ClassicCar

Hudson308

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Pic 35 The lip we left after removing the roof is now trimmed and allows us to lay it in toward the new roof position. This is also where that body line will start to disappear. You may have to make vertical cuts in the lip to allow it to flow into the new roof line. The top of the window frame was overlapped onto the roof and welded top and bottom for strength.

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Pic 36 Filler pieces are now welded into place for the remaining holes. If you have good panel skills you can probably get these to flow nicely into the roof and window frame.

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Pic 37 Roof now fitted front and back, Ignore the blue lines on the door pillars.

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Pic 38 Welds ground back and in primer. You can reshape the gutter to flow with the new curve of the front window frame quite easily.

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Pic 39 Some finer work still required to finish off the rear of the rear quarter window but the roof flows quite well into the body. You can also see the body line disappearing as it goes across the rear of the car.

Hudson308

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Pic 40 Original windscreen frame has an â€˜Lâ€™ shaped lip welded all the way around it which forms a recess for the windscreens to be glued into. I had VW Kombi screens cut to suit as these have a similar curve to the original Hudson screens. However if laminated Hudson screens are now available (they were not when I started mine) these may be an easier option.

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Pic 41 Another angle

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Pic 42 Finished lip in primer.

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Pic 43 Front view after chop. The Hudson does not have the â€˜high centre of windscreenâ€™ look which a lot of cars have once chopped.

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Pic 44 Cut down garnish moulds sitting on top of original garnish moulds will give an idea of the amount of rake the new â€˜Aâ€™ pillars have.

Hudson308

Pics 45-48 A great mate of mine Pete Smith from Coomera QLD then finished the body work and painted the car. I canâ€™t take credit for that as he spent many hours smoothing the body work to the standard you see in the finished car. I canâ€™t thank him enough for his efforts and am in awe of his craftsmanship.

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Hudson308

Here's a picture that Rod's son created of the ol'man's finished ride. If you guys clicked directly to this shot, you've gotta go back to thread pages 5 & 6 to see the whole story. :cool:

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bent metal

Awesome pictures, and great discriptions of how you did it! Thanks, and keep them coming! I'd like to see more. Also can you tell us more about how you are doing the mock-up card board pieces that I see on your dash there? I've never seen that method before.

hudsoncustom

Here's a photo of a guy in California's chopped 53 in progress. He chopped his similar to the way I did mine, brought the lid down, and moved the rear window area forward.

Hudson308

More nice smithin'!!! :cool:

hud 50 · hud 50 March 2009 Posts: 5Hitchhiker

bent metal wrote:

Awesome pictures, and great discriptions of how you did it! Thanks, and keep them coming! I'd like to see more. Also can you tell us more about how you are doing the mock-up card board pieces that I see on your dash there? I've never seen that method before.

The picture you refer to was when I was mocking up the dash and instrument cluster. The original dash was removed and a steel frame was constructed from 1/4' and 5/16' rod to the desired shape and curve. The frame is removable and forms a 'skeleton' for the dash. I then fixed a product called tamanto to that frame with epoxy and then fibreglassed it to create the dash, the same was done for the console. I'm not sure of the product brand name in the US but it is used in boat building for 'sandwich foam' construction boats. It's available in different thicknesses and in its thinest form is quite flexible. The parts you refer to were ultimately not used but a similar one was made for the centre of the dash under which the stereo head unit lives.

MANY THANKS TO HUDSON 308 FOR TAKING THE TIME AND EFFORT TO POST THE PICTURES OF THE ROOF CHOP. I COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS.

Hudson308

hud 50 wrote:

MANY THANKS TO HUDSON 308 FOR TAKING THE TIME AND EFFORT TO POST THE PICTURES OF THE ROOF CHOP. I COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS.

Posting those pictures was a whole lot easier than chopping that top for sure, mate! Thanks again for sharing 'em.

bent metal

Hudsoncustom, who did that work and where in California is he? I'd like to see it if it's not too far away. That sheet metal looks like a new stamping it's so nice! Great craftsmanship!

ArikEhle

bent metal wrote:

Hudsoncustom, who did that work and where in California is he? I'd like to see it if it's not too far away. That sheet metal looks like a new stamping it's so nice! Great craftsmanship!

I second that, would love to know who did this! Very, very nice.

hudsoncustom

His name is Dave. He goes by "studhud" on the HAMB. I don't know him personally, just exchanged a few emails and such over the years.

I do know that car was rear ended a couple of years ago if you can believe it. he sure does nice work.

Hudson308

hudsoncustom wrote:

His name is Dave. He goes by "studhud" on the HAMB. I don't know him personally, just exchanged a few emails and such over the years.

I do know that car was rear ended a couple of years ago if you can believe it. he sure does nice work.

Yeah, well... so do you.

half baked

that big back window must complicate the chopping, but hell it just looks so right. job well done

vonhitch

Thanks for the compliment on the metal work.Ive lurked around here for a while i just dont post a whole lot. The car is mine I've owned it for about 10 years. The chop was recently completed, its not even really finished right now I am starting to section the car should be a simple job well sorta!

Thanks Dave

oh by the way I am in Auburn california If you guys want to check it out in person send me a PM.

hudsoncustom wrote:

Here's a photo of a guy in California's chopped 53 in progress. He chopped his similar to the way I did mine, brought the lid down, and moved the rear window area forward.

