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Jan 4, 2008 | 09:10 PM

vintage56

Thread Starter

Laughing Gas

Joined: Feb 2004

Posts: 910

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From: Mustang ,OK

top chop

kind of taking a straw poll.

I hooked RUSTY50F1 up with a spare cab for a top chop. but I've always been a side line fan of laying pillars back and in with relief cuts.

there's a thread on HAMB ( http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=233070 ) that has Tex Smith's

I've also heard of guys cutting the roof in quarters with the cut lines front to back in the middle of the roof and side to side thru the middle of the door window openings and across the roof and filled in with donor roof section...

what are the experiences of the experienced choppers?

JML

if this seems choppy, I'm typing as I entertain a 4 y/o boy, push laundry thru and serve up dinner. mom's not feeling well.

Jan 4, 2008 | 10:11 PM

427SOHC

Senior User

Joined: Aug 2004

Posts: 285

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From: Terre Haute, Indiana

Check out the gallery Marz-68 has posted, you may want to consider sending him an email, he shows his 68 with the top chopped and being rewelded.

Jan 4, 2008 | 10:57 PM

CharlieLed

Lead Driver

Joined: Aug 2006

Posts: 8,094

Likes: 654

From: Brentwood, TN

I am a veteran of the 2005 & 2007 HAMB Chops so I have a little experience with chops. The technique used is determined by the end result desired. In addition to the unmolested 54 & 56 F100s, I have a 35 Chevy and a 50 Merc that will both be chopped soon. On the Merc I like the slanted B pillars so the roof will slide forward and the A pillars remain at their original angle. I have never been a fan of laying the windshield back but on some cars it does look good. This is what I call the Lake Dragster look. I have a DVD video of Ron Covell chopping the top on a 53 Stude PU, this is a great video if you get a chance to buy/watch it. Ron sectioned the top so that he could lower the top without changing the design of the rear window or the windshield (A pillars)...

Jan 4, 2008 | 11:00 PM

havi

I'll have the Roast Duck

Joined: Jul 2002

Posts: 9,622

Likes: 110

From: Northshore, MN

Quote:

Originally Posted by vintage56

kind of taking a straw poll.

I hooked RUSTY50F1 up with a spare cab for a top chop. but I've always been a side line fan of laying pillars back and in with relief cuts.

Pretty much what the Ron Covell video shows.

Quote:

there's a thread on HAMB ( http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=233070 ) that has Tex Smith's

I've also heard of guys cutting the roof in quarters with the cut lines front to back in the middle of the roof and side to side thru the middle of the door window openings and across the roof and filled in with donor roof section...

what are the experiences of the experienced choppers?

JML

if this seems choppy, I'm typing as I entertain a 4 y/o boy, push laundry thru and serve up dinner. mom's not feeling well.

From what I know, the quartering of the roof to keep everything angled correctly involves laying a big piece of sheet metal over the top to cover the gaps.....done on an English Wheel. There was a 3 part article in Street Rodder a couple years ago that showed this way of doing it.

Jan 4, 2008 | 11:27 PM

RUSTY50F1

Posting Guru

Joined: Sep 2006

Posts: 1,355

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From: I live in Mustang, OK

I think pulling the post back on a 48-51 makes the nose look to long. I'll leave mine straight and cut the roof from door to door, and pull the post toward each other a 1/2 inch. then put a strip back in the middle. The back window will be mail slot. About 5" tall in the middle. That's taking out 5" of the top. Plus this way you don't have to pull the door post back.