36 Ford Bobber Build

[Torchie]

Most chops require some relief cuts to get the width for the posts to line up.
When I do chops I tack in the A pillars first and then go backwards from there. On cars it is easier as you either lay the rear window down or slide everything forward and extend the "Catwalk". A few car chops have used the filler piece in the roof if they want to keep the B pillars in the stock position.
On my truck chop I split the roof and tacked the A pillars then tacked in the rear of the cab to determine the width of my filler piece.
In some ways truck chops are harder as you don't have the length of the roof to get the flow right like you do with a car.
Keep on keeping on.......
Torchie

 

[willyD]

I went on vacation so it's been awhile since I was out in the garage. I finally got back out there last night and cut the roof back off. It needs to slide forward about half an inch. I left the drip rail extensions that I put in and will patch the new gap but I cut the strip that I had welded in the roof fully out and will just redo the whole strip. That way I will only have 2 weld lines to deal with rather than 4. It sucks to have to do that but I think that I will be happier with it in the long run.

 

[smallfoot]

Sounds like ya got a plan man...

 

[Torchie]

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Torchie

 

[willyD]

I started on the a-pillars last night. So far so good I think. I'll have a fair bit of blending to do once everything is tacked in nice and solid but that shouldn't be too bad.

 

[peabody]

Awsome ... [P[cl[P[cl[P

 

[Old Iron]

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[forbigpicture]

 

[willyD]

Got the other side going...

 

[Old Iron]

Right on [cl
That's what she's supposed to look like

 

[smallfoot]

Looking good WillyD!

 

[NickFish]

Man that thing is looking good. I've always loved those year cabs. Even with how strait the pillars look on a model a I still had to make the same kind of relief cuts to get them to come together. I hope you don't have to mess with the doors after you get the top where you want it. [P[P[P

 

[willyD]

Thanks guys! I do need to re-cut the door tops in one spot (just a relief cut this time) in order to tweak them a bit to fit better. I'm not too worried about that though since the hard part is fitting the filler sections in and I won't need to redo that.

I keep looking at my Willys and thinking about chopping it now It looks like it will be a lot easier in most ways and a little harder in a couple of spots. This Ford cab is hard because the darn thing curves in every direction possible and a few that aren't![S

 

[willyD]

It's been awhile since I last posted but I have been working. I got the drip rails and door sill tops filled and tacked sot hat the roof is solidly mounted. Then, I ended up re-cutting my doortops to reshape them. I had set them up so that the skins on the inside of the cab and the top of the door in the sill were straight. The doors looked good open but they didn't match the curves of the top of the door openings in the cab. I pulled the centers of the doortops both out and up a little to match the cab contours better. It's a subtle change but it does look better. I don't have good before pics unfortunately. I wish that I did though to really illustrate the change.

I think that I finally have the important geometry locked down so now it will be all about filling the roof and blending pillars, etc. etc.....[[[

 

[Torchie]

[cl [ [ [ [
[P [P
Torchie

 

[NickFish]

Looking good

 

[peabody]

Looks great! !!

 

[Old Iron]

By Jove, I believe you've got it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[willyD]

I finally have a roof again!!! The filler is all coarsely tacked in. I'm finally on track to start finishing this chop[cl

 

[DozerII]

Very nice job on the chop, just watching what you have had to do makes me very happy mine didn't need a chop.