Long time members here may remember that many years ago I made an attempt at building a Morris Minor chop top based on American Business Coupe proportions of the 30s-40s. I started with a pair of free Series 2 Minors, a 4 door that had already had a chop started, and a 2 door donor. I grafted the 2 door quarters to the 4 door, tweaked the chop, shortened the roof and played with a bunch of other changes, but by the time I was done I couldn't see out the windscreen and I didn't have the skillset to get the car where I wanted it, so I sold it as a project. The idea never entirely left my head though.
About 7 years ago I saw an opportunity to purchase a bargain low-light to start again. I got it home and it was an amazing survivor. I made a few minor changes in preparation for a chop, but couldn't bring myself to cut it, and eventually kids got in the way and it sat largely untouched. Last year I sold it and my Jag XJ6 to purchase a classic I could hop in and drive and take the kids out in, a 1965 Hillman Minx. The Minx has been a great little car, and I have also been tinkering very slowly on my speedster project, but the concept of a chop remained. Before selling I played with some sketches, and had a conversation on here in general chat in which Horrido re-sparked my motivation.
A few months back a pair of lowlights came up for sale, and I cheekily asked if the owner would sell just the parts car. It turned out he would, and the price just about fitted with my non-existant budget. So after some umming and arring and life events I committed to purchasing it, and today dragged it home. It has a good bit of rust in the floor and frame, but saveable, and after taking these photos I had a dig around inside and managed to find the complete front and rear bumpers and a lot of the small parts. Rough enough to cut, good enough to be worth doing, and cheap enough I don't feel bad about it.
First off, here's my thought progression on the conversion, pinched from the chat thread, including Horrido's awesome render:
About 7 years ago I saw an opportunity to purchase a bargain low-light to start again. I got it home and it was an amazing survivor. I made a few minor changes in preparation for a chop, but couldn't bring myself to cut it, and eventually kids got in the way and it sat largely untouched. Last year I sold it and my Jag XJ6 to purchase a classic I could hop in and drive and take the kids out in, a 1965 Hillman Minx. The Minx has been a great little car, and I have also been tinkering very slowly on my speedster project, but the concept of a chop remained. Before selling I played with some sketches, and had a conversation on here in general chat in which Horrido re-sparked my motivation.
A few months back a pair of lowlights came up for sale, and I cheekily asked if the owner would sell just the parts car. It turned out he would, and the price just about fitted with my non-existant budget. So after some umming and arring and life events I committed to purchasing it, and today dragged it home. It has a good bit of rust in the floor and frame, but saveable, and after taking these photos I had a dig around inside and managed to find the complete front and rear bumpers and a lot of the small parts. Rough enough to cut, good enough to be worth doing, and cheap enough I don't feel bad about it.
First off, here's my thought progression on the conversion, pinched from the chat thread, including Horrido's awesome render:
