I am considering doing a chop-top but in the process was wondering if anyone knew of a body kit the gave the illusion of a chop top. I know 2.75"-3.0" is a lot to leave to plastic design work.
It's already been done on a Fiero. Here actually by a PFF member. But it was a one-off.
The obvious issue with doing that is you'll have to deal with a now higher looking door in relation to the rest of the car. That means making everything in front and behind the door flow properly. Honestly by the time you do all of that work you could have probably just ponnied up the rest of the work and $$ and done a chop top.
Yeah, I believe you. I was going to do a body back in the late 1970's but was discouraged by the time and cost factor. It was just going to be a Can-Am hop-in type body. That is why I was looking for a prefab kit. The other issue is that the windows are no longer available from V8Archie. so it just adds another layer of complexity. The only other way around that is to make your own. That means also finding a big oven that I can use at low temps to form Lexan to the shape I need. Lexan is not as rigid as glass so the curvature may not be the same. also have to be careful in the tint I put on the windows so as not to break any laws. The tint will also help protect the Lexan from scratches.
Now you have a better idea why I am first looking for a body kit.
I don't know of any kits currently in production that do that unless it's a full rebody like the Lizarrdo.
As to the comment about ponying up the extra money and just doing a chop. Not everyone is short enough for that to be feasible. Plus considering the cost and availability of new door windows and the amount of labor a chop involves, it's not like it'd only be a 100 or 2 more.
I have thought about making a "reverse chop" kit. But there are never enough folks interested to cover the R&D work. And right now, I don't have time anyway. But here are my concept photochops: http://angelonearth.net/customfiberglass/RC.html ~ Paul aka "Tha Driver"
You guys are really giving me a lot of food for thought. hmmmmm....I take one of each! Currently I own 5 complete Fiero's (3 GT's 2 Notchies) and 2 parts cars (1 GT, 1 Notchie). I will keep 1 of the GT's as stock and custom the other 2. The Lizardo styling does not give me that WOW feeling, the back is great and the fron can be easily changed but getting from front to back leaves me empty. Maybe I would have to actually see it. I did not like the Bugatti Veyron until I actually saw one. A whole different story. Some things just can not be captured easily in 2D.
Just thinking outside the box a bit. I use to own a Lotus Europa way back in the 70's, and looking at AV8Fiero's car gave me the idea of giving one of my Notchies a Europa like rear treatment.
[This message has been edited by hcforde (edited 07-27-2013).]
This is a Lexus? I have never seen an LFA here in the states.
Some observations
I think that widening the body out also helps with the overall effect of making the body appear sleeker. The added doorline does not look bad at all.from the inside on the Fiero and the overall look of the height of the doors looks natural on both cars. Most of the chops retain the flat roofline and do not slope back into the rear. I would imagine the rear glass frame would create some added issues in doing it that way on the Fiero.
