Has anyone done this? I'm talking about one with a non working roof. A lot of folks are talking about converting 4 doors to 2 doors. Wouldn't it be easier just to lop off the roof at the same time and make a 4 door a 2 door convertible? Perhaps fabricate a fake boot at the back and provisions for a tonneau cover for when you do get caught in the rain. What did the factory do to strengthen things up on the convertible? Hell, my 54 4 door ain't worth much and has a **** load of dents on the roof..... Todd
There was a cut top on eBay a couple weeks ago. It was a 2 door to start though. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...item=330123031728&indexURL=3#ebayphotohosting
Sorry to say, but cutting the top off and leaving it (sometimes called a "parade" car) is a sure way to ruin the value of a car. if you think it ain't worth much now, you won't be able to give it away once you hack it. That said, if you carson topped it, it would be cool. Or, do some measuring and hit the junkyard looking at convertibles. Maybe make yours a real 'vert. Or look at some other hardtops. Find some funky 60's top, chop it low and weld that on. Or simply get a book on bumping dents, buy a hammer and dolly, and learn how to fix what you got. If you do end up cuttig it off, at least really think about it and do it right. Cap the doors nice, figure out a nice edge around the back, etc. And I'm sure you've thought about all the reinforcing you're going to do so it doesn't try to fold in half on you.
And I just noticed you're in canada---- wouldn't a ******* car get like a month of use due to cold/snow/sleet/etc? That makes it even more of a bad idea.
I Think You Should Make A Lift Off Carson Top. Leave The Windows So They Will Work And Make It As Usefull As Possible. Then Decide Wheather Or Not To Have A Top Based On Your Mood And The Weather...
yep rusk said it the converts have a different frame cause the roof is gone no body flex support any more
seen it done using a hardtop to start. i'm told that is the same platform as the convertable with exception to the frame.
i plan on doing this but will be using a HT car and a rusty conv donner. plan to add a x member to the frame. may use a 54 pont as the conv stuff is the same and the pont is way cool.
I have plans on 'converting a 42 Hudson 4 door sedan. It was a parts car to a coupe I'm currently working on. Well, didn't use too many of the parts and there's plenty left to build a car with. My first inclination was to sell it. Tried, no one interested in buying. So, it's gonna be a real 4 door convert with operating side windows and folding top. Got a top frame for a similar model GM which I am currently modifying. It's gonna be a huge project (to go along with my other huge projects) but I think I've solved everything in my head. Now for the fun part!
Could drive a ragtop almost every month of the year here this year. One of the guy's we work with had his bike out at least once every month since March '06. It's really not that cold here in the winter.
i had a perfect 66 caddy four door rot free nice paint perfect interior. could not give the car away for $1500 after swaping the chrome to a 66 covert i restored. finally i said **** it and cut the roof off to have a fun summer car and would get rid of it at the end of the summer. cut the roof off thursday made a boot to cover the cut quaters friday. saturday went for a nice ride to a local show. friend was selling his car and had 2 signs. for ****s and giggles i put the for sale sign in the caddy and a hour later was counting out $2500 and getting a ride home. guy still has the car and loves it last year as a joke i built a 1980 caddy as a fun car cutting the roof off and chopping the windshield. had to do alittle work to the center post once the roof was gone.
are you ****ig kidding me? leave that car alone and sell it to someone who appreciates it. nothing I hate worse than a cool old car that someone cut the roof off and ruined.
I've got a 52 Crestline that had its Dance Fever roof removed. RDSTR31 did the work and this thing flexes almost none. The doors open and close just fine. You might PM him to talk about what he did. I know it's been clipped and he added some nice reinforcement bars down the center. Haven't been under it much...
