Hey guys, I'm looking into buying a '51 Chevy 2 door Styline Deluxe & in order to do so I'll have to sell my pride & joy to afford it...so I want to make sure its the right car for me. Its a good rust free body that doesn't "need" any body work, but I'd really like a chop. I don't have the fabrication skills to do it myself so I'll be hiring someone to do it...how pricey & difficult of a chop is this car? Looks like the glass is curved on the windshield & rear glass...so I know that makes a big difference.
A guy I was talking to at a show owns a hotrod shop & was telling me what to look for if I want to chop a car. He said he's chopped every style out there & can give me references, but they don't cut glass so I'll have to have a glass shop do that. He said that getting curved glass cut will be more expensive than the chop itself and he doesn't know anybody in the Atlanta area who can even do it.
So, basically here's my questions:
1) Can a chop even be done well on a '51 chev? Anybody have any references around Atlanta for me?
2) Whats a ballpark cost for top-notch work? Chop? Glass?
3) What else am I not thinking about? I'll openly admit...my knowledge of chopped & channeled work is "wow, that looks cool." Do I want to channel this thing too? Is the strength of the car compromised? Any safety concerns (other than visibility I'm sure)
A guy I was talking to at a show owns a hotrod shop & was telling me what to look for if I want to chop a car. He said he's chopped every style out there & can give me references, but they don't cut glass so I'll have to have a glass shop do that. He said that getting curved glass cut will be more expensive than the chop itself and he doesn't know anybody in the Atlanta area who can even do it.
So, basically here's my questions:
1) Can a chop even be done well on a '51 chev? Anybody have any references around Atlanta for me?
2) Whats a ballpark cost for top-notch work? Chop? Glass?
3) What else am I not thinking about? I'll openly admit...my knowledge of chopped & channeled work is "wow, that looks cool." Do I want to channel this thing too? Is the strength of the car compromised? Any safety concerns (other than visibility I'm sure)