The Art of the Drop Top Chop… Part 2

As you can see, Mr. Tardel is moving along swiftly. Now that the windshield posts are chopped and the header has been massaged, the attention is now turned to the more difficult part of this task: The folding top. Keith first removed the back seat and stripped the top of it’s old canvas for full access. You can see the issue is more than just lowering the top mechanism a few inches. The chop requires that the header bow come down further and farther forward. Then there is the profile. My desire is to have the rag top look as close to a Carson top’s crisp, even flow when it’s up. That requires getting the center bow as low as possible without hitting the hinge arms. It also requires precise cutting, heating, de-arching, welding, and massive patience. Go Keith, go!