48 chevy section and chop

[_Ogre]

martinsr posted his sectioned and chopped 48 chevy truck in hotrodders.com
thought some of you would be interested in his sectioning job

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/1948...ar-233753.html

[mknittle]

I thought about chopping one. but never got around to it. I don't like the idea of leaning the windshield posts back though. I figure the top of the cab would need to be cut into 5 pieces to get around that. maybe someday....

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by mknittle

I thought about chopping one. but never got around to it. I don't like the idea of leaning the windshield posts back though. I figure the top of the cab would need to be cut into 5 pieces to get around that. maybe someday....

The top does't need to be cut in five sections to do a nice job. Width wise it is only off a quarter inch or so when you come down 4 inches, it just isn't off enough to split the roof. On lengthening it, I am with you, it just doesn't look right with the windshield leaning back so much. There isn't a line on the truck leaning back like that and it just doesn't work in my opinion. But this also depends on the build, on the "theme" of the build if you will. I have seen some where it looks great, but it depends on the rest of the trucks mods.

On mine, my theme is that I want it to look like the GM styling studio would have done it, and raking the posts back wouldn't be the way they would have done it. And lengthening the top all the way wouldn't have been either. When the top is lengthened it creates an illusion that almost looks like the windshield has been pushed forward at the top making less of a rake on it!

So on my truck I will be lengthening the top half the way and raking the posts the rest of the way.

Brian

[mknittle]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

The top does't need to be cut in five sections to do a nice job. Width wise it is only off a quarter inch or so when you come down 4 inches, it just isn't off enough to split the roof. On lengthening it, I am with you, it just doesn't look right with the windshield leaning back so much. There isn't a line on the truck leaning back like that and it just doesn't work in my opinion. But this also depends on the build, on the "theme" of the build if you will. I have seen some where it looks great, but it depends on the rest of the trucks mods.

On mine, my theme is that I want it to look like the GM styling studio would have done it, and raking the posts back wouldn't be the way they would have done it. And lengthening the top all the way wouldn't have been either. When the top is lengthened it creates an illusion that almost looks like the windshield has been pushed forward at the top making less of a rake on it!

So on my truck I will be lengthening the top half the way and raking the posts the rest of the way.

Brian

Should look good. keep us posted.

[mr48chev]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

The top does't need to be cut in five sections to do a nice job. Width wise it is only off a quarter inch or so when you come down 4 inches, it just isn't off enough to split the roof. On lengthening it, I am with you, it just doesn't look right with the windshield leaning back so much. There isn't a line on the truck leaning back like that and it just doesn't work in my opinion. But this also depends on the build, on the "theme" of the build if you will. I have seen some where it looks great, but it depends on the rest of the trucks mods.

On mine, my theme is that I want it to look like the GM styling studio would have done it, and raking the posts back wouldn't be the way they would have done it. And lengthening the top all the way wouldn't have been either. When the top is lengthened it creates an illusion that almost looks like the windshield has been pushed forward at the top making less of a rake on it!

So on my truck I will be lengthening the top half the way and raking the posts the rest of the way.

Brian

That is a trick that I hadn't thought about. My windshield is raked on my truck with no stretch or widening in the cab. Gene Winfield explained how to get the door glass to work right by moving the bottom mounting points of the glass channel guides out to keep things straight when you push the tops of the doors in slightly to get them in place.

I'm stretching my cab 9-1/4 inches through the doors to set it on a long bed frame running the stock length shortbed box. I'm using a GMC 1/2 ton long bed fram rather than a Chevy 3/4 ton as the GMC frame spreads out in the back the same as the Chevy shortbed half ton frame.

I finally did pick up a pair of decent looking long bed running boards for that.

I chopped mine 4 inches before but may cut that down a bit to be able to run the full size rear window and drop it down to just above the belt line at the back of the cab like Cole Foster did on the truck he drove for years before selling or trading it to Jesse James.

[MARTINSR]

The frames were different GMC to Chevy? I didn't know that.


