1950 Morris Minor Low Light Business Coupe - Dashing

[devilishdesigner]

Aug 3, 2022 13:22:58 GMT vulgalour said:

It's not far off is it? It'll look different in photos than in person so you'll have a better sense of it but at the moment it looks like your window line and roof line flow down to the rear wheel nicely and the rear deck doesn't look overly long in comparison to the bonnet. I can't imagine it'll need much of a roof chop at all to balance everything either, by not trying to fight the roundness of the Minor and working with it I expect it'll look more balanced. Some Minor chops end up looking mismatched because the roof line is too low and it makes the body look too short and fat to match.

The rear arches make a difference too being the bigger wheel opening type, they seem to make the rear look a bit longer and lighter and that I think is helping balance out your roof position.

Hopefully not far off. I'll set the window frame rear edges at the height I want next time I get a chance, then look at the roof line some more. A touch down in the rear should do it hopefully. Agree with working with the roundness, I expect the chop will be very minor, maybe a couple of cm.

[devilishdesigner]

I'm starting to think it mightn't even need a windscreen chop. What do you think? If I bring the rear of the roof and the side window forward it may have the right shape without a screen chop.

[horrido]

It would depend on how much you plan to lower the car as you need to see it as a whole. It goes something like - a car with a chop but not lowered much can look disproportionately squashed, while the same car lowered may look just right. Conversely your roofline here may look too tall when you lower the car. It might be worth getting the car sitting where you want it before you decide on the chop.

[mrbig]

Aug 4, 2022 7:02:23 GMT horrido said:

It would depend on how much you plan to lower the car as you need to see it as a whole. It goes something like - a car with a chop but not lowered much can look disproportionately squashed, while the same car lowered may look just right. Conversely your roofline here may look too tall when you lower the car. It might be worth getting the car sitting where you want it before you decide on the chop.

My thoughts exactly. I think the best option is to bodge/hack/cut the suspension to give the desired ride height and then see the overall look of it. A quick coat of some cheap primer to make the whole side one colour might also help to envisage the overall picture?

Just thought, you could probably get away with taking the wheels off, dropping the car onto blocks at the right height and then just shoving the wheels back under the arches to simulate the intended ride height?

[devilishdesigner]

You're both very much inline with my plan for the next step in the process. I've continued playing with it in photoshop after each tweak to get a sense of how it will look lower, and I think a very small chop will still work. If I get a chance tomorrow I will make a small chop then when I get a chance I will roll it into the carport, drop the rear spring bolts and torsion bar bolts off and sit it on blocks on original wheels at the right height before locking in any of the changes.

Here's where today ended:

[devilishdesigner]

Out of curiosity I tried overlaying my render over a current photo last night to see how far I had diverged. The shot I had wasn't on quite the right angle so I took another this morning.

Here is how the current form would look with the holes filled, doors extended and lowered:


Here's a mild chop with a touch more shortening of the roof, which looks close to right to me proportionally:



And here's the render overlaying the final version. Given I wanted the angle of the roof to be a little more aggressive than it was in the render I'd say this is pretty darn close:

[Alpina99]

Very interesting project,
I quite like the "final rendering", doesn't look too hacked up and all the lines flow quite well,
How difficult will actually cutting the roof be to achieve the desired lines ??
Nigel

[horrido]

Hope it's not going to be too hard to get that hump out of the back of the roof.

[devilishdesigner]

I actually like the hump as part of the car's legacy. Around 2cm taken out of the height today, then rolled into the carport to await suspension height adjustment, hopefully tomorrow.

[ahebron]

What is interesting is how right they got the original design.
As soon as you start cutting it up it is so easy to go to far and get it very wrong.
Luckily doing it digitally saves a lot of grief.

Adrian

[devilishdesigner]

Aug 6, 2022 5:48:25 GMT ahebron said:

What is interesting is how right they got the original design.
As soon as you start cutting it up it is so easy to go to far and get it very wrong.
Luckily doing it digitally saves a lot of grief.

Adrian

As a designer myself I have a great appreciation for the work that goes into the original design of any vehicle, so in a way I am not surprised. That's why approaching this I don't want to end up with something that looks highly custom, instead I want it to look like the designer may have intended, before they had to compromise for certain practicalities

[cortina64]

I like this build and the direction you are heading. A mate of mine has modified a 39 Sixty Six Cadillac four door into a two door. The top is a removable hard top and he is also creating a soft top with a parade boot, for when he wants to go topless.
Warren

[cortina64]

This is the car that he started with.

Warren

[grizz]

Amazing what people are capable of cortina64

That is some transformation

[braaap]

I wanted to mention and link to Dez Chevy thread where he did quite a similar job turning a 4dr limo to a 2dr coupe - but photcrapit has ruined that thread, too.

[cortina64]

Sorry to hijack your thread devilsihdesigner, I am amazed at what people can do when modifying cars.
This is another project from the same mate, who started with a 39 Packard four door in pieces and created a two door with pantograph doors.
When I saw your thread and the greenish render it reminded me of the 39 Sixty Six Caddy.

Warren

[devilishdesigner]

Can anyone tell me the stock sill height to the ground on an MM is? I've just removed enough suspension components to allow me to get the wheels sitting nicely in the wheel arches, and the old girl still has more ground clearance than my stock Minx at the sills!currently sitting around 26cm up at the seam where the sill bolts on.

[westbay]

link


"Ground Clearance - 170mm"

[devilishdesigner]

Aug 7, 2022 8:51:50 GMT westbay said:

link


"Ground Clearance - 170mm"

Thanks. I suspect that is at the sump, unfortunately I don't have an engine fitted at present, sill or frame heights would be great if anyone has them

[bmcnut]

I'm really enjoying seeing this take shape with the idea of making it look 'factory'. It does look a little high, mabie a combination of a bit less tyre, a little bit lower, and a slightly deeper sill would help?