chopping top on 38 chevy truck..help

[QUADNUTS]

i am going to chop the top on my 1938 chevy truck and i need some help ....i did a search but didnt find a relevant build that would help me so i need you guys that have been there and done that to point me in the right direction....where do i cut,does anybody have good photos of a similar cab chop that will help?i know you alll have probably been asked this a thousand times but im new here and i am a firm believer in asking questions before and avoid costly mistakes later....i have about $2,700.oo in this rust free clear titled cab from south dakota and would never forgive myself if i didnt ask and really goofed something up bad so please help if you can...i will start me a post under builds later tonight and add pics of the truck at the begining and all the way throught the build,should be realy fun....thanks in advance for any help you may give me....
Rob

 

[bob w]

If you look in the BUILDS section for a thread titled, "My first build 38 GMC". You will see the cab my grandson and I did. It was already cut off when we got it. By the time I squared it up we ended taking out about 4 1/2". The pics will give you an indication of what a chop will look like without leaning back the A pillars. I can't really offer any advice because this was our first chop and errors crept in. I suggest you look at Harleyboy's chop for some good technique advice.
Bob

 

[chopper tom]

how much do you wanna cut out and do you wanna lean the post or do you wanna pie section the top[if need be]
I would take my time and plane out the chop carfully and dont rush into it.
I have done a lot of chops but every time i treat them as if it was my first time ,cause i have chopped the same typ trucks more than onced and its done differantly ''every time ''. Diferant situations come up with every inche more or less that you take out .but just remember its only metal and it can be fixed.
How about some pics?

 

[Tripper]

Proper equiptment!

Just make sure you use proper equipment like I do!!! ; - >

BoB

 

[harleyboy]

Take your time and plan well. Probably my biggest mistake was not holding the sawsall level. My roof has a double thickness at the back of the cab and I didn't have the sawsall level and when I took the 4" out my inner wall had to be trimmed pretty much to get it to go back together. I cut my top into 5 pieces and it didn't look like it would ever go back together, but it did. As everyone says: It's just metal, you can add more or take more away. Go for it. Harleyboy

 

[donsrods]

The first thing you have to look at is YOU, and I only mean that in the most constructive way. You have to be honest in your ability and equipment to pull this off. I have seen countless half-done chops over the years, or convertibles that didn't start out to be convertibles. The guy just got in over his head.

How are your welding skills? What type of welding equipment are you going to use? These are the questions you need to answer to yourself before you make that first cut.

As the guys said, patience is very important.........measure 5 times before you make any cut, then measure one more time just to be sure. Not all chops require the top to be cut into a bunch of jigsaw pieces, some can simply have a section removed all the way around and the top part spread out a little to make things line up. You also won't want to cut the same amount from the front windshield posts as you cut in the back if you are slanting the posts. If you take the same amount out you will be short material as you lose some when you lay the windshield back.

If you are starting with a cherry $ 2700 body you want to think this thing through very carefully before you begin.........it's one thing to take a clapped out body and if you screw it up you don't lose a whole lot, but a mint body is something entirely different.

Here are some pictures of a chop we are doing on my Son's '49 Ford fordor. We are converting it to a tudor also, that is why so much sheet metal is missing, but it should give you some ideas on how to brace the cab (you must brace the cab while it is firmly/squarely bolted to a frame or structure) and make some piecuts. Also, buy Tex Smiths book on how to chop tops. They are available on Ebay and other places, great book.

Don

 

[donsrods]

and a few more shots............

 

[donsrods]

Here are some from when we did my '39 Dodge pickup cab. I lost a lot of the pictures when my computer crashed, but here are some that are left.

Don