67' chop....... - Cut-Weld-Drive Forums

Budreaux · May 9th, 2010, 08:39 AM

Well, I've contemplated this long enough.
I know the 67' was a unique year, but when I went looking for a good subject car, I wasn't concerned so much with the year as I was the condition. Just turned out that I got a great deal on a 67'.

Now, this will be my first time to do a chop and I'm excited as hell about it, but equally nervous. I've looked over countless project cars over the last year and I'm a bit overwhelmed with which one to follow as a good guideline to do this chop.

Any initial advice would be appreciated and any recommendations as to a good thread to follow for the best option to do this chop would be equally appreciated.

Here is what I'm starting with.... nice straight car and already had the pan redone when I got it.. a big reason I opted for this car. The quality of the work was good and I knew I wouldn't have to redo the work.

And of course, I'm getting the boys involved in this build. I remember working with my dad when I was young, but my job doesn't afford me that time with the boys, so I figured a build project is a good way to spend some time with my boys and to get them interested and teach them some skills along the way.
Get em while they young.

detroit73super · May 9th, 2010, 08:52 AM

Nice metal to start with. How drastic of a chop are you going for ? then prob. a thread or two based on that could probably be recommended.

Al Low Ha · May 9th, 2010, 09:34 AM

I've never met a 67 I didn't.... PART OUT!!! That so called 'best year ever' is pure bologna! I say chop it , drop it, and sell off all those '1 year only' bits and pieces! and that EMPI camber compensator laying on the ground too!$!
So cool to involve your boys! I get my boys involved too! Never too young to work on the hand/eye skills!
Keep us posted on your progress! The best chop how to's I seen are by Chris Clark customs...he's posted here and has a website too..sorry-no links.
Aloha

little frenchy · May 9th, 2010, 09:58 AM

I've got a '67 too , but mine is very rusty so I'll make a Targa but many persons said that it's a crime ... I just say " the body is dead , I cut , weld and drive it or I can do a buggy or 356 replica , however , you can say it's a crime"
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Budreaux · May 9th, 2010, 10:28 AM

My thought is to go 4 1/2" chop.
Suicide doors.
I also plan on going with 4 inch widened fenders. I know the general idea around here is to go fenderless, but for this project, I want to go widened fenders.
I've got my eye open for a 56ish model to do a chop and fenderless application to, for my own ride, but this one will probably end up being my eldest daughter's ride.

For the record, the first picture was from the guy I bought it from, so none of the parts laying around belong to me.

Budreaux · May 15th, 2010, 10:42 AM

Well, all I can say is one of you SOBs are gonna have to man up and take responsibility for making me do this...

I got home early yesterday and started preparing the car for the cuttin'..
ok, ok.... I didn;t do the cleaning..

Once it was all cleaned up, I started measuring for the cuts. I quickly realized it was all above my head, so I handed over the marker and tape tot he brains of the operation.

After 3 hours of measuring, marking, and taping, he came up with this...

Now, I'll admit, he's a little young, so I thought I'd toss up these pics for some of you more experienced folks to look at and see if anything pops out as a red flag about the layout. I didn;t do any cutting yesterday because I was fresh off from working the night shift and it was time to give my head a little rest time and then come back well rested before cutting.
So, does anything look out of place here, or did the little tike "appear" to get it right.
He did tell me that he was measuring the pillars to find a location that was as close tot he same as possible to minimize any relief cutting, so I went ahead and went with that. Kid seems to have an idea of what is going on here, but it is his first chop too...but he can surf the net pretty well himself (no joke there).

AirheadZim · May 15th, 2010, 12:19 PM

LOL I'd say the kid did a pretty good job. I've seen worse planning before cutting .... ALOT worse. I think the old addage works here too.... measure twice cut once, so double check his work before you cut.

Budreaux · May 15th, 2010, 03:29 PM

No turning back now.....

Ready to drive already!!!!

EVOlyn · May 15th, 2010, 05:27 PM

Great start! I remember my first chop, 4 1/2" out of a 1982 Toyota pickup. Didn't do it as best it could have been done, but in the end, it came out nice.

evolyn

Daddy o's 67 · May 15th, 2010, 05:38 PM

Hopefully his welding skills

will match his layout work! LOL. Looks great

rostigbug · May 15th, 2010, 05:49 PM

AWESOME!!
the only red flags I see are all the boxes of flammable stuff stored in the corners or your garage.
bee very careful when it is time to weld

**StickerDick** · May 16th, 2010, 12:09 PM

the future hotrooder, bugman is super cool!! Keep it up, these are the things he'll remember these times for all of his life. work looks great too.

