Need how to advice on chopping A top

[Jim Osborne]

Looking for tips and tricks of the trade on doing A 2" chop top on my 68 stepside , I have A 3 1/2" drop in the front and A 86 corvette indepent rear suspension at back , I have seen A lot of pics of trucks with top choped,looking for HELP P.S. pics will help

[LockDoc]

Jim,

That is almost impossible to answer in a forum like this. It depends on how you plan to do the chop for one thing. It is easier to lean the "A" pillars back but I personally don't like the look. If you drop it straight down you have to cut the top into four pieces and it is much easier if you have an extra top or two so you don't have to weld filler strips in. I know the double wall roof presents problems in itself but that is not an unsurmountable problem either. If you go to the top of this page and type - top chop or chop top - into the Google search box and tick the circle in front of "67-72chevytrucks.com" you will find some threads on the subject.

To me the 2 inch chop is ideal for these trucks and I plan on doing one myself. It is just enough to make a truck look "different" but subtle enough that most people can't figure out why it looks different...

LockDoc

[Bus Ted Knuckle]

My honest advice is "don't do it".

But basically you have to cut the top length wise and cross wise to lengthen it and widen it after removing height from the pillers. It would be best to have another top to cut the inserts out of to fill the gaps in the chopped one...then you would be ruining two trucks!

[IvelDesigns]

There was a write up fairly recently in Custom Classic Trucks where they did a chop on a '68. I do agree that a big drop doesn't look good on these trucks, however, a couple inches (chop more in the front than the back) looks good. The write up in CCT is exactly how i would do it if i were ever to become ballsy enough to try it.

The whole chop more up front comment will make sense after you read it.

[IvelDesigns]

I couldn't find both parts of the article, but here's part two:

http://www.customclassictrucks.com/t...rty/index.html

[CG]

Go to Amazon or Ebay and find yourself a copy of Tex Smiths (famous hot rodder if you've never heard of him) How to chop tops. Im sure its out of print, but with the internet you should be able to scare up a copy. There are at least 10 pages in there on how to chop the top on our style trucks.

Even though you asked how to do it, not should I do it, I'm sure you will get plenty of negative feedback on chopping our style trucks.

And just a heads up, you will also get negative feed back if you stick a late model bed on there or cut your dash for a more modern radio...LOL, we are an opinionated bunch...WELCOME to the board!

[jbristo67]

Dont Do it

[Shane]

Originally Posted by jbristo67

Dont Do it

He asked for help on how to do it not whether you think he should do it.

Let's stay on subject here guys, please.

[cdowns]

its good to have at least one extra donbar cab when doing chops

[jbristo67]

Originally Posted by Shane

He asked for help on how to do it not whether you think he should do it.

Let's stay on subject here guys, please.

He asked for advice. Thats the best advice I have on the subject.

[Shane]

Originally Posted by jbristo67

He asked for advice. Thats the best advice I have on the subject.

Actually what you gave was an opinion.

If you don't have practical advice then please move on so as to not hijack the thread.

[bigsnookmaster]

Don't be scared to chop it,but be aware there is a lot of work to do it.I'll give you a few tips: Mark and measure all window and door openings in several spots and write these measurements down on paper as a refrerence! Don't skip this! Set the truck the way you want it, then use a level to make level lines, example: When you take 4" off the a pillar,the piece you take out is about 5-1/8 " long because of the angle. Make your top cuts first,then the posts will be solid to take the piece off. Put a piece of filler sheetmetal tack welded in the rear posts,to use as a guide and to prevent any hollow spots when you weld the top back on.Measure,measure,measure,tack weld and then finish weld when you know everything is right! Use plenty of supports when you mock things up.You will have to section the top and use filler strips,unless you have some extra cabs. Don't lean the posts! I welded a skin over mine to clean up the filler strips,and use a lot less Bondo. Dare to be Different! P.M. me if you have any other questions.Good Luck

[GRUMPYONE]

I chopped a 54 f100 7 in front and 6 1/2 rear. I would post up pics but i do not want to ruin this site with trashy pics of that truck. I researched for three months and looked at alot of chops. Just take your time and think it out and it will come out freat. The hardest part if making your first cut. I used only my top, cut a straight across and down the middle. When u take the top that low(my chop) it separated alot. I used a skin(blazer roof) hammered it into shape and welded it on to the top. Then hand formed the rest. I also used 1 inch square and ground it down to slide into the front windshield pillers so when i welded it back it has more support. I also suicided the doors. Let me know if i can help.

[hbaublit]

My advice is buy one that is already chopped. That's what i did. I agree with buying the book, a lot of good information. I got mine from discount books for about 10$. But then I found a cab already chopped.

