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Author Topic: Slant that B Pillar or Hardtop it?  (Read 24405 times)

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Offline racerjohnson

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Slant that B Pillar or Hardtop it?
« on: December 20, 2009 11:19 am »
Becuase slanted b-pillar and hardtop can both look cool, instead of just choosing one or the other randomly, it occured to me to ask an experienced person a couple things:
1. what are the implications of removing a structural member of the body to overall strength (and if hardtopping it creates problems? any bracing needed somewhere else?), and
2. What does hardtopping vs. slanted B-pillaring the car mean for the builder when it comes time to create window channels, weatherstripping, and all that little stuff that I, at least, don't think of until I'm balls deep in a project?

Anybody know?
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Offline JakesBackyard

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Slant that B Pillar or Hardtop it?
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2009 1:46 am »
Here's my opinion (that and a quarter, you can call home).  (man that is an old pun....most people probably don't know what I'm talking about)...oh well, back to my opinion.

1. As long as you're talking about cars in the 40's through 60's converting to a hardtop should make no real problem structuraly.  They are body bolted to heavy framed cars.  The only cars that had any type of structural beefing up were convertibles and that didn't happen until the late 50's.

2. Now once you make the decision to convert it to a hardtop you've got a pile of work ahead if you want all side windows to roll up and down.  The quarter glasses need to now pivot at the bottom front because they need to fill up a few more inches of space up to the door glass.  That's why it was popular to have slide in quarter glasses.  

Even with slide in quarter glasses finishing the top of the opening and the belt areas of the quarters and door is going to be a whole crap load of work!

I love 2 and 4 door hardtops of the fifties.  But if you look at the true hardtops the thickness of the roof and rear pillars were thin looking. That's what helps give them that streamline look.  The sedans of the early 50's had thicker looking roofs and sail areas.  That's why it's a little tricky to make them look as sleek as a true hardtop.  I think there is nothing cooler than a forward slanted B pillar on any late 30's to early 50's sedans.

Like I said....just my opinion.
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Offline pinstriper40

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Slant that B Pillar or Hardtop it?
« Reply #2 on: December 21, 2009 4:43 am »
For starters, this is the car that sort of changed my mind... sorry, no slanted b pillars here...  I would go for the slide in quarter window rather than the roll-up window.
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Offline Tom

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Slant that B Pillar or Hardtop it?
« Reply #3 on: December 21, 2009 1:34 pm »
Quote from: "JakesBackyard"
.

1. As long as you're talking about cars in the 40's through 60's converting to a hardtop should make no real problem structuraly.  They are body bolted to heavy framed cars.  The only cars that had any type of structural beefing up were convertibles and that didn't happen until the late 50's.

.


I can't speak for the rest of the industry, but in 1940 Chevy had a heavy X member in the frame of the ragtops.

Joel in the pic you posted you'll note they rounded the top rear of the door, which makes for a more pleasing line.
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Offline flatheaded

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Slant that B Pillar or Hardtop it?
« Reply #4 on: December 21, 2009 6:02 pm »
I wasn't gonna reply to this cause sometimes too many opinions are just as bad as not enough but I went through this whole thing with my '50 also. At first I wanted to hardtop it. The look is kick ass but as Jake mentioned, a ton of work. I remember seeing a thread on the HAMB of one that Bill Hines (see pic below) did not long ago and the metal work involved was unbeleivable, not to mention the windows and channels as mentioned above. Mine will be chopped, about 5", but retain all the posts and if you asked me chopped shoeboxes should have slanted posts, 10-15 degrees or so. I think it helps the lines flow better from the windshield to the rear window. Don't know if that makes sense but I know that is how I am gonna try and do mine. And I have to agree with Tom, rounded corners always help. BTW - Does anyone know how much the chop is on that brown car?  Looks to be only about 3"-4" but it is just enough to give it a distinctive look. Makes you look twice and ask yourself if it is chopped or not.
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Offline JakesBackyard

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Slant that B Pillar or Hardtop it?
« Reply #5 on: December 21, 2009 9:56 pm »
[I can't speak for the rest of the industry, but in 1940 Chevy had a heavy X member in the frame of the ragtops.]

Yea, I was thinking about Fords, as usual.  They used a Xmember in every thing.

GM had some nice slanted pillars in the '40s though.   :)
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Offline pinstriper40

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Slant that B Pillar or Hardtop it?
« Reply #6 on: December 21, 2009 11:19 pm »
Josh- As long as it doesn't end up looking like this, we should be happy.
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Offline racerjohnson

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Slant that B Pillar or Hardtop it?
« Reply #7 on: December 22, 2009 4:11 pm »
oh my.  :shock:
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Offline flatheaded

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Slant that B Pillar or Hardtop it?
« Reply #8 on: December 22, 2009 6:38 pm »
Yeah, what happened there?
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Offline pinstriper40

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Slant that B Pillar or Hardtop it?
« Reply #9 on: December 23, 2009 3:51 am »
Sadly enough, that's a winfield chop.  I'm hoping he just did the front, but it was from a class he did in Canada.

 "U-G-L-Y, you don't need no alibi you UGLY!"

Oh, and I think part of the problem was they started with a coupe...
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Offline Tom

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Slant that B Pillar or Hardtop it?
« Reply #10 on: December 23, 2009 1:23 pm »
Quote from: "pinstriper40"Oh, and I think part of the problem was they started with a coupe...[/quote


That's what I was thinkin'. I have a problem chopping a coupe, I like the way they look stock.
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Offline sixinarow

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Slant that B Pillar or Hardtop it?
« Reply #11 on: December 24, 2009 5:35 pm »
Shoebox coupes are better unchopped but  than chopped in my opinion.
Jake is right about the bulky roof and sails compared to the slimmer sleeker lines of a factory hardtop, but Litton's works.
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Offline racerjohnson

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Slant that B Pillar or Hardtop it?
« Reply #12 on: December 24, 2009 6:50 pm »
Quote from: "flatheaded"
Makes you look twice and ask yourself if it is chopped or not.


My favorite chops are the ones that make you wonder. . . unless its a model A.

I bounced this opinion off Mr. Winfield and he replied, "If you're gonna chop it, CHOP IT" :) So now you know his opinion. . .
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Ryan

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Slant that B Pillar or Hardtop it?
« Reply #13 on: December 25, 2009 6:13 pm »
I personally don't think making the hardtop windows would be so bad to fabricate.  Gene Winfield really broke it down well when we chopped Casey's Merc.  If you build a jig to curve your bent channels over and make patterns it should be doable with some thought.  Either way, the car will look awesome.  I do like the chop on the picture Joel posted.  If you want, I can try to dig up my notes and pictures of his process.
I would recomend a little reinforcement at the base of the B pillar to keep the quarter panel from wobbleing and eventually cracking the structure.
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Offline pinstriper40

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Slant that B Pillar or Hardtop it?
« Reply #14 on: December 25, 2009 9:28 pm »
Thanks Ryan- I've got pretty much the whole process of both Andreas' chop and the DeRosa chop on my computer- I hope to print off the pictures I have and make a step by step "storyboard" if you will when we chop my shoebox.  Why mess with success?
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