A little off the top!

Since English Don's "Babylon Taxi" is all done and he's having fun at Laconia NH. I am back to work on the 1930 Model A Ford top chop. I got all the welding done on the top, the door tops are back in place with new door hinge pins etc. I am in the process of cutting the interior garnish moldings and will move onto the windshield frame after that. I'll have to remember to take my camera to the day job and snap pics of the progress of the '63 Chevy station wagon for you guys also. I am dying to get back to work on the "Baja Bandeeto" but i will have to finish up a few paying gigs in my home garage first. I have been filming this top chop from the start and will make a DVD set on how it is all done and every thing I did so you guys at home can see it all from start to finish! Keep an eye out for that new DVD trailer here on my blog. Thanks for stopping by, now get back out in the garage and build something!

1969 CHEVELLE CONVERTIBLE continued

I was away at the Spring Carlisle PA swap meet for a few days, got a few parts for my custom 57 chevy and a real nice 54 Pontiac center grill bar, I'm thinking that would look nice in that 50 Merc I saved from the junk yard! Meanwhile back at the day job, I got back to metal work on that '69 Chevelle rag top. Here's a few pics of what I have been up to. Replacing the floor support under the trunk floor, the trunk pans, inner & outer wheel tub work, and quarter panel skin, same as the other side but in these pics you can see more of the work & patience it takes to go through a car. For this week, I have my Folks visiting so I took the week off work to spend time with them and work with my Pops putting electric in my new out building. 'Till next time.......Fritz

1969 CHEVELLE CONVERTIBLE

Another report from the day job, gang!

While I wait for parts and other things for the '63 Chevy station wagon, I started rebuilding the rear end of this '69 Chevelle drop top. You can see in the pics that its getting a new trunk floor, inner & outer wheel tubs, and quarter panel skins. I had to splice the wheel tubs together, due to the fact that coupes & rag tops are different in that regard. The convert tub is flatter on top while the coupe is not. Keep checking back as I do try my best to update the blog often.

- Fritz

63 Chevy Station Wagon

Here is an update on that 63 Chevy station wagon i have been building at the day job. I got the new floor pans all welding and fit nice. Installed a set of lower quarter panel patches and had to hand fab the patches for the spare tire tub area (no re-pops are available) there was some bad rot int the cross support just in front of the tail gate jamb that had to be taken care of so I cut the rear seat pan out to get at it and fabed up some scrap steel to repair it all. as soon as we get the new seat pan patches into the shop I'll finish that all off to. a next side project are those fender skirts for the wagon. I did some reshaping work on the fender then cut & chopped up the skirts to get them to fit onto the car, looks pretty cool! stay tuned for more updates on all the crazy stuff I do.

- FRITZ

Chop Top

My wife and I are deep in the middle of editing our new DVD "build fiberglass bodies at home" but I wanted to give you a sneak peek at what I'll be filming next in the garage. This here is a real nice 1930 Ford coupe, My friend Jerry bought it at a garage sale in Kansas, Yup I'm not kidding he got it at a freaking garage sale. He's going to build a hot rod out of it and wants me to fill the roof and chop the top a few inches. So, after the fiberglass bodies DVD is done and for sale on me web site store (some time around the end of March) be on the look out for "how to chop a Model a Ford at home"

Keep those mig welders buzzing and the night lights burning guys

- Fritz

The Daily Grind

I have been putting some time in at a Classic car body shop here in Kansas City. It keep me on my toes! I'm working on a 1963 Chevy station wagon doing a lot of rot repair that might scare off most guys but after spending most of my life in the rusty north east fixing this stuff and cutting out a floor pan is a bag of shells.





I deleted the A/C stuff off the fire wall and made up new panels with factory looking ribs so it will have that Mod smooth look. I braced up the body before I cut the floor out just to be on the safe side. there was no way the one piece floor was going in as "One piece" so I took it apart and put it in a piece at a time. You can see the cross braces in place. I'll have the pans welded in soon.

Top Chop

I did this chop for my friend Gary "The Local Brush" Kupfer in 2003 when I still lived in Long Island NY. Gary painted most of the Baldwin Motion cars, lots of show car art, pinstriping, lettering, etc. an all around auto artist. I have known him since I'm 15 (geez I've gotten old, lol) My wife made yet another youtbue video out of an old stack of photos I took at the time. Just thought I'd share
Happy Holidays.