"Wedge" Top Chop

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Skip

Well-known member
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Jun 21, 2010
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Portland, OR
I posted this yesterday deep in someone elses thread, and thought it may get more attention if I made my own thread out of it. I'm impatient that way.:rolleyes: Soooooooooo.........

OK, boyz and gurlz. Here's an idea that I came up with while recovering from stabbing myself in the back of the hand with a sawsall. (no drugs involved) It seem to work. I sketched lots of lines on the cab. I haven't seen this kind of a chop mentioned anywhere. Not in Tex Smith's book. Not here. I find it hard to believe I am coming up with an original idea here.

Can anyone blow a hole in this theory? Please! Before I start cutting!

1. I measured the across the windshield on my '38 Ford PU. There is a zone that stays the same width for about 3.5 inches, mostly just below the center line.
2. I marked both ends of that zone.
3. I measured back to the find the center of a circle that would have both points on the arc. (a bit of high school geometry) That point is on the back of the door opening almost exactly between the top two ribs of the belt line.
4. If I use that point as a pivot point and cut across the back of the cab, leaving the front of the b-pillar attached and using it as a hinge, the top will pivot whatever amount I cut out of the windshield post and the two pieces of the windshield post will match up perfectly. No spreading needed.

The windshield will still be straight. I think! If not, it should be close enough for the windshield to still fit and seal.

The back of the cab will be rocked forward about an inch at the top, starting just above the beltline.

There will be a bit of a gap to fill across the back of course, but this seems like a lot less work than cuttint the top in four pieces, and gluing it all back together.

When the top hinges forward, the roof line will drop in the front, but not noticably in the back. It will get a bit of what Tex Smith referrs to as a bald head look, If I take the entire 3.5 inches out, but I can not see any other down side.

The doors will amount to taking an equal amount out of the front pollar, and cutting a wedge out of the inside of the lower back corner.

So, gang, help me out here. Am I missing anything?

I do kinda' woneder if a 3-1/2 inch chop is even worth all the work. It would be fun, though.
 
That would make the back of the cab look WAY out of line and jacked up. There would be lots more work in trying to smooth all that back out than just doing a chop.

Kudos on thinking outside the box, but that ain't gonna fly. Stick with tried and true methods...
 
That would make the back of the cab look WAY out of line and jacked up. There would be lots more work in trying to smooth all that back out than just doing a chop.

Kudos on thinking outside the box, but that ain't gonna fly. Stick with tried and true methods...

Thank you, good Sir. I appreciate your input. Maybe this is why I never saw anything about doing it that way. :)

It is a cool idea though.... :rolleyes: [S

I think I'll play with the idea some more and see if there is a sweet spot, where everything will line up in the back too. I'm thinkin' it might be below the belt line. Closer to the floor. I can see that even if the back will match up, it will still be a couple inches forward. Still need to stretch the roof.

Unless............. [S
 
No problem that's what I'm here for. :D

It would be cool if you could make it work, but it would be a heap of trouble I'm afraid. Still doesn't hurt to think about it though. You never know...
 
Ok ive read this several times and not getting the jist of the circle measurement and where you planning on cutting the back.Can use paint to demonstrate the lines your talking about.

-89881105811903030.jpg
 
Think hes talking cutting like this.
Basically cutting a few inches out of the windshield pillar, but leaving the back of the cab attached. Effectively wedging the cab.

With the front of the cab only moving a few inches down, i dont think the back wall of the cab would move so much as it is at the axis of the curve. Tough it will likely have a slight hump across the width of the cab.

How much are you thinking of taking out? 3 1/2"?
I still think you'll have to lean the lower pillars back a bit since you are shortening up the length of the roof line by dropping it.
1/4" is a boat load in the sheet metal world and that much out of alignment on your pillar top and bottom would be a nightmare to clean up unless you sectioned the roof or leaned the pillars.

Disclaimer: Im not an expert in this at all, just thinking out loud here.
 

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I think it might just work. Kinda like a seriously rake'd tall T. You would have to lean the A-pillars to match.
 

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"I see" said the blind man to the deaf man.You definitely will have to move the A pillars to take the V out as it drops.The other problem but not major would be bending the curved rear,probably wind up cutting most of the way to get it to bend.
 

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