Thread: Need ideas on shoring up my chop top!

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Hello Family, I have a 53 ford crestline victoria 2 door that I bought last month.

I want to rat rod it but I am starting from the ground up. The first thing I need to do is support the shell somehoe since the top was cut. The front half of the car moves way too much and the door gap grows and shrinks with movement.

I wanted this car because it was chopped and I wanted a fairweather car, but I have no idea how to go about bracing it???

I dont want to weld in 200lbs worth of steel and I would want to hide whatever I have to do.

Does anybody have experience with this problem?

Thanks in advance

Might be a little late now, but you should have welded in some bracing first before you cut the top off to keep things from moving around, and it does move around a lot if you don't.
Don

From what I can see you have no braceing in the car and it looks like no frame. I would get things back the way they belong with jacks comalongs long clamps what ever it takes Then reattach it to your frame. Looks like someone was making a convertable out of it. Good luck you sure got a project

Are you going to put a chopped roof back on or are you saying you are making a convertible out of it and wanting to brace it for a convertable? And yes, it should have been braced before any cuts were even made to the car because now it is probably all out of wack.

I saw a 4 door being chopped on You tube.com
They had a couple of them on there.
They were all time ellapsed so it sped everything up.
Anyway come back after you get done watching, and give
us some photo's of your project and your progress.
Thanks Kurt

Yup, the bracing should have been installed, but it wasn't......

Got in on one of these deals awhile back where someone else started a chop project, sold it, then we had to straighten the mess up for the new owner.....

First question--Do you have or have access to a laser level????? Makes it a bit easier. You've got to establish a centerline running lengthwise through the car....Mark this centerline on the trans tunnel with a center punch hole. No laer? Then find the center on the tunnel as measured between the door jambs. From this point, set your windshield pillars an equal distance from center and brace it up.

Mark this centerline further towards the rear of the car on the tunnel to a point between the rear door pillars. Set them straight and tack some braces in place.

Now, measure the X distance between the left windshield pillar and the rear door post for the right door, then measure the other X distance between the right windshield pillar and the rear door post for the left door. Make these distances match, cross brace between the rear door posts, and continue the same method working rearward on the car, establishing X Points, and making the distance equal.....

With a laser level you can set your centerline with a vertical beam all the way down the tunnel, scratch this line into the car, and measure everything off of it.

It takes a bunch of measuring, but the car can be saved...

Or, just eyeball it into place and weld it all together. When it's done and the doors won't open and close and the car isn't even close to straight down the sides, you can just tell everyone it's a Rat Rod and it's supposed to be that way!!!!

Hopefully, you'll take the time to do it correctly and not just use "rat rod" as an excuse for not having the patience to build a decent, straight car........

I’m glad I had these guys around here to ask my questions. I was about ready to start cutting when
Dave Severson said make sure you weld in some brasses
to keep it from twisting. So I ended up welding in a big
X across the cab and another across where the top of my tail gate would be.
I hope this helps me but I’ll have to see, other problems popped its ugly head up.
Kurt

just park it in my driveway for a month, and the mud daubber wasps will have it fully reinforced!

I hear ya Firebird; I keep having to fight them off down here in florida to.
Kurt

Yeah, I knew to brace it before choppin but I did not meet the guy until after the cut was made. I heard the Flathead roar and kinda let that cloud my better judgement a little.

I wanted something a little bit better condition wise, but man o man, what beautiful cars when done!

I wanted a no top fair weather car so this is good, and I just got laid off and have plenty of time to work on this (RUST), I just don't know where exactly to weld braces in the car?

Under the floor pan, at the fire wall or inside the kick panels?

Do I use tube steel, boxed steel?

I do want to do this the right way.

Dave, thanks for the great info, that helps my a lot. But I have one more question, seeing that I want the car to stay convertible, how do I remove all those braces and still keep the car straight?

Thanks guys.

Originally Posted by miguelg510

Hello Family, I have a 53 ford crestline victoria 2 door that I bought last month.

Thanks in advance

If that's the car you are chopping, it's no 53 Victoria. Its a 50-51 tudor

The bracing for a convertible will go from the top of the right forward door jamb, to the bottom of the left forward door jamb, and from the top of the left forward door jamb, to the bottom of the right forward door jamb.... Same pattern for the rear door jambs. Then a couple brace running legthwise in the car between these x's. 1" X 1" 11ga. square tubing is adequate for the braces. Once the car is all straight and things are securely welded together, the cars will stay in place. The jambs are welded into the sill on the bottom....make sure these joints are not rusted out or the spot welds torn out. For a convertible, an extra gusset or two welded in at a 45 degree angle from the sill to the jamb will add a lot of stregth. Be sure the gussets on the rear door jambs to the sill do not interfere with the operation of the rear window mechanism....

PS--don't think you're the only one who has ever bought a basket case based on what in has the potential to be rather then just what it is you're taking home!!!!!

Hey Dave thanks for the help, much appreciated!