Palepainter · May 16th, 2010, 12:12 PM

I can't believe you cut a 67

J/K..... What better year to cut. :) Welcome.

Budreaux · May 16th, 2010, 12:42 PM

This mornings progress....
Got up this morning and did a little more while the family was out....

Did a little tweaking to the windshield area to get it even across the top. Done for the day...I need a nap before my shift starts tonight.

Jon · May 16th, 2010, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by little frenchy

I've got a '67 too , but mine is very rusty so I'll make a Targa but many persons said that it's a crime ... I just say " the body is dead , I cut , weld and drive it or I can do a buggy or 356 replica , however , you can say it's a crime"
[IMG]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]

Umm are you shure about that ?

I would leave it like that.

Anyway, Nice chop so far. 67's are just a interesting year, not the best. They don't have Early headlights, nor do they have IRS. So if ythey were the best they would have early styling and and later model rear suspension.

Volksrod19666 · May 17th, 2010, 09:32 AM

Cool build man, keep on cuttin. I apparently destroyed a rare find.........

. 67' original metal sunroof body, now its a chopped top with suicide doors rolling on a 66' pan. I think the only thing i kept 67' was the ash tray with no pull knob on it.

pat808 · May 17th, 2010, 09:40 AM

looking good!!! keep up the great work. 67,66,56,51,46........any year is good to chop and v rod!!!! like the saying goes,anybody can restore a car. it takes a real man to cut one up!!!! aloha pat

**V8Transporter** · May 17th, 2010, 03:10 PM

Your project looks great, and your crew looks like they are having a fun time.

My dad got me helping on car and bike projects when I was about their age and look what it's done for me.

I saw a Phone Booth 'T' pick up at a local car show a couple of weekends back. I keep thinking about a Phone Booth `67 bug pick up. Are you saving the pieces you cut out? I figure that I could piss off twice the number of purists if I use bits from two `67s.

Budreaux · May 18th, 2010, 09:48 AM

Here's this morning's progress.... must get some sleep now...

Got the back half cut down and roughly set in place. Tomorrow I'll start fitting it and tacking it all in.

Now I better learn how to weld.....maybe by a bunch of JB Weld.... ;)

Daniel · May 18th, 2010, 12:12 PM

looks awesome

Budreaux · May 21st, 2010, 12:26 AM

Ok, got the back lined up and tacked down this morning. Been slow the last two days due to filling in at work for a missing supervisor.

I have a question or two about how to make this line up on the rear window.

Ok, I'm pleased with the outer alignment at the walls, but for the window gasket alignment, I think this is the way to approach the cuts, but wanted to ask first. (This is my first time to do this type of thing actually...shhhh!!!!

The yellow lines are the cuts...
The red lines are the direction to move the piece...
The green arrows are alignment points.

Does this look like the proper way to do this correction?

Here's the two sections showing the current misalignment.

Jon · May 21st, 2010, 02:24 AM

Usually the bottom portion of the window corner is sliced and titled to match the roof line and therefor making the windo edges line up. Not sure that would quite do it. What you have suggested will work. Consider a few other possibilities first then decide.

Budreaux · May 22nd, 2010, 05:01 AM

Decided to push her out in the driveway today to get a better perspective of where I'm at and what adjustments I need to make.
The front half will need to be adjusted down another 1/2" it seems...not a bad thing really, the lower the better.

Put this comparison photo together so I could really see the difference...I'm pleased.

Side window fitted.

I'm not a great welder, by any means, but I'm slowly getting there.
Just seems like this metal is more resistant to the welding heat in some places than others in the same area. I was pissed when I blew my first hole because of the welding. I've had to take the settings to the lowest and adjust wire speed to take and fill. Not sure how well it is biting in, but from the backside it appears to have a good hold. I'll do some torture testing to a couple areas before I get to much further along. I also need to get a gas bottle so I can stop using this flux core after I'm done with all the tacking.

**V8Transporter** · May 22nd, 2010, 01:06 PM

A very nice clean radius

.

Budreaux · May 22nd, 2010, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by V8Transporter

A very nice clean radius

.

Thanks..I'm learning as I go... this is my first time to do this type of modification. All I know is I'm thankful for all the documented progress threads on this site...it has been a wealth of knowledge in preparing to do mine.