to chop or not to chop, that is the question

[nickaboni2]

Since my project 51 starlight willNOT be done this season. I am thinking about a 2 in chop. I want to keep the rear and side glass intact and only lower the front. I know, I know, the purists will think this is blasphemous buttttt what the heck.
Anybody out there who can give CONSTUCTIVE ADVICE.

[mausersmth]

Big job... Have you chopped a top before? Got a buddy with experience?
Go slow and careful, mistakes will be tough to fix...

A. Charles Eck, Jr.
Essex, MD

Studebakers were made to drive! (Besides, they don't get lost as easy in the Wal-Mart parking lot!)

'64 Cruiser 'Louise'
'57 Commander 4 door sedan 'Bluebird'
'66 Ford F-250
'53 John Deere 50
'41 John Deere H All-Fuel
'41 John Deere B All-Fuel

[sweetolbob]

I agree with mausersmth, chopping a top is not a trivial project. A good friend of mine will chop anything that won't move quick enough to escape.

He has done 51 packards, 53 chevys and a bunch of trucks. He has an excellent eye to concieve the chop and the talent to pull if off.

I've watched him enough to appreciate the difficulty.

With that in mind, I'm looking at the profile of a 51 starlite and trying to figure how to do an appropriate chop without involving at least the side glass.

The 53/54 C/K's look great with a 1.5 to 2 in chop in front as they are a bit tall there and have the length to make it look appropriate.

I'm not trying to talk you out of it but if you plan to do it, Have someone photoshop it for you and talk the procedure over a knowledgeable expert that has done a few chops.

If you decide to go ahead, please keep us informed.

Also, go to the H.A.M.B. website and search chops, they do a ton of them and a lot of the members are pro and know their s--t. www.jalopyjournal.com

Good luck

Bob

,

[jclary]

It won't bother me if you chop it...but consider this...even at its stock configuration, most post war Studebaker coupes are already radical departures from their contemporaries. The first time I sat in a Studebaker, it already felt chopped compared to same era Pontiac's, Chevy, and fords. Even with the Starlite greenhouse, it is already cool! If your intent is to increase the "Wow" factor...anybody under 40 probably won't even know the difference unless it is parked beside a stock one of the same year. I think your "Bang for the Buck" would be better served in concentrating on quality paint and other aesthetic effects. In addition, in case you incur a future accident like a cracked windshield or crushed door, repairing it wouldn't take a second mortgage to cover the repair costs.

John Clary
Greer, SC

Life... is what happens as you are making plans.
SDC member since 1975

[COMMANDERPINK1]

If you will go the route of the glass being cut also, I would get some pricing on that first. Ive seen alot cars and truck with the tops chopoed and the job stalls and then they loose interest becuase of the cost of the glass works.

[Swifster]

Unless you put a bend in the roof, I don't see how you can chop the top 2" without chopping the glass, especially on the sides. I don't think you can chop the front without it looking off.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom - Mulberry, FL

1964 Studebaker Daytona - 289 4V, 4-Speed (Cost To Date: $2125.60)

1964 Studebaker Commander 170-1V, 3-speed w/OD (Cost to Date: $623.67)

[kurtruk]

Take the sideview line-drawing from the Body Parts catalog on page XI. Copy off a whole bunch. Enlarge them. Now take scissors and try to cut out what you're thinking about. I could see lowering the top of the door glass level and the winshield level to match the top horizontal line of the rear wrap around windows. But you're talking major, ugly surgery of the roof. Not to mention leaning the windshield posts back, matching the door frames to that, etc. Remember, anything with a "turret-top," which is about any vehicle after the 30's, you're taking a slice (section) out of a sphere and then trying to get the remaining top and bottom to meet. Ford Model T's and A's were easy. Phone booths--straight posts. Not so with later cars.
This may not be constructive advice--just a warning after seeing too many incomplete projects that will probably never be completed sit and rot away with no buyers willing to take on someone else's problems.

KURTRUK
(read it backwards)




Nothing is politically right which is morally wrong. -A. Lincoln

[Gary1953]

I'd be curious on how the car would look. A drawing of your idea would be interesting to see.



Gary Sanders
Nixa, MO
President Toy Studebaker Collectors Club. Have an interest in Toy Studebakers? Contact me for details.

[fred k.]

you can not chop the rear window, you will need to lean it or sink it into the trunk like the pharo's merc on american graffiti, or you can graft another window from a doner car of youre choice, but if you do chop the opening plan on spending around 5,000.+ or - on a one off glass those are the options, I personaly lean the window section and dont forget about the garnish moldings, Athough the windshield can be chopped pritty easly by eather sand blasitng or a experanced glass guy but you may break a few so keep that in mind.

fred

[buddymander]

Chopping a top is a VERY brave endeavor. Look at a lot of pics of chopped cars like yours. Remember: this is surgery. Very precise surgery. It took everything I had to lengthen my 49 truck cab, so my advice is to get the rest of your car done first, then if you have the energy left over to do the chop, go ahead and tear into it. You might consider just changing the skin of the roof to make it flatter. My Gt has a bulbous roof that I would like to cure. I'd also like to bring the back window up about six inches, shortening the greenhouse.

[fred k.]

Flatting the roof is also a good idea, I have choped many tops over the years it not only takes good craftsmanship skills but also a good eye and design sence I have seen some porly excuited job over the years, and exspeshly chopping a round roof without the 2 elements I mentioned can leave the top looking very bulbus on top and flat at the rear window therefore I have even choped plus flaten the top to get the correct look, EASY RIGHT, HA ! HA ! But searsly alot of work went into the existing design and the same amount will need to go into any mods ldealy the mod will flow with out distracting from the design and only few will notice hope this was helpful and did not scare you but helped you to do a nice jod so as I donot have to see another classic destroyed .

fred

[52-fan]

This topic comes up from time to time. While a chopped top on a rod CAN give it a racy look, I have never seen a chopped 47-52 Starlight coupe that looked better chopped. Because of the shape of the whole car one with a chopped top looks too thick through the body. MAYBE if you only take 2" it will look okay, but expect little return for your labors.


1952 Champion Starlight w/overdrive. Searcy, Arkansas
"I may be lazy, but I'm not shiftless."

[buddymander]

I have to agree with 52 fan, and as you all know, I have impeccable taste.

[DEEPNHOCK]

My constructive advice is to get it mechanically finished and all the bodywork done and in primer....
Drive it a while and work the bugs out.
Take a Magic-Marker and a straight edge and draw all your proposed chop lines on the primer.
Take it to a couple of cruise nights.
Take it to a couple of Stude events.
Then make your decision.
Jeff[8D]

quote:Originally posted by nickaboni2

Since my project 51 starlight willNOT be done this season. I am thinking about a 2 in chop. I want to keep the rear and side glass intact and only lower the front. I know, I know, the purists will think this is blasphemous buttttt what the heck.
Anybody out there who can give CONSTUCTIVE ADVICE.

http://community.webshots.com/user/deepnhock

[dean pearson]

When I first got my 52 Commander I listened to all my friends opinions and had I acted on them my car would have ended up with a chopped top and widened rear fenders, I'm not by any means a purist but for me and my car I want it to look all stock on the outside. As far as the chop, the price of it scared me off. A guy down the road from me that does customs quoted me 10K for the chop complete including the glass work.
Dean Pearson.