[bigsnookmaster]

Thanks CG, I did it about 20 years ago, put it on the back burner, got involved with my current 68,and hopefully I can finish it one day. Unless the right price comes along.

[chevy29267truck]

if you want too chop a truck go chop a ford do not mess with a chevy also it dont look right and if you go too sell it no one want it

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by chevy29267truck

if you want too chop a truck go chop a ford do not mess with a chevy also it dont look right and if you go too sell it no one want it

As mentioned above he did not ask for an opinion about how it would look. Please respect his original intent and offer information, not personal opinion.

[sneakysnake]

I liked the way this guy did his.
http://www.hotrodsbyhg.com/current_p...c10_kustom.htm

[mr48chev]

To what Bigsnookmaster contributed I would add.
1. make sure that you align the door gaps and seams before you start cutting.
2. Also if it needs new cab mounts install them before you do the first cut.
3. Brace the cab (there are plenty of instructions on the web and in magazines for this, pm me if you can't find them) so that your gaps stay exact an things don't move around when you cut the roof off.
4. don't worry what the resto guys think. They get whiny every time they see the dash cut for a decent sound system let alone chopping a top or changing the grill.
5. 2 inches sounds great as nothing looks worse in my estimation than an over chopped top unless it is trying for 200mph at Bonneville.
6. I would not lean the posts although I like the look. That is where you really run into trouble with the glass shop. If you split the roof and bring it down they should be able to just cut the appropriate amount off the top to make the glass fit. And for sure see Oarnegsi's comment below. Some guys actually cut the glass first and then make the truck fit the glass rather than trying to make the glass fit the truck.

[OARNGESI]

You might want to check into this to but i been told you should always fit your glass befor you paint the cab too

[jkade]

I used the custom classic trucks articles as a guide but they don't tell you everything you need to do.

Stock height


1 1/2" out of the front and 1" out of the back with the post leaned back.


It isn't easy to do and it is going to require a lot of work but is well worth it for the look in my opnion.

[Griffin]

Some good advice here. I haven't chopped one of these truck but i've chopped many street rods. Bets advice is don't get in a hurry! There are a LOT of half chopped projects sitting around that people rushed into, got frustrated and quit. First, make sure you have a good base to work with. Don't skip this step. Make sure your floor pans and body mounts are in good shape and structurally sound. Repair any and all rust issues with the cab BEFORE starting the chop! I know it's more fun to see the chop come along and do the "boring" stuff later but trust me on this. Second, get some 1 inch square tubing to brace across the door openings from front to back, and across from side to side. If you cut the top off without any bracing to maintain the shape of the cab you WILL have problems. The next issue with these truck in particular would seem to be dealing with the inner metal "headliner" that tese trucks have. Basically you'll be doing two chops! the outer shell and the inner skin. go buy several different widths of masking tape. 2 inch, 3inch, 3/4 inch, and use this to establish straight and correct cut lines for the vertical part of the chop. I always take a side view picture of a car before a chop, blow it up to poster size at the print shop, and then chop it on paper to try to foresee any troubled spots. This won't show you everything beacuse it's 2-d and not 3-d but it can help in gettting the proportions right. Sectioning a roof is hard to do correctly. Using flat stock to try and fill the gap across the foor is difficult because the is a lot of "crown" (curve) in these truck roofs. I would follow the advice to have a spare roof handy. The crown will be close and sometimes you can use the front of one roof with the back of another and only have one weld seam instead of two from the filler strip. back and side glass are easy to cut becuase they're flat, front windshield is a little tricky because it's curved. Some experienced glass shops can cut one using a kind of waterjet type device, some use a very high pressure sand blasting device with a very concentrated "cut" area, some do it by hand. Just be patient, plan ahead, don't get in a hurry, and don't worry! It's only metal, if you can cut it, you can weld it, if you can bend it, you can bend it back! Worst case scenario: you have to start with a new cab. You can buy them all day long for $300 - $400 bucks! If you need help send me a PM.

[yotaforce]

I chopped a '71 using the cross cut technique because I do not think the layed back windshield is very desirable on our trucks. However, mine was a little more involved because I also extended the cab 13" at the same time. I ended up using a roof skin barrowed from an '80's Suburban. That was 15 years ago! I'm about to redo most of that truck since it has been stored for the last 6-7 years and needs it bad. It was a finished truck but 15 years ago is considered old school. Time to bring it into the new.

[yotaforce]

Here's a peek at it while we are cleaning out all of the webs and dust.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink

[OARNGESI]

That could pretty cool with the update