I've never chopped a top nor ever watched it done......to me this article is interesting.
For those of you that have done it and feel like picking this apart if you don't agree, feel free, I'm not saying it's gospel...just interesting to an idiot like me :-D
There are various methods to chop a top. You can make it as easy or complex as you want. They used calipers to make their cut, I use 3" masking tape. I've cut roofs in 1/4's and I've used the complete center of a 2nd roof. Unless you're doing the same model of car over and over again, they're all different and you attack them that way.
I tried to post a pic of Doug Rices' '39 Ford coupe in the staging lines at Bonneville (El Mirage?) circa about 1952ish, his wife is standing beside the car. If you'd be so kind as to google and post it for me, I'd be grateful. It is one of the most iconic hot rods of all time and drag racers probably aren't aware of it. The car is still with us. It and they have a story worthy of Hollywood, read it if you get a chance.
YES! For those of you that don't know, those pics are 70 years apart. The first picture shows Doug Rices' wife, she isn't 7' tall, the car is that small. It is a 1939 Ford coupe that Doug chopped and channeled, it was his daily driver. On friday he'd whack away at it and weld it back together on Sunday night to drive to work on Monday morning. The year after the top picture she wanted a car to drive so they got her a Model A roadster and towed it to the lakes with the coupe. it ran faster than the coupe so Doug tipped the nitro can into the coupe to try to run faster, I think he got to about 124ish. On the way home, flat towing her roadster, the crank fell out the bottom of the coupe from the nitro. He fired up the roadster and pushed her steering the coupe all the way back home. He said they got the strangest looks when pulling into a gas station for gasoline.
They are still alive, he got away from cars and they have a horse ranch in california. His car was restored and driven back to the ranch where they live, we can only imagine the shock of see it again.
I'm recounting this from memory, bits and pieces are probably incorrect but on the whole it is true story. The car is seen often in california, they just drive the piss out of it.
Model A's are the easiest for a first timer to attempt chopping. Early 30s truck cabs are as well. You can still fuck it up, but they are a much more straight forward chop.
Never chopped a roof until last week did a 29 Model A 3 " Was told one of the easiest all pillars are perfectly vertical Will not be a problem Wrong..... gene in Mn
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