Lookin for chopped top pics for the 60-66's

[Gyva]

Wondering if anyone has done or seen this done on these years of trucks.

Also, is there after market hoods avalible that do not look stock?

I might be getting ahold of one of these trucks and am trying to review my options before it goes under the knife.

Mike...

[BK]

Well, this isnt a truck, but its cool. I chopped it 6", so yeah, enjoy.










P.S. It will lay body in a few days, new pics coming!

[Demmit_Hemmit's 65]

Lookin Good Droppedchopped.....................hemmit

[scottyd]

heres mine i just got the frame finished and the cab and bed back on. its chopped 3 1/2" please excuse the ford, its one i just got through baggin (itll lay frame) and it was in the way when i took the pic it does however show how low mine is being that they look level and my trucks a good 6" higher in my shop

[BK]

scottyd - I love your truck. Im gonna build a truck now.

[scottyd]

thanks man your panels killer too!

[Gyva]

Hello thanks for the pics on that thread, I was wondering about the windshield on theses chopped trucks, do you have to chop a certain amount only to fit widshields that are pre made for chopped trucks or do they custom despite how much you cut out?

I love your truck!!! could you supply me with the place you bought your windshield from.

Mike.

[rcurrier44]

Thats exactly what my questions for scotty is. How did you deal with the windshield???? Did you sink it into the crowl or what?

I have yet to actualy see a 60-63 with a chop. As I understand it the wrap around windshield makes it very hard to do. Please enlighten us and provide as much detail/pics as you can. I am thinking of chopping the 4 door 61 I am about ready to build.

Thanks
ROB

[scottyd]

the windshield....................i hate to even think about it....well its gotta be cut to fit, i have found a local glass man whos got a good reputation on doing it, but theres always the chance of it breaking, (its even worse with the wraparound style of it) the glass i got is fairly new so it should be fine....the glass man said that older glass is more of a problem..if it does break im going to get one in lexan and cut it myself. i can get the lexan one for 20 dollars less than the glass one.... but they both cost in the 400 dollar range.

[Gyva]

so when you take the section out of the windshield frame is there a certain way of removing the metal. Like if you want 6 inches gone do you find center and mark 3 inches up and down from that mark. or do you cut the 6 inches all from the top or all from the bottom of the windshield frame. For you guys who have done it, where was the metal removed on the windshield frames??? this would help alot thanks...

Mike

[scottyd]

it just depends on the shape of the frame, cause you wanna make sure when you cut out a section that once you drop the top down the new "seam" lines up good on my truck i cut the a little up from the bottom, but i also had to cut relief so that i could pull the posts out too, the window and windshield cuts are not that hard, the hard part is the rear (the spot around the rear glass) i wish i had more pics of the chop but when i did it i stayed pretty busy so i didnt take many

[Gyva]

Those are Awesome pics/diagram and I understand them 100%. I will take several pics when I attempt my chopped top makeover.


***THIS BOARD ROCKS***

Mike...

[BK]

in the rear, where the reverse curve things are, on truck as well as panels, suburbans, i did it a different way and it was quite easy. I cut it out before i chopped it, then i tacked everything up, then i split it down the middle, made the sides fit, cut the excess in the middle(while leaving 1/8" at top to pivot on) and it turned out great. here are some pics of my chop.

[BK]

ok, i guess this is for the 64-66 guys... if you want to make it easy for a chop you can keep the stock windshield angle and just extend the roof, which makes getting a windshield easy as 200 bucks for a windshield, 20 bucks for sandblasting sand, and an afternoon, and youve got chopped glass(thats how i did mine). I had 3 cuts in the front pillars, 2 reliefs and 3 for the cut. I also did a 4" sleeve in each pillar with 2 plug welds, very important incase of an accident. out back i think i had 4 cuts to make the rear b-pillar door jamb line up, then 6 cuts in the window frames using donor door tops so as not to make one more weld. any questiosn let me know. oh yeah, extending the roof, is a pain to get it flat, took me 5 hrs with oxy doing shrinks and its pretty good now.

