I've searched, and read for quite a while on here trying to find some detailed information on chopping a 29 Model A. I'm going to chop mine somewhere between 4 and 5 inches and am lost on aligning things back up in the front windshield opening. With the windshield opening, between the A pillars, being wider at the top than at the bottom, how do you go about lowering it? I found two threads showing guys just lowering the header panel and reworking the hinge mounting point. Not sure if this is the best way to do it.... I've also found threads showing guys lowering 30 A's 4 inches, but no details on the fixing the issue I'm talking about. I understand the pie cutting to line up all the other things, but still am confused on what to do in the front after 4 or 5 inches comes out of the middle of the pillars. Any help/pictures/advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Steve
When I done my back window I had to cut a slit on each side of the rear window to get the back window to line up correctly and to get the panels to fit together like the should in the curved area. I also cut smalls slits in the pillar area to line up the body lines there.
Just have to take the same 4" out of the windshield frame too just like everything else. I had to slit the the side window frames on mine to get the top and bottom to line up again. The back window lined up perfect with no cutting vertically on the window frame. The A piller is the same way need to make a vertical cut in top and bottom half and squeeze one a little and spread one a little. I have only done one chop so that makes me an expert LOL I don't have a decent windshield frame yet but I took the old one and did a 15 minute chop on it just to see how it looked in the car and I think it will work out okay. I have some pics at home I can put on here if you need me to, I am at work right now.
I'd like to see the pictures of your chop djust, as I'm planning on choppin' my ''A'' fairly soon.Thanks. Nick.
Yeah djust, i'd love to see some pictures detailing lowering the a pillars. Looks like i'm not the only one that wants to see them... so could you please post them on this thread when you a get a chance. Greatly appreciated, Steve
Anybody have any comments on just lowering the header panel? It sounds less scary to do it that way...hahaha. And alot less work! Is it wrong to do it that way? will it look just the same as doing it the other way? Looking for opinions, Thanks again
I plan on just cutting 6" off the top of the pillar, and reworking the header panel to fit. And bye bye top hinges, I don't want em...
i chopped a 29 tudor 7.5 inches and it was alot easier than i had expected...im not sure if i did it the bst way but it turned out looking fine...made sure the body was on a level surface and i then beasured from the ground up to my first cutting point and then 7.5 inches from first cutting point to the next...i measured it several times before cutting it i might add...i taped off the lines i drew and the spraypainted the area that was coming out so there was no mistake on where the lines were...after lowering the roof back on i just had to make a few pie cuts around the rear curved parts and the front a pillars lined up pretty well for me just a little bit of welding and grinding made it look good...but i also cut out the tope door hinge and only use the 2 bottom ones now...im not sure how much i can help but if you have any questions pm me and i will tell you what i know...and im sure that anyone else on here would be more than welcome to share their knowledge with you...good luck
I thought about taking out the top hinge but I only cut out 4". The hinges are giving me fits now after I filled the roof so I might rethink that. The doors are still cut in 2 pieces and I am in the process of getting them back together now. I think putting the doors back together might be more work than the chop itself. I am leaving work now so when I get home I will put up some pics but like I said I am not finished with the doors or windshield yet and it's my first chop with no help so I am sure I make some mistakes here and there but I am farther along the learning curve now than I was a few weeks ago.
There was a very good pictorial article in R&C by Jimmy Shine on chopping a Model A back in June 08. Article was titled "Nice Slice". I had faxed the article to another member that was going to do a chop on a truck. The article was very good with a lot of details, whether or not it helps you is another matter.
I actually had that magazine and lost it...I tried looking for it the other day but no luck. Do you have a web link for the article? I don't have a fax.
Getting tired Yet? Heres a few more I threw a couple in of the new drip rail I just finished and also some of the inner structure I made to replace the wood.
I plan on yelling at them. If that doesn't work, then maybe spitting. I find that if I blast Johnny Mathis loud enough my car usually falls in line...
Check out Rolfs 31 build he took great pics showing all the issues with a chop even the windshield pivots http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=104922
The original pivots look like they are just threaded studs that are riveted to the a pillars so I figured I could just plug weld them back on to the a pillar. Haven't started working on the windshield yet so I haven't thought all the way through it, kind of like engineering on the fly. It's my first so I have alot things I am not sure how to finish yet.
heres a couple pics of mine just a few slices ,pinch the bottom together and spread the top apart. you can search my post if you want more pics I took 5 inches out of mine.
The Jalopy Journal
