51 Chevy Custom

yup
i had to rip open another one lol

mainly pulled this one out so i could do the top chop on it and use it as a tutorial



i figured since it says build stock or drag.. i would do the easy thing and go custom lol

start out with a side shot of how the body looks stock


now i use 1/8 inch tape to mark out my lines where i plan to cut


you will notice that i pick the upper portions of some areas and the lower portions of others


i also lay a line across the roof line because i will have to reposition it and lengthen it a bit to make it fit right


now i dont know if anyone else does this, but its a habit i picked up a while ago on a chop job that the tape kept moving while i was laying things out.

with the tape in place, i grab a can ( yes i said can, not worried about the finish here yet ) and i lay on a light coat


once it dries i remove the tape


first cuts with the razor saw are on the window moldings as they are fragile and i dont want them to bend with the other cuts i have to make.



next i cut the A pillars and the wing window frames, always making the cuts on the closest line to the center of the part because it is easier to trim from the larger area than it is to try to cut on the wobbly end twisting around all over the place


once i cut the B pillars, the top comes off easy enough


i trim down the thin trim pieces with a pair of nippers because it is the easiest thing to do.



test fit on the back once i remove the excess plastic


yea this will work


now, the reason for the line on the roof, with the back in its proper place, the front a pillars no longer line up where they should


out comes the razor saw again


now i use a scrap piece of .010 styrene sheet



using one of the high tech clamps and some liquid cement, i glue my alignment shim on


while i wait on that to set up i am gonna remove the wiper arms..these will be replaced later


all gone


ok i glue the A pillars in place and get all of the corners lined up now i have to fill the gap in the middle of the roof
out comes the styrene....


thats gonna be pretty close


using a lighter , i curl the ends to kinda match the roofline


i measure and get close enough to be happy, then trim it down a bit so its not so long


almost the perfect width, will only require one thin shimm to take up the little bit of excess



shim in place and everything has a fresh coat of liquid cement for the evening


will let that dry for a day or two and then continue on the tutorial hopefully on weds

cya then

I like the tape and spray method. good idea. I have one of these also, but I'm building it box stock (drag car version)with the inline six.

Nice start Wayne, I don't have the testicular fortitude to chop a top yet...I've really gotta try it someday!

Rhodes wrote:I like the tape and spray method. good idea. I have one of these also, but I'm building it box stock (drag car version)with the inline six.

thats cool bud, i think the lid is bit too high for my tastes ( plus it gives me more to do lol ) cant seem to leave things alone.....

Custom Mike wrote:I don't have the testicular fortitude to chop a top yet

lol with all the other detailing you do it would be cake work for you bud. tis only plastic after all

does look good with the chop.