50F1 chop top
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From: I live in Mustang, OK
50F1 chop top
Would like any info on 5 inch chop top on 50F1. What would be the best way to go about it. only done one chop in the past on a 41 Hudson 4 door with suicide back doors 15 years ago. Was a nightmare before finished. Any help would be greatly appreciated. been on other forums with no response. Just joined this Forum after reading many threads because people here seem to be more helpful to peoples problems. Thanks
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Some observations from my recent chop top endeavor;
1. I was scared to death going into this . Afraid I would botch it up and ruin my cab. While the fact that my son is a proficient sheet metal welder helped a great deal with the job, the exercise was not that difficult. Up to but not including the final body work on the cab, we have a grand total of about 80 manhours into the job (Most of it – welding and grinding) . We might have been able to shave about 5 or 10 hours off it if we really tried, but we weren’t in any big hurry.
2. We saved an immense amount of fabrication and time by having the top half of another cab to use as a donor for pieces. You need to add about 1 5/8” to the length of the window frames . You need to add to the roof - a strip from front to back about an inch wide and a strip from side to side about 1 5/8” wide. By saving the top half of my old cab and doors, I avoided having to fabricate the door frame pieces and the window frame pieces. Unless you’re an expert bodyman, I would see that fabrication adding at least 50 hours to the job.
3. Because the windows and roof slant out at the bottom, you need to cut the top into four pieces, then re-attach them to the truck and fill in the gaps between the four pieces with the strips from the donor roof. Or you can cut most of the roof out of the center and replace it with a skin from a 56 F100 roof which is longer than the 53-55 roof or some other vehicle from a wrecking yard. I filled the gaps in my old roof and would likely do it the same way again……
4. When we first welded the strips into the roof, thereby making the roof one piece again, the roof had more or less lost it’s crown. It had essentially collapsed in the center a good 3 inches. I was devastated. I thought the roof was ruined. My son, with a piece of 4 X 4 and a body hammer and dolly had the roof back into it’s proper shape in about 2 hours.
5. I went with the “mailslot” rear window. While I like the subtle effect in the windshield that a 3” chop gives you, I wanted the “no question it’s been chopped” rear window effect. That may seem like a contradiction, but that’s me…..(I did a sorta pictorial step by step in my gallery…)
6. We’ll have about 8 hours of bodywork into the roof by the time it’s ready for primer, but my son has only been in the trade for about 4 months so he’s slower than a fully experienced bodyman.
Final wrap up –
If a pro quoted you 3 or 4 grand to do the job, would he be ripping you off? No!
Am I glad I did it? Yes!
Am I glad I did it myself? Yes!
Would I do it again ? Yes!
What would stop me from doing it again? Losing my experienced sheet metal welder.
Hope this helps you or anyone contemplating a chop.... (and the Tex Smith book is worth every penny)
1. I was scared to death going into this . Afraid I would botch it up and ruin my cab. While the fact that my son is a proficient sheet metal welder helped a great deal with the job, the exercise was not that difficult. Up to but not including the final body work on the cab, we have a grand total of about 80 manhours into the job (Most of it – welding and grinding) . We might have been able to shave about 5 or 10 hours off it if we really tried, but we weren’t in any big hurry.
2. We saved an immense amount of fabrication and time by having the top half of another cab to use as a donor for pieces. You need to add about 1 5/8” to the length of the window frames . You need to add to the roof - a strip from front to back about an inch wide and a strip from side to side about 1 5/8” wide. By saving the top half of my old cab and doors, I avoided having to fabricate the door frame pieces and the window frame pieces. Unless you’re an expert bodyman, I would see that fabrication adding at least 50 hours to the job.
3. Because the windows and roof slant out at the bottom, you need to cut the top into four pieces, then re-attach them to the truck and fill in the gaps between the four pieces with the strips from the donor roof. Or you can cut most of the roof out of the center and replace it with a skin from a 56 F100 roof which is longer than the 53-55 roof or some other vehicle from a wrecking yard. I filled the gaps in my old roof and would likely do it the same way again……
4. When we first welded the strips into the roof, thereby making the roof one piece again, the roof had more or less lost it’s crown. It had essentially collapsed in the center a good 3 inches. I was devastated. I thought the roof was ruined. My son, with a piece of 4 X 4 and a body hammer and dolly had the roof back into it’s proper shape in about 2 hours.
5. I went with the “mailslot” rear window. While I like the subtle effect in the windshield that a 3” chop gives you, I wanted the “no question it’s been chopped” rear window effect. That may seem like a contradiction, but that’s me…..(I did a sorta pictorial step by step in my gallery…)
6. We’ll have about 8 hours of bodywork into the roof by the time it’s ready for primer, but my son has only been in the trade for about 4 months so he’s slower than a fully experienced bodyman.
Final wrap up –
If a pro quoted you 3 or 4 grand to do the job, would he be ripping you off? No!
Am I glad I did it? Yes!
Am I glad I did it myself? Yes!
Would I do it again ? Yes!
What would stop me from doing it again? Losing my experienced sheet metal welder.
Hope this helps you or anyone contemplating a chop.... (and the Tex Smith book is worth every penny)
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
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From: Durham NC
If you sucessfully chopped a 54 Hudson the F1 should be a piece of cake! One suggestion I'd make is when splitting the roof start the cuts about 4" over from center on both sides, cut upwards to just above the rain gutter, then horizontally parallel to the gutter until you reach the centerline of the roof. Finish cutting across the roof on the centerline. When you pull the two 1/2s apart, the step at the gutter will self align the sections making it easier to put back together.
Note: 5" is very very drastic cut, 3-3 1/2" is a significant chop. You'll need to drop the seats or drive with your chin pinned to your chest! IMHO it's going to look out of proportion and hamper visibility unless you are making a ratrod and are going to channel the cab over the frame or section it as well. Try taping off that much of the tops of the windows and sit in it for a while before making any cuts. Another good idea is to take a digital photo of the side straight on with a small piece of tape marking the 5" down point and try the chop in a photoediting program like photoshop or photopaint to see what the proportions will look like.
Ron Covel, www.covel.biz has recently released a new video on choping and sectioning that should be excellent based on his previous releases.
Note: 5" is very very drastic cut, 3-3 1/2" is a significant chop. You'll need to drop the seats or drive with your chin pinned to your chest! IMHO it's going to look out of proportion and hamper visibility unless you are making a ratrod and are going to channel the cab over the frame or section it as well. Try taping off that much of the tops of the windows and sit in it for a while before making any cuts. Another good idea is to take a digital photo of the side straight on with a small piece of tape marking the 5" down point and try the chop in a photoediting program like photoshop or photopaint to see what the proportions will look like.
Ron Covel, www.covel.biz has recently released a new video on choping and sectioning that should be excellent based on his previous releases.
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From: I live in Mustang, OK
Thanks for the feedback to my choptop Qs lots of help. I think ill think about it. but pretty sure it will happen. just takes that first cut to get started. If you or any one else comes up with any more advice on this feel very free to jump in and share it. Im by no means a body man. just a man with a dream. The truck is all dis-mantled cab is ready to come off the frame. I have a good frame with a six on that runs manual trans would like to sell. Im going back with a S-10 frame 400 auto with disk brakes all around. whin the body goes back on it will sit 5 inches off the ground
Thanks fellas
Thanks fellas