Vannin' Home Forums General Discussion Paint and Bodywork Anybody ever convert a mid-ford window to a panel?

i wouldn't even think about a chop unless you have at least one donor and the location of another incase you need something twice
...
that is if you want to do one "correct"
some have raked the windshield back and the back end similar to
make up for changed angles
donor door tops are a must at least and lots of time and welding
if i knew then what i know now?
i wouldn't have done it, but no turning back now
so i'm goin 102% into it
(this is 3 years after i bought it
and after i got another donor, and a few bits of another
just so i can finish all the major stuff now)

it ran and would have drove with a little life support
before it lost it's lid ;)

i am hoping to be vanning with it in the spring!

here is a picture of an early a freind of mine did.



Originally a "Sportvan".The last time I saw this van the only widows left in it were the ones in the doors........

Its possible after all its only metal........

..........Wookee

I hate to say this, but it is NOT necessary to have all the other donar vans. There is one wicked angle chopped mid Ford out there that has the complet stock roof on it. The roof was removed, angle, lowered and all the sides were pulled in to meet it. Claude (Metalstorm owner) Has an early Chevy he chopped (straight) where he did the same thing. Had the roof cut in, I believe, one weekend.

angle or changing the shape maybe not
but there are some things you can not fake out
or do without
like
tops of the front doors
need to be extended to meet the angle
on a LEVEL chop, either the walls have to come in yes
but then your doing ALOT more than needed
it looks alot nicer to slit the roof
and bring it out to the walls,
(a few patches of rain gutter sections are needed too to look right where it needed to be)
then there are each corner to deal with
angles change fast when sectioning out a chop
i am using sections of the back corners of a donor to
make up the difference and keep it straight
goemetry class all over again
-
the windshield frame, even though flat glass
is tapered at the top like a ( sad face on the top edge
taking almost 5 inches out using the old frame there
wasn't enough of t to make that top radius
so a donor was used to make it up and fit it right
..
maybe ya don't "Need" a donor...
but you should know where the bits are if ya need em
thats for sure
but whatcha going to do in the middle of the project
if ya do find ya need something
filler? ... slab scraps into it?
my results will speak for themselves i believe

in those pics, the back end was vaulted in to meet the roof
and angled slice makes it a different ball game in the front
sure it looks good... if thats how ya wanna do it

Would a window van be easier to cut and fit? Then fill in the windows after the chop? Or would that be even more work?

That black chopped van is awesome

That would prolly be harder. Depending on the kind of chop actually. When you move the roof down all the curved parts change. Yes if it was a straight chop and the roof is to remain whole, it really wouldn't be much different. There would be more support it the top of a winfow van. If you were going to skin over the window holes, it wouldn't be that critical to aligning the window posts on all 4 sides. If you wanted to keep the windows, it would be a lot more work. the roof would have to be split, spread and filled between each window to make the posts all match up.