56 chop top
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From: under stairs
56 chop top
How hard would it be to chop the top four or five inches on my 56 f100, how do you cut the glass, does someone have to do it professionally for me? what are some other tricks that i can do to make my truck look a bit better? Body, Interior, anything
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2003
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From: indiana
i chopped 4 inches off my 53. wish i wouldnt have done it and i will never do it a again. very hard job. and you have to get a windshied cut rear glass cut side windows cut. no headliner that you can buy will fit. big headache. your choice though good luck.
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From: Adams,CO.
the 56 does not have the same issues as the 53-55. Much easier to do. Buy the tex smith book at your local mag store. Plan to use the old WS as a sacrifice. Or make a fiberglass plug from it and make a few hard samples to get the right fit for the glass. Or let a Pro do it so they can screw you good,take all your cash, keep your ride hostage, and still hope it comes out right. Talk to guys at local shows and ask ask ask. On my first, I bought the model and practiced the cuts. Good luck
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From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
I have to agree with uk1050. Be very careful, you can turn that classic truck into a worth piece of SCRAP in a hurry!! Depends on your skill & experince level. To get an idea of what is invovled get an old useless cab from what ever and practice on that first. Not saying it can`t be done but it is very easy to run into problems in a real big hurry. The 53/56 Ford trucks are one of the most desirable classics in the world. A good body/paint job, redo the chrome, nice wheels and a clean well done interior are all that you need. With of course a decent Ford power train! Hard to improve on an icon!
Last edited by Fomoko1; Apr 24, 2005 at 12:44 AM.
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Murfreesboro, Tennessee
I am not sure if your truck is a BW or not but I have a friend here in Middle Tennessee who has lost one rear BW glass due to cracking. Getting the glass cut is going to be your biggest hassle. My friend always is on me to chop my 55' . He has a 55' that is chopped 6 inches. Yeah the stock cab looks unproportioned but one chopped one more than 3 inches doesn't like any better, at least in my humble opinion. Once you cut the top you will either have a decent chopped truck or a parts truck for some body. You will be modifying the doors, vent window frames, the windshield post, and then you will need to locate a donor roof skin with the correct contour to fill the now wider than stock roof skin you have. Last but not least you will need to pray to the Good Lord that who ever cuts your glass can get it right within the first two tries 56 windshield and BBW glass aren't cheap. Best wishes at what ever you decide. 
I am not sure where you are located but I know of a guy in East Tennessee who specializes in cutting chopped top glass.
I am not sure where you are located but I know of a guy in East Tennessee who specializes in cutting chopped top glass.
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Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Durham NC
I'd have to play with it some, test it on a model, photoshop etc but I think you could get a lower profile for much less work than choping by lowering the roof above the windshield ~ 2-3" by utilizing a flatter donor roof skin from a later model truck or car. I might even remove the 56 "sunvisor" overhang, pulling the front back flush to the windshield. The 56 windshield is pretty narrow as is, the height is all above it, chopping it IMHO would just accent that heavy roof. My next major mod choice would be sectioning the cab ~ 4" and pie wedging the hood like Tim Allen's truck. This would still be less work to get right than chopping the top.
Be sure of your body work skills or how deep your pockets are before attempting to major cuts in the truck, as mentioned it is much more impressive to have a sharp clean stock body with a trick paint job than a hacked up mess that never gets finished or is done poorly. The upside is that you can always practice on a scrap body or replace a messed up one with a fiberglass replica. Might even start with the fiberglass one, it's a lot easier to cut and modify fglass.
Be sure of your body work skills or how deep your pockets are before attempting to major cuts in the truck, as mentioned it is much more impressive to have a sharp clean stock body with a trick paint job than a hacked up mess that never gets finished or is done poorly. The upside is that you can always practice on a scrap body or replace a messed up one with a fiberglass replica. Might even start with the fiberglass one, it's a lot easier to cut and modify fglass.
Last edited by AXracer; Apr 24, 2005 at 06:03 AM.
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Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Grain Valley Mo.
gibbonfiberglass.com
Gibbons makes a chopped top roof panel for this. I just checked their web site and it's $210. The site doesn't give specific details. I might be wrong but think you use all of your stock glass. I think the chop is achieved by doing away with that overhang/visor thingy that hangs over the windshield on the 56. I think I saw a fiberglass headliner for it also. Might be worth looking at. 
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'53 F100
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'53 F100
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Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Durham NC
Originally Posted by jjenkins816
how difficult would it be for me to do a pie cut on the hood? i'm a beginner
Cargo Master
Joined: Jan 2005
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From: Tucson AZ
imho, 3 inches is the perfect chop on a 56, the metal work is cake but the glass will test your faith. I did see one where the w/s opening was sliced along the bottom edge and the glass slid down through the opening, the weatherstrip was glued in place, even had stainless trim. I think the truck was from Iowa. There are lots of creative ways to do these things if you plan it out ahead. good luck
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my tip would be to get someone else to do it. its way to risky, but on the upside you can do most of the prep work. im getting my 52F2 chopped 5" and its will only cost me 1200, because all they are going to do is the physical chop... and for that price its worth it. as far as glass goes, if you have a flat windsheild and rear window it will be easy to replace if it gets cracked or broken... you dont need to buy a new one for that truck, but get get some flat saftly glass and they can cut it from that. good luck!
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Durham NC
Fortunately the 56 windshield is still being made so if one is broken you can always get another one. Check with the glass guy he may prefer to work with a new one instead of an original. Door windows you can leave out the vent windows for a longer lower look, that glass can also be ordered. You could just not roll the window up as far rather than cutting it. Personally I might look at leaving the rear window full size and doing the chop around it and under it lowering it in the rear panel rather than cutting it smaller, that would get rid of some of that blank panel below the window and leave better rear viz. If you aren't going to lower the "bubble" top and get rid of the sun visor, sliding the windshield up into the top would be easier and less likely to leak than droping it into the cowl IMHO.
Last edited by AXracer; Apr 25, 2005 at 01:02 PM.
Cargo Master
Joined: Jan 2005
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From: Tucson AZ
Chuck makes good points as usual, you can check my gallery under construction pics for that rear window idea. The truck I referred to with the "sliding" windshield didn't have enough room to move the glass up, it went down by necessity. I guess that would be determined by how much you whack it. good luck. ff56
