Need advice on lowrider build

I had to check some reference shots of a "51 to see what you're up against

http://www.hotrodscustomstuff.com/Griffith-01.html

Wow, not an easy choice for a first time chop! The backlight area is what has me the most perplexed. I guess it depends on how extremely you want to lower the roof. I don't think the usual solution for a mild chop, shortening the A pillars and sectioning the B pillars to bend the roof down in front, would work in this case. You could try cutting the roof off comletely and "burying" it, which I normally do for extreme chops, I put the roof inside the body and push it up through the cavity until I have the look I want, then start filling in the gaps. If you don't want the windshield raked too severely you'll need to add some length to the roof. I think you'll be lucky if you can still use the kit glass, you'll probably have to replace it but that shouldn't be to hard, no severe compound curves that I can see.

You don't happen to have a spare '51 to practice on, do you? I usually buy two of any kit I'm planning to do heavy body work on. My AMT '49 Merc actually has plastic from 3 different identicle kits in it!

Jamantmat wrote:

I had to check some reference shots of a "51 to see what you're up against http://www.hotrodscustomstuff.com/Griffith-01.html Wow, not an easy choice for a first time chop! The backlight area is what has me the most perplexed. I guess it depends on how extremely you want to lower the roof. I don't think the usual solution for a mild chop, shortening the A pillars and sectioning the B pillars to bend the roof down in front, would work in this case. You could try cutting the roof off comletely and "burying" it, which I normally do for extreme chops, I put the roof inside the body and push it up through the cavity until I have the look I want, then start filling in the gaps. If you don't want the windshield raked too severely you'll need to add some length to the roof. I think you'll be lucky if you can still use the kit glass, you'll probably have to replace it but that shouldn't be to hard, no severe compound curves that I can see. You don't happen to have a spare '51 to practice on, do you? I usually buy two of any kit I'm planning to do heavy body work on. My AMT '49 Merc actually has plastic from 3 different identicle kits in it!

Jamantmat

Unfortunately I do not have a spare '51 to practice on. If it helps any the kit is the old AMT '51 Chevy Fleetline. I was considering cutting out the A and B pillars totally and the pie sectioning the C pillars and slowly pressing the roof down until it looked right. Would this work or do youi suggest another approach? What about the front suspension, any ideas on how to rebuild it and have it look right?

Shannon

You could section the back pillars, it would just be a little tricky because there's not much plastic to work with at the bottom where you'd make the cut. Also, this type of chop leads to a raked roofline, lower at the front. with such curvacious body lines this may not be too noticeable, especially if you keep the chop mild. I would advise restraint on the angle you cut out at the back, it's really easy to cut out to much, then you have a gap to fill and a weak joint. Regarding your other modifications, can you post some photos so we can see what you're up against? If not, just describe the isssues in detail.

By the way, the whole A, B, and C pillar thing confuses me. Does a '51 have a pillar behind the door, or is that just the window frames? Why couldn't they call them F, M, and B for front middle and back? Stupid auto industry.

Jamantmat wrote:

You could section the back pillars, it would just be a little tricky because there's not much plastic to work with at the bottom where you'd make the cut. Also, this type of chop leads to a raked roofline, lower at the front. with such curvacious body lines this may not be too noticeable, especially if you keep the chop mild. I would advise restraint on the angle you cut out at the back, it's really easy to cut out to much, then you have a gap to fill and a weak joint. Regarding your other modifications, can you post some photos so we can see what you're up against? If not, just describe the isssues in detail. By the way, the whole A, B, and C pillar thing confuses me. Does a '51 have a pillar behind the door, or is that just the window frames? Why couldn't they call them F, M, and B for front middle and back? Stupid auto industry.

J

Here is a pic of what I am working with. As you can see I have to rebuild the drive shaft tunnel as well

Ah, that clears up the confusion! Your '51 doesn't look at all like what I was thinking about, you've got plenty of plastic on the back pillars to work with, and they actually are C pillars. Given the continuous "swoop" of the back of the roof down into the trunk, you'd need to cut out a very long section, I would think, back to the rear of the trunk. As for the driveshaft tunnel, you could form a new one out of sheet styrene, or find an appropriate shape to steal from elsewhere. I think you said you don't do many car models, if it were me I'd be banging through my extensive junkyard looking for just the right tunnel to saw off. Of course if you still have the original tunnel you cut off, modifying that to fit might be the most elegant solution.