at first(and maybe still) I considered "raking" back the windshield of my
`74 project
convertible to chop the top...the frame for my top is good, but the back window and top material is shot...so all I was thinking of doing was to lowering/moving the folding top mounting points...and if the re-angling of the windshield was minor enough of only a few more degrees laid back, the whole top unit(frame, windscreen,
and side windows) could all be kept 'in line' with stock relationships to each other, with only slight modification to the side window alignment in the doors(no window glass cutting at all) and the soft top back window, maybe a clearancing of the wheel well tops to allow the folded top to sit in lower...
...or so goes the theory anyway...
eh, might still happen, but I kinda hate molesting a pretty 'pure' vette
vert that would be just fine with me if it
only were reconditioned to stock...but if the headroom was any issue, those convertables are kinda claustrophobic with the stock height top
up anyway, seems like the top would only have to be used for an emergency, otherwise top down driving would hardly be effected jf chopped
Welcome to the motley crew.....
Nice efforts there man, looking good, keep us updated....
:friends:
thank you...yeah, I think some of my crazy thoughts/mod-ideas will be right at home here, as I've been lurking a bit and have seen what all you all are up to here
hi: awesomeness :hi
Here is a convertible with a chopped top. Some other subtle changes to the body also.
thanks...great example of the windshield being "raked back"...and I think that shows why I want to do this...as it really makes the C3 look "zoomy"
abomination that's here in the netherlands
thanks...also another
good example(when only examining the top and windscreen!)...but yeah, I feel that you have to be very careful when messing with the already bold and exotic lines of the C3 body....getting too "erotic" like that isn't mandatory at all,,,,,tho it is interesting that they used a accessory hard top(option for convertibles) to chop and match the new rake of the windshield, can't quite see exactly where it was cut-n-lowered, almost need it pictured next to a stock one and maybe a rear view, also would like to see if a side window solution was applied
Gene, 6,5 and you want to lower the roof????
IF I can lower the seats....why not?? I already did drop the driver seat about 2+ inches....maybe drop the floor?
:crutches:
saw(on line) a project where a C3 floor was lowered(if I come across a link again I'll share it)...as long as you don't have the under car exhaust it didn't seem to be much problem at all ...looked like they did a pretty massive 3"~4" drop of the floor, that would be more than you would have to lower the roof, doing the top ~2" and the floor ~3" you might actually
gain an inch in headroom
let me tackle these one at a time:
Sure that will look pretty cool and slick.
Seems like not a easy and major modification.
the `69 rear clip 'practice chop' top I did did not have any of the interior bits or metal hoop in it..... surprisingly it went down fast and easy, as the top lines on the 'window scoop' down to the body are actually parallel, so the top of the 'basket handle' can slide back and down without having to widen the top or reline those peaked edges ... with the top moved back, I split the sides of the 'basket handle' from the bottom up around the curve of the top near the side window opening and just spread that seam open to a missing pie-slice shape so the bottom was back forward up to the door jam...the sides of the top I just left long, and sunk them into the fenders, it was cut just above the fender curve 'troff'(where the fender blends up to the top's sides), but that left a bad gap(as the roof sides taper up, so the top looses width when lowered in), so I cut again now below the 'troff' in the fender top flat(so just that fender|top radius transitional strip was floating, tho still attached at the rear of the car), and bent that piece in to the smooth up to the top's sides, leaving the gap split where it could be smoothly pacthed in the flat fender top ... inside the scoop around the rear window got kinda messy, and I might cut that different next time, but still not sure if it would be better to cut higher in there to leave the scoop wider at the bottom(and then bend it in at the top) or cut lower to narrow the scoop around the window(as thats kinda what I had but filled it in as the cut ended up about the the middle, but then had to fill a bunch)...once everything was cut apart I just used a few wood screws to hold things in place where it overlapped, and trimmed some where sheets needed to 'butt-up'
...I have a huge amount of experience sculpting with expanding foam(professionally using a big foam machine we had...but now just used the stuff in cans for home use),, and actually just used that to 'glue things together'(solid, and I could then remove screws and small spacer wood shims and bridges),,,since that one is only "practice", I didn't use fiberglass to re-bond gaps and cuts, and just did the surface patching in the foam with alittle Bondo on top for good looks...in some of the photos you can barely see the whole new tail design I'm doing totally out of foam(I'll have to post images of that sometime) which I'll mold and cast with fiberglass....yup, there is much more happening with this project
h:
What you will do with the removable rear window ?
well, removed it of course...but I'll do a fixed plex window...was wanting to revert the slant on it, but would have to move the top back further or widen the basket handle, so that there is a flat wall behind the seats and the back window is at the same angle going up and back from the inside
And when lowering the seats you still will have enough sight out over the front ?
kinda might be an issue, also the view up out of the windshield...I did some "hunching down tests" and that long nose does disappear some, but that already happens anyway,,,so its like a small issue becoming a slightly less minor one...hey, but they say aim high when driving fast :sweat:
As you plan anyway to redo your seats why don't make the back pretty thinn and change the angle of the back to get also more headspace without lowering te seats.
I think with the windshield raked back any(as in my plain vs cutting glass to lower the roof), angling the seats back alittle with help so that the windshield isn't more 'in your face'...however it will make the above problem worse of seeing the hood/nose of the car and the road right in front
Good luck with that project.
And keep us updated.
Greets
Robert
I'm still waiting to get the title(and hand over some cash) for that `72 before I cut into her....if I do a good photoshop/rendering of where I want to head with this project I'll be sure to post it....I should be able to get the title maybe next week, but then taking the fam on vacation...so this will be a summer project, but I want to move quick on the main mods(get the body and custom interior main lines sculpted in) , then slowly work on motor/trans, body finish, trim, and all the odds and ends(gages, wheels/tires, seat/floor covers, lights, etc.) bought and installed over fall and next year
...but I think it will be good to have something wild going on with the `72 coupe, as then I can bounce back and forth between it and the `74 vert in more stock-ish direction when things don't work out, frustrations, momentum wains, get hung-up, or parts/moneys waits happen....
any images of chop top C3 coupes?
thanks :ghost:
