We found this terrific 6-1/2-minute video from hoitink on YouTube. He’s shown taking what he believes to be a 1949 (the front betrays more of a 1st-gen, ’46-’48, however) Chrysler New Yorker and chopping the roof down to his preferred size: five inches in the front, and seven inches in the rear. It’s a two-day project, and really fun to watch due to the video’s time-lapse effect.

He starts bright and early to take measurements of the car’s pillars, marking with tape the sections that will be removed. He then goes about removing the interior, getting rid of all the seats, dashboard and other guts. He inserts a massive body brace and then goes to town with the welder, removing the window frames and finally chopping the pillars in half to drop the top. A quick weld keeps the front pillars at bay as the rear ones are dealt with: They must be severely reshaped and plated so they won’t become brittle, crack and collapse in on everyone, obviously.

Whereas most people will slant the roof, our hero decides to cut out a wedge that will give him the chance to maintain the original contour with some new metal. Kudos to him for taking the road less traveled!

The second day finds him back to welding and adjusting the doors to fit their new shape, while putting the finishing touches on the rear post welds. The gap left in the driver’s side door jamb has been filled, thanks to the fixer’s decision to move the roof forward.

Though the car looks about half-way done overall, hoitink is well on his way to getting his drag rod suped up and ready to roll. What do you guys think? Anything he could’ve done better? Let us know in the comments below.