How much are people paying for a getting a truck cab chopped? I know it depends on location? How bout Az,Ca and nevada? Im thinking of getting my top chopped but I want to finish the welding... Any ideas on cost? Tia 1950 chevy AD cab btw
best thing to do is check out Hot Rod builders in areas all around you and get estimates - the only common will be an hourly rate - each place will do it a bit differently - asking a shop not to finish the whole job may not be welcome because their name will be attributed to the final results - remember good shops will be busy and may be a while before they can actually get to it
It depends somewhat on how much you want to chop it as the more it is chopped the more you have to do to fit the top and bottom of the egg back together. There is also the inner panel of the back of the roof to deal with that is a whole process in it's own if you want to get it right. More than 4 inches they get out of proportion with the sides real quick though. Cole Fosters old Salinas Boys truck that he drove forever and three days has one of the best AD truck chops I have seen and it is only 2-1/2 or three inches. It gets rid of that too tall look but doesn't have the squashed look that 6 inch chops have. My old wreck is chopped 4 inches and you can tell the difference pretty well
Well your in Vegas call Count Customs or I am sure Welder Up will chop it real quick like for you. You might even get on TV. If you chop it may make it harder to sell later if you decide to. Not every vehicle looks good with a chop.
Kustom work like that is by the HOUR.. Very hard to bid a job like that unless one has done hundreds, Even still every car/truck is different. Call some custom/hot rod shops if they even do work like that, Getting to be a lost art ! EDIT: hardest part of a chopped top.... the glass
Those look good with a mild chop, as shown, but too much ruins them. I wouldnt be a bit surprised at 2k or more to chop it and have it welded and you do the finish work. (which will still be many hours)
I would suspect that a good professional, complete chop where nothing else is needed other than finish paint could cost $5K. Years ago I was told a rough estimate is $1000 per inch.
It's been a while since I chopped anything, and I've never done a truck cab, so I'm not the expert, but if I had to guess I'd say it's a 200 hour job if you include glass with windshield gaskets and also windshield and side window moldings and garnishes, which is the very time consuming stuff. The actual cutting and welding of the roof sheetmetal might only be 75 of that 200 hours but it is far from finished at that point. Multiply that by the hourly rate of a shop and you'll get an idea. A lot of money could be saved by doing a lot of that by yourself, but it's a lot of work. I believe a 1950 does not have vent windows so that's probably better but don't they have a steel frame around the glass edge? That'll need to be fitted, along with the felt lined glass run channels, and there's finish work inside of the cab that wouldn't be as critical in a car since it'd all be covered with upholstery. That's what I'm basing my hours estimate on. Someone who's done a bunch of them could probably do it faster.
The problem with those trucks is that they have an inner panel so you can't get to the backside with your dolly. Sent from my SM-T350 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Trying to save money be finishing it yourself is a false economy. Do you have the skill set needed? Shrinking, stretching. hammer welding, glass cutting, creating seals, getting doors to line up, etc.? Not many have that complete skill set. My money is on it never getting finished if you try to finish it yourself. You'll get overwhelmed, fast. Another dead project. A lot also depends on how picky you are. If "close enough" is acceptable to you, go for it. If you want it to be right from any angle, hire it done and spend the money. This is coming from a guy that tries to do almost everything himself. I've learned my limits. SPark
I agree with Spark. I also don’t see much of an improvement on any size chop. Those trucks look good Unchopped.
Don't chop very much, and I'm of the school that they look better unchopped, unless you want to section the body too.
Im 7 miles up a bulls ass too deep with my new project. I do need to practice my gas welding and i want to chop something myself sometime.. I dont want super fancy. All my builds will be bare bones but not show winners or 100 point trailer queens.. Im 34 and I have 7 projects all waiting in line so I cant waste my time polishing chrome.. I do realize that i will have to chop it myself if i ever do. I have talked to shop owners to do some work on my shit and they never call back..
If, as has been suggested, it's a 200 hour job, a complete top chop is "beaucoup" dollars. Shop owners will never call you back unless they see first hand the truck in question and see what's involved. Time and materials is the cost. They can probably make more money doing less complex jobs that won't be long term projects.
They saw the truck, it was a wiring job...but maybe u are right theres more money in less complex jobs.. Thanks tho I got the answer I was looking for.
- if they are a good shop they are busy - just arrange to drop off truck to get it in line - then check back every 6 months or so - will need up front deposit too - might find someone that works at one of the shops and does work on the side -
Chopping truck cab is not difficult. If I can do it so can a stoned monkey. I did not lean the pillars. Saw one leaning, not my thing and it would have created much more work dealing with my swinging windshield frame
These trucks are inherently very difficult and labor intensive. The problem you have with these is that the top needs to come straight down, an the back is vertical, but the A pillar is slanted. As the roof comes down vertically, the A pillar moves farther apart. So you're left with 2 options, a) tilt the A pillar back to the point that it lines up, or B) split the roof and add material in, which is immensely difficult since the roof is crowned and is a compound curve. Option A is the easy way out, but also only works for small chops and can also cause your truck to look stupid. Option B is the right way to go but is expensive. I agree with the 200 hour estimate. I don't think a quote of $10-20K is out of line.
200 hrs? That I'm not seeing or believing. If you are getting those numbers, bend over, and , well,,,,,,,,,, take it from there...........
Some typical chop jobs here in Australia are around 15-20K+ Depending on finish ie; garnish molds- paint- side glass- windscreen- stainless resizing...I've done a few of chops and each on has its own idioscncrasy's....I wouldn't take 200 hrs probally 4-5 weeks depenending on the amount of work entailed .4 door's are a pain. I done mine on price ...also had to rechop a car that was 1" lower on one side...all looks simple on YouTube ...... making filler sails is the most time consuming sometimes they work some times they dont all hit and miss......Dont do them anymore........
The Jalopy Journal