Hudson308

bent metal wrote:

Hudsoncustom, who did that work and where in California is he? I'd like to see it if it's not too far away. That sheet metal looks like a new stamping it's so nice! Great craftsmanship!

Finish that tulip panel and you could clear it an drive it. Looks like untouched paint on the roof? Broughams look Sooooo good chopped. I'd love to see a '54 with late 50's Chrysler taillights in kicked-out quarters. It wouldn't be a Cadzilla clone, but would have all the lines that made that car great.

vonhitch, great looking job!! hope you will post a couple of pics of the section job . Ive wondered what a chop and section would look like .

vonhitch

QUOTE=bent metal;89619]Can anyone comment on my earlier comment about the windshield? The reason I said the front windshield is a problem is because I had a glass guy tell me that it's very difficult to cut down a front windshield without having it shatter. That been said, I've been looking through past posts and I saw where the "panty Dropper" said he had some guy in his area cut his windshield down some two and a half inches with no problems mentioned.....So was I just talking to a bad "glass guy", or is it difficult to cut down the front glass?:confused:[/QUOTE]

Hey Bent metal in answer to your original question about cutting the glass its not that hard to do. There is some risks but if you have new or really good glass and a diamond cutter with lots of water its just time consuming. I used a diamond cutter mounted on a cordless drill with a small flow of water from a garden hose. Hey i know I could have been electricuted bla bla. It took an hour and a half or so to cut then I took it to a glass guy and had the edge ground although it didnt really need it. The key to cutting a roof is to make the metal fit the glass. Dont try making glass way 2 expensive.

Thanks Dave

hudsoncustom

Glad to see you signed up here Dave. I regret not being able to meet you in Sacramento...

So you're sectioning the car now huh? I hope you take plenty of pics!

bent metal

Section that car?!?! I'm not sure if I could do that. It already looks perfect!

IMO :cool:

But I can't wait to see pictures!

Hudson308

bent metal wrote:

Section that car?!?! I'm not sure if I could do that. It already looks perfect!

IMO :cool:

But I can't wait to see pictures!

I agree. Love the lines just the way it is... and the metal finishing is awfully nice to go slicing again. :eek:

vonhitch

hudsoncustom wrote:

Glad to see you signed up here Dave. I regret not being able to meet you in Sacramento...

So you're sectioning the car now huh? I hope you take plenty of pics!

I haven't even started the cut yet but I got it figured out. The section will go through the middle of the car but the quarters and doors will look the same. I will re hang the doors and quarters with the stock profile but will reduce the height of the rockers panels. The door bottoms will be moved up the distance of the section and hang over the frame a bit. The rockers to me are too tall, the trim and ribs formed on them are also too busy so new rockers will be fabricated to clean it up. the section will be very mild. Less is more so to speak! The car should be farther along and back on the road in may. I will post some pics of the work when I get it farther along.

Thanks Dave

Hudson308

vonhitch wrote:

I haven't even started the cut yet but I got it figured out. The section will go through the middle of the car but the quarters and doors will look the same. I will re hang the doors and quarters with the stock profile but will reduce the height of the rockers panels. The door bottoms will be moved up the distance of the section and hang over the frame a bit. The rockers to me are too tall, the trim and ribs formed on them are also too busy so new rockers will be fabricated to clean it up. the section will be very mild. Less is more so to speak! The car should be farther along and back on the road in may. I will post some pics of the work when I get it farther along.

Thanks Dave

Y'know... that might just work...

bent metal

Can't wait to see how you do it! Also, please keep in mind that thier are a lot of people who would love to buy your old rockers. Since your going to make new ones. Please make your posts detailed with photos! This is going to be great!

:D

hudsoncustom

vonhitch wrote:

I haven't even started the cut yet but I got it figured out. The section will go through the middle of the car but the quarters and doors will look the same. I will re hang the doors and quarters with the stock profile but will reduce the height of the rockers panels. The door bottoms will be moved up the distance of the section and hang over the frame a bit. The rockers to me are too tall, the trim and ribs formed on them are also too busy so new rockers will be fabricated to clean it up. the section will be very mild. Less is more so to speak! The car should be farther along and back on the road in may. I will post some pics of the work when I get it farther along.

Thanks Dave

I think that'll look fantastic. I'm with you 100%.

I also thought the rockers were a bit too busy with the trim, and the ribs, so I made new ones also on my rig. (actually, I've only done the drivers side so far, I got waylaid) ha ha.

vonhitch

bent metal wrote:

Can't wait to see how you do it! Also, please keep in mind that thier are a lot of people who would love to buy your old rockers. Since your going to make new ones. Please make your posts detailed with photos! This is going to be great!:D

Bent metal trust me I throw nothing away. I do have a 52 brougham as well I'll sell them at some point with that car (I decided not to keep it) or will offer them up here. I'm not the most computer savy person but will try to do a post when Im doing the car so I pass on some ideas for others.

Thanks Dave

lsfirth

Does anyone know what the rear window is out of??? Damn....that thing is sent from heaven isn't it!!!!

Hudson308

lsfirth wrote:

Does anyone know what the rear window is out of??? Damn....that thing is sent from heaven isn't it!!!!

Yeah, I spotted it on page 46 of the April '10 Rod & Custom, as well. Kar Kulture or somebody like that should do a full feature.

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