I've sold three 53-54 ragtops. The frame is the same but has a huge X-shaped brace added in the middle of the car. One of them, that was all that held the car together - the last one, all that held the front to the back was the torque tube. The X doesn't seem to rot, it's made out of thick steel box tube, but the stock frames go to hell on these cars. I suppose you could fab an X-brace and buy a $500 70's convertible to use the top from if you want a top, I saw on eBay a few weeks ago someone did that to a tudor sedan, but that car ain't in bad shape, dents or not.. I'd worry about getting it going and drive it some and have fun before I decided to tear it apart to make a ragtop out of. Typical market on a rotty 53-54 ragtop to use as a donor is $750-$1500, depending on how complete it is. If you really want a ragtop, a friend has a couple '54 Plymouth convertibles for sale, one came out of a barn and has a good frame and top but needs floors, the other is parts only. $2500 would get the pair of them -
I think it's a waste to just cut the roof off of a perfectly good 50's or 60's car unless you've got a complete donor to make it a functional convertible. I did that with a GTO and a Skylark conv. donor and it turned out really good, BobK did that with his '52 Chev. But as far as just whacking the roof off and not having a top, it's a waste. Makes the car ultra-impractical and unless you really do a professional job reinforcing the frame, it's gonna sag and flex and be a real basket of ****. I've never been a fan of Carson tops either. I worked at a T-bird resto place for years, and the guys with the 55-57 Birds don't even **** with the porthole tops anymore, they're way too much ******** to mess with. They all want the soft top so they can put it up and down without a ceiling hoist or 4 guys.
mine.. more photos: (which DONT show the extra ch***is work to keep it from flexing) http://public.fotki.com/sawzallshop/sawzalls-rides-past/my_40_ford_converta/page2.html would I do it again, HELL YES.. I have a carson top, and it hasnt been BACK on the car for more than 3 years..
Well done, Sawzall. If you want to see how nice your car could be just as it is, hook up with the new guy Von Rigg Fink. He's got a barn find 53 4 door Chevy that he buffed the hell out of. It shines like nobody's business. As for no value, why did you buy it if you knew it had no value? I've had 5 of them and I have fun with them. Use it as a learning experience or use the frame and front clip and find a 2 door (there's a guy on here with a few of them in the MI thumb area) That said, it's a lot of work and you'd better be up to it or you'll have a pile of **** that really has no value.
he just wants to cut it off cuz he doesnt have the balls to chop it. so here it is boy, you ready..... 4 door + me at 17 years later after i learned something from cutting and welding... then fixing my **** ups. keep in mind... this was pre monster garage(when i did the chop). SO! that being said... no taking the EASY WAY OUT! and chop it the right way. and then maybe Heide will sit on your hood haha OH! and no excuses about "i dont have a welder" because i oxy acet welded the entire car with coat hangers, and if my dumb*** can do it, then you can too.
Some interesting responses. Don't worry guys, this isn't something I'm planning to do tomorrow with a hatchet. I was thinking way down the road if at all. A couple of friends suggested doing this after we got talking about all the articles on converting 4 doors to 2. I figured why wouldn't someone take it to the next level? Actually, I have spent a ton of time getting it to the point it's at in the pic. I'm in the midst of installing doglegs and rocker extensions using vintage patch panels. I think it would be more of a travesty to convert a Bel Air 2 door to a convertible but not as much of a no no doing it to a 210 4 door. As for the dents in the roof I'm going to attempt to repair them first. I do have access to a complete roof if needed. Todd
It Would Be A Comlete Waste To Cut That Car Up... Chop It And 2 A 2 Door Conversion. Or Just Chop It. Don't Ruin It. If You Want To Sell It To Someone Who Will Take Car Of The Old Girl....
bunch of *****es..cut the tham roof of its your ride your rooling on it not a bunch of *****es..is that not what this board is all about..KUSTOMZ..DAMM IT KUZTOMZ..ooh i forgot..it need to be ORIGINAL TO BE A REAL KUSTOM..
I have a 36 Ford Fordor sedan and I am thinking too to cut it up to a convertible sedan like Sawzall did!!
i love 54 chevy's, chopped, not chopped, sectioned, 4 doors, hardtops, ,, i think done with pride any old car can look great. my two cents,, but anyhow, this brings up an idea i had on this 53 'parts car' buisiness coupe i bought, the thing is the people before wanted to chop it and for some reason cut out the back window WITH the whole back section of the belt line,, then, wait for IT,, LOST IT! how the ****? you ask, i'm with you on that one,, anyway, that idea of just making it a convertible has come up,, what would have to do to the chasis/body? and what do yall think about cutting out the whole dam belt line? i don't think it would look that great but hey you never know,, sorry if i'm taking over your post bro
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