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Chop Top Complete

Chop Top Complete - Chopping the Roof on a Custom '53 Pontiac

“What’s the chop look like?” and “How’s the ’53 project coming'” have been common questions lately so I thought it’s time to address them.

With the roof successfully lowered, and stretched the 2 1/8″ to get the roofline we’re looking for, you can finally see the finished product. The “A”, “B” and “C” pillars have been fully welded, and the rear window opening was created. The sail panels are complete which included custom metal fabrication for a seamless blend to the rear deck and trim line.

The real trick was getting all of the door components to line up and look “correct” when the doors were closed. It may not look like it but the roof of this car is much narrower at the top than at the bottom. When the roof was lowered and the door trim was welded back on you could REALLY tell, this called for some adjusting and massaging of the doors to get the perfect fit, but that’s for another post.

So to this stage the doors have been fit, the gaps are set and it’s ready for body work. I think we’ll play with the frame and chassis a little in some upcoming posts. In this set of pics the body has been sandblasted and primed with epoxy primer.

Looking for a Custom Car Builder in the Midwest?

If you have questions, ideas or would like a quote for building or chopping your own car please feel free to email me any time with the contact form on the sidebar. I will gladly quote full builds or complex one-off parts to assist you in your build. I’m here to help, so lets go!
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