[BK]

in my last post i meant to make it easy to get glass, not for a chop, a chop is not an easy task...

[short66sickfleet]

To Scottyd,& Dropped.C.P. Both projects are super nice & very impressive. You both have a little different ways of tackling issues. Especially love the Pics of all the Z-work Dropped.C.P(thanks). I guess my question, or point would be. I thought when you are chopping tops the best way to achieve clean pilars, Channel roof to either extend gaps or to cut it down to bring into the pilars? Just curious what everyone thinks as I have a 1960 @ home that i do plan to chop about 3"(very soon).I do love the truck Scootyd!looks great.

[scottyd]

it just depends on how much you take out...yeah its more common with larger chops to cross cut the roof to make it wider or longer, in my personal opinion you should do this on most cars or trucks chopped over 2" but with our trucks you can get away with more because the cabs are fairly square..... because the cab (looking from the front) is not like this /---\ but more like this |---| so you can see how the top will match more when its dropped.... i had a 82 short wide that was chopped 7" in front and 6" in the back the roof had to be cross cut and metal added to get everything back true.... it also had to have the window frames made wider...which was a big job but it looked killer when done.... on 60 you wouldnt have to go through all that unless you planned on taking out more than 3 1/2" .....i know this cause thats how much i took out, and if you look at the pic of my truck you can see a little slight bow in the pillars nothing that cant be worked out, (theres no bondo on the pillars in those pics by the way )but it shows how thats about the max you want to go with out sectioning the roof. cause if you dont the bow will be worse.

[short66sickfleet]

Scottyd,ty 4 the explaination. It makes total since. After I have really looked @ the your pics, I have realized that the rear window area (like in your pics) does pose the most work & should be done like you are showing . I really want to say thanks. You R lots of help.

[BK]

yeah, adding a section into the roof is a pain, not as much adding, as getting it flat when your done. take a look at my heat shrinks as i was trying to get it flat, times that by about 4 and thats what it took...

[scottyd]

thats some great looking work on your panel top! on the 82 i had it had a section like that plus one that ran side to side it sucked getting it flat......its cool that you got a lot of pics of your build, where is it your working on that thing at? looks like a shop class or maybe a technical school.

[BK]

thanks scottyd, i admire the work on your truck too... yeah, i document everything i do, as of now i have about 300 pics all the way from choppin to z'ing the frame to my step notch, and everything in between. Yeah, it was at a tech school, Wyotech. I went jan 1st 04 and graduated on september 24th 04. i took auto tech and street rod custom metal fab custom paint. I had never touched a welder before i went there, and i had made a roll pan with a frenched box, a mailbox, and a motorcycle tank before i chopped my panel. I owe all my custom and welding skills to wyotech.

[rcurrier44]

Scottyd,

Wow he is going to have to make 3 angled cuts on that glass to get it to lower and rake the angle back to match up to our new window frame. I hope your guy is good...but I fear you will end up getting the lexan.

I didn't even thing of the triangle area in the back of the cab...

I will have a couple of extra front cab sections and windshields so I think I might just try to do a quick rough chop and see if I can cut the glass to match. Then if I can get it to fit, I'll chop the final setup.

Thanks for the pictures and explanations guys.

[scottyd]

yeah i know.....good luck to he glass guy! he suggested making a template out of cardboard first which in its self will be a challenge....im thinking of using some poster board and laying it on the original windshield and layering fibreglass on it to make it hard and then tracing the original size on it and then cut it out.. then ill trim that to the new size and mark the glass for him to cut.....i hate thinking about it!!!! but if breaks ill get the lexan and wont be so quick to chop a 62 again

[GMC JUNKIE TOO]

I thought that shop looked familiar, I finished streetrod in december. I think I saw you around town. I have a primerd 69 gmc panel. Thats a good lookin panel.

[mikesz]

DroppedChoppedPanel what do you plan to do for door window glass? I have never seen a 64 - 66 up close, is that flat glass there? If so will your local average glass guy make some tempered stuff for you or do they shy away from automotive applications.

Mike