To Chop Or Not To cHOP 56

[hotrod1]

I kind of like the way a chopped truck looks (tri five 56). Not sure yet.

How difficult is this to do and do it right? I imagine that even doing it yourself, just the price of the glass can cost a small fortune. I dont know.

What do you guys know? The positives and negatives. I am also looking for opinions.

[terd ferguson]

Originally Posted by hotrod1

I kind of like the way a chopped truck looks (tri five 56). Not sure yet.

How difficult is this to do and do it right? I imagine that even doing it yourself, just the price of the glass can cost a small fortune. I dont know.

What do you guys know? The positives and negatives. I am also looking for opinions.

If you have the skills, tools and equipment, you can do it for next to nothing. I've seen other guys cut windshields with duct tape and a sandblaster.

Positives include the satisfaction of doing it yourself along with good looks.

Negatives include botching the job if you don't know what you're doing as well as chopping too much resulting in a bad look.

Personally, I wouldn't go more than two inches unless you're sectioning the body as well. More than that often looks out of proportion with the body being too tall. If it was me, I'd do one inch. Sounds like a lot of work for that little bit of chop, and it is. But proportion is everything.

[63 & 64 Bowties]

If you haven't seen this, it's a very interesting way to do a chop. It's done on a 40 F*rd pickup, but the principle is the same....
part 1:
http://webrodder.com/article.php?AID=26&SID=16&CID=7
part 2:
http://webrodder.com/article.php?AID=27&SID=16&CID=7

[mr48chev]

The biggest problem guys have when chopping trucks with wrap around windshields is getting them right so glass will fit and not crack. Almost every region in the country has at least one unfinished chopped truck that has been passed around from one guy to the next and given up on and sold each time because the guy who originally chopped it didn't do it right so the glass would fit right. In this area it is/was a 56 F100 that was the poor subject.

I'm not saying don't do it but I am saying take some time and really do your homework before ever starting to lay out the marks for the chop. And everyone knows I love chopped trucks.

[Russell Ashley]

I'm not a fan of a chopped top on TF trucks, but if it's what you want and have the skills to do it, then go for it. I always wonder about how you get the windshield to fit when it's not flat glass. If you do go for it make lots of pics, especially of cutting the glass. I'd like to see that process.

[OrrieG]

From what I have seen on the builds here to get it looking right you need to pancake the hood a little too, otherwise it looks like the nose is sticking up, kind of like this

[entourageguy]

Dicers not going to like this talk .....

[OKGMC4]

I don't like chopped TF trucks either. The proportions are all wrong. I have seen one I like but it was cut in a way that the glass wasn't touched and it was cut A LOT to keep the proportions right. Look close...
1. Roof above drip rail cut to take a little of the bubble out. Subtle
2. Body sectioned between body bulge and bottom of glass. (where the door handle should go) This lowers the roof without cutting pillars or glass.
3. Hood pancaked to match body section
4. Body sectioned below body line. Normally the fender hangs way down in the rear but now fender is nearly the same height before and after wheelwell.
I like this truck but it took tons of slicing to get it there.

[BC Toy chest]

Well I guess I will throw in my 2¢ worth. I am not a big fan of chop tops on Task Force or Advance design. However if done right it can look really great and leave you scratching your head trying to figure out what's different about the truck. I have posted pictures of two different trucks. The First truck is this silver '58 that belongs to a guy I know. He had just purchased the truck a couple of days before I took these pictures. The truck is all apart now but I think he's making it into a slammed pro street. I think once it has been lowered and the a pillars redone correctly and a new windshield and a good interior it will be easier on the eyes. Task Force are fat so chopping the top can make them look out of proportion. Like the previous truck shown that '56 GMC, you would need to section the body to get a less awkward looking truck.

This copper colored '57 I got from Truckin' Classic web site if I remember correctly cut more from the A-pillar then the B-pillar to get a slight slant and so little was removed it doesn't look like a chop was done. This truck with the floating grill is just plain WICKED. Does anyone know if it is posted up here on 67-72chevytrucks all ready?

[BC Toy chest]

Different year same subject. I guess the '67 to '72 and newer can get a way with a chop top and it not look funny.

[Bigdreamsnobux]

Originally Posted by OKGMC4

I don't like chopped TF trucks either. The proportions are all wrong. I have seen one I like but it was cut in a way that the glass wasn't touched and it was cut A LOT to keep the proportions right. Look close...
1. Roof above drip rail cut to take a little of the bubble out. Subtle
2. Body sectioned between body bulge and bottom of glass. (where the door handle should go) This lowers the roof without cutting pillars or glass.
3. Hood pancaked to match body section
4. Body sectioned below body line. Normally the fender hangs way down in the rear but now fender is nearly the same height before and after wheelwell.
I like this truck but it took tons of slicing to get it there.

Got any more pics of this truck!?!???!?

[BC Toy chest]

Originally Posted by Bigdreamsnobux

Got any more pics of this truck!?!???!?

Here are a few pictures from their build site. Custom shop in Simi Valley California specializing in hydraulics, airbag suspension, shave, chop, section and body drops. I am having trouble finding the site, any body out there know if they still have the site and what became of this truck?

[bondobob]

I really really want to do my 57. A local rod builder told me to cut the glass first then make the metal fit the glass. That sounded like good advice. Another guy told me a diamond bladed wet band saw (about $350 on line) will cut it like "butter" (ha). Your local glass shop can polish the edges after you cut it. I am definately going to practice on some junk glass first. The other problem is even with a 2" cut the roof will be too wide by about 3/4" per side so more cutting and slicing will have to be done. It's one of those things you just have to really want and then go for it.

[Russell Ashley]

If you really want to do it and have the skills, go for it. Just don't do it like the grey Fleetside, LOL.

[WillieWelder]

I saw this one at this years GNRS. It was built by Fabian Valdez' Vintage Hammer Garage. He's very talented.

[63 & 64 Bowties]

Originally Posted by bondobob

Another guy told me a diamond bladed wet band saw (about $350 on line) will cut it like "butter" (ha).

I have seen (online) it done with a sandblaster.
Years ago at work we used a bead blast cabinet to etch gasoline sample bottles with numbers to ID which storage tank they came from. Glass "dissolves" pretty easily with a sandblaster.
We used stick-on vinyl numbers stuck on the bottles and blasted around them to leave the numbers visible after the vinyl was removed. Once, just goofing off I decided to see how much blasting it would take to go completely through the bottle. It's a lot easier and faster than I thought it would be.
Even a small Harbor Freight sandblaster will eat right through glass in no time. Just tape off with duct tape where your line is (a sandblaster won't remove duct tape) and cover the rest of the glass that you don't want damaged. Only thing is, you'll have to do it from both sides because, just like with the duct tape, you can't blast through the middle safety glass film.
http://www.cadvision.com/blanchas/54...indshield.html
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=296834

YouTube - windshield cutting sandblasting...

[mr48chev]

I'll have to agree with a few of the others in that in my eyes the best looking chop tops are the ones that don't have a lot cut out of them. Just enough to streamline it a bit or slick it out. My 48 has four inches taken out and any more takes on a squished look on those trucks.

[SHORTDOG99]

Here are a couple more i found...