Enlarging the rear window was against every bone in my body at one time. Chopping the top and then enlarging the window, HUH? But now I "get it" and I plan on doing the same on my truck. The Rod & Custom truck had it widened as well.



Cole Fosters truck? OMG that is a beauty. I was a paint rep with Salinas a part of my territory and he was driving it everyday, it floored me the first time I saw it. He later repainted it and I gave him the paint for it. It was shot in basecoat with no clear, probably failed in a year.

But that Cole, he is an artist, everything he touches is special.



This isn't my photo but I could have taken it as I have a couple I took just like this with the truck parked in front of his shop.

Brian

[mr48chev]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

The frames were different GMC to Chevy? I didn't know that.

I'm not positive I ever saw a 1/2 ton Chevy long bed truck as most long bed Chevy's I have seen were 3/4 ton with the straight rail frames. The GMC 1/2 ton longbed frame has the rails taper out like the short bed frame and has and extra crosmember at the back of the cab. I can't get into my mr48chev photobucket to pull up any photos right now.

[G&R's57GMC]

This AD had the floor cut and lengthened the windshield laid back and the doors made from 2 doors each the result is more leg room and it looks like the top is chopped.

Plus a bunch of other custom touches to the rest of the truck.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by G&R's57GMC

This AD had the floor cut and lengthened the windshield laid back and the doors made from 2 doors each the result is more leg room and it looks like the top is chopped.

Plus a bunch of other custom touches to the rest of the truck.

I would love to see more photos of that truck, there are some very nice touches on it. Do you know anything about it, the owners name maybe?

Brian

[mr48chev]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

I would love to see more photos of that truck, there are some very nice touches on it. Do you know anything about it, the owners name maybe?

Brian

+1, Add me to that list. There are so many nifty ideas on that truck that you have to make a list to keep track of them and they all blend in so well with each other that until you start looking at it you only see the whole very nifty truck. That is when a guy has done customizing right. The photo is fairly high resolution so you can save it and enlarge it to see the details better.


I've spent many an hour studying the various articles on the Dream Truck MARTINSR and even have a number of photos of my truck parked by to it at the Chevy-GMC Truckin Nationals in Ogden in 1982. I think I used up one full roll of film on that truck alone that weekend.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

+1, Add me to that list. There are so many nifty ideas on that truck that you have to make a list to keep track of them and they all blend in so well with each other that until you start looking at it you only see the whole very nifty truck. That is when a guy has done customizing right. The photo is fairly high resolution so you can save it and enlarge it to see the details better.


I've spent many an hour studying the various articles on the Dream Truck MARTINSR and even have a number of photos of my truck parked by to it at the Chevy-GMC Truckin Nationals in Ogden in 1982. I think I used up one full roll of film on that truck alone that weekend.

Yep, when that truck was shown for the first time after it's rebirth I was there like it was a rock star! I have photos taken of it at the SF Rod and Custom show around 82 up on my garage wall as well as Rod & Custom magazines with it on the front cover. I was explaining to my 16 year old son this weekend what that truck meant to me, seeing it for the first time was literally like seeing Peter Frampton to someone who idolized him, you know what I mean? It was HUGE, I would have gone to the show anyway, but knowing it was there, HOLY CRAP, that is all I thought about, it was like I probably put on a special shirt and got a hair cut for when I "met" it!

Now the sad part, I was in a HORRIBLE marriage where I was trapped and controlled (yes it's sad I let it happen) and I lost touch with a lot of friends and family for times. My brother lived right here in town and had a shop where he specialized in carburetion, and did a lot of hot rod work. I found out LATER that he had the Dream Truck in his shop for a few weeks! CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS! I could have been over there sitting in the Dream Truck! OMG, yep, just another reason to hate that beach. Like I needed any more reasons.

Brian

[mr48chev]

Thanks for posting that link Ogre, that may have saved me a ton of work that I wouldn't have to do on the firewall. I was going to cut straight across the firewall and weld and body work the pieced together about half way down and drilling the spot welds and sliding the top down over the firewall eliminates that.

