a car back in the day that came out of Barris' shop were painted....specifically the top on Ronnie Dragoo's merc.

 

I also really dig that greenish gold your old merc was originally painted...

pretty sexy

 

Looking good fellas. Drag that thing outside for a good photo and let JJ photoshop that thing. Then you'll probably get Norwell and JamesD involved for a lively color discussion.

And then you go ahead and paint it the color(s) you want, but the discussion sure is fun.

 

It's been a month. It has to be done by now.Right? And why does everybody have there hands in there pockets? Can't get any work done that way.

 

everyone has their hands in their pockets because its friggen cold!

 

so jeroma and myself hustled for a good couple hours tonight getting these panels fitted in.

as previously discussed we had to move the belt line in a bit and inadvertently created a puckered spot where the factory seam was so we decided to cut it all out and make a new 1 piece panel in that spot.

so here ya go

 

maybe tomorrow for dramatic effect i should take a picture of the hole sans panel? kinda gives a little better perspective...

also sorry for the shit pictures...

blackberrys suck...

 

Cool I love it