The white truck that G&R's57GMC posted looks to be chopped about 2-1/2 inches if that much. I like thr look of the running boards being tucked to the bottom of the cab. By the way the bed meets the cab it looks like the cab was channeled around five inches. That photo is going in my inspiration album.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

Thanks for posting that link Ogre, that may have saved me a ton of work that I wouldn't have to do on the firewall. I was going to cut straight across the firewall and weld and body work the pieced together about half way down and drilling the spot welds and sliding the top down over the firewall eliminates that.

The white truck that G&R's57GMC posted looks to be chopped about 2-1/2 inches if that much. I like thr look of the running boards being tucked to the bottom of the cab. By the way the bed meets the cab it looks like the cab was channeled around five inches. That photo is going in my inspiration album.

Here is a quick little "Basics of Basics" on sectioning I put together that may be of use to you. "Basics of Basics" Sectioning a body

I have to tell you, the first one of these trucks I sectioned (well , sort of, being I never finished it) was when I was 18 or 19 years old. As when I chopped the top on my truck when I was 16, I used the Rod & Custom "Little pages" from 1954 when they chopped the "Dream Truck" (My "inspiration", my dream, my fantasy ) the instructions on chopping the top were right on and helped me accomplish this monumental task (for a 16 year old) but the sectioning on that truck was done with some poor ideas in parts of it. For the time, it was the norm, very much the norm. I have seen some famous custom cars apart, they are not pretty under the skin I'll tell you that!

The R&C Dream Truck.



Here is the article on sectioning I followed on my first section. Thank goodness it wasn't on MY truck that I did this. Who's truck was it you ask? It was my brother-in-law's who I learned was a POS who was SERIOUSLY doing my sister wrong so when I left it half done I felt it to be a payback of sorts.

But anyway, here is the article.









I don't expect you to be able to read this, but on a historical aspect, it's cool to have and read. It's funny, there is nothing about sectioning the Dream Truck on the cover.



But if you look at the photo of the door welded, and SERIOUSLY warped, then look at how I did it in my "Basics" you will see a stark difference, I literally got zero warpage. My brother out of the blue suggested this plan, and it worked like a charm.

Brian

[mknittle]

There used to be a custom show here every year. I am not a big fan of customs but I really liked the metalwork.

[_Ogre]

thanks for your input martinsr
i got a kick out of this ''Two and a half inches give me the lower hood line much like a Ford F-1 while not looking like it has been stomped on (b)y a giant.''

this truck is sweet, cool to think my truk trunk has a past



vs my truk



as much as i'd like to try to section a truck, i don't think i'd be able to get in or out of it

[MARTINSR]

And notice the Ala Cart in the back ground.


Brian

[G&R's57GMC]

Here ya go, the rest of the story.

The cab is NOT sectioned , channeled or the top chopped .

The floor and windshield posts were cut and then moved forward a few inches then the posts were leaned back and extended to fit the roof.
The result is more leg room and stock headroom .

The cab is mounted on a LWB S-10 chassis that looks to have been stretched.

The bed is completely custom as are the running boards which are tucked up close to the body.

Custom emblems were made for the side of the hood to denote the 292 under the hood.

V butted flush mounted glass fills the windshield opening.

The doors were made by joining two together and new glass cut.

[G&R's57GMC]

more ...

[G&R's57GMC]

and the rest ...

[MARTINSR]

It's kinda hard to tell with the illusion of the taller bed and the doors not going to the bottom of the cab as original but either that cab is sectioned about 2.5 inches or just the cowl where the top of the fender and the hood meet was raised. The hood is about 2.5 inches thinner, as well as the vent on the side of the cowl fewer louvers than stock. But I believe the cab is sectioned.

Neat truck, a ton of time spent on that one!

Brian

[MARTINSR]

I love the bumpers.

Brian