Hello to all.Getting ready to chop the top on a 30 5 window coupe.How much is to much? Im thinking 3 ins.Looking for that street rod look.Please chime in if you have done this.
Depends on how comfy you want to be and how much you want to see. Tape the windows at different chops sit in it check out what you like and cut it. Mine is at 4 but I like 3 to 5 for looks. They all look good even 6 or 7.
To me in Gen,cut out anything over 4in. an it looks mashed an kind of cartoony{ cartoons are cool,yet suck for real driving]. But whats best for your own car is up to you. Key things to do are like 3030 said,if you've got your body mounted{but not cut}with ,seat,pedals n steeringwheel in place that all have been adjusted too fit well to you=only then should you play with ideas of how much to cut. Even after you deside on cut,keep the parts you cut out in a safe place,for later,ether you or some one down the line may need to bring it back up some,an thats 100 times EZer if the old parts are avalible. Bottom line is,lots of rods get sold off after the owner fines out he over chopped it too much or buys one that is over chopped thinking ,but it looked so cool to him at the time,only after driving it for a time it was not so cool after all.
I'm voting for a four inch chop. I have two at four inches and love the look and plenty of head room. Both are Hi-Boys!
Too much depends on how tall you are. As for "The Look" that is personal. I like a 3-4" chop real well, not angled. But street rod fashion almost requires an angle chop. But it is like I said personal. What we used to do was take poloroids and scissors. Today we do that with photo shop. be sure and put an indicator on the pic so you can cypher how many inches you are taking out.
I just chopped my avatar 4 inches. I replaced the bottom seat cushion with one about 3 inches thick. I recommend 4". Looks awesome and I still have a couple inches of head room. I'm 5'8".
No more than 5" or less than 3" depending on your height and if you channel or not. Less than 3" there is not much point in my opinion.
IMO 3" is the perfect A coupe chop. using the 1/4 windows as a guide I think some of the straight line at the back is needed in order to look right. If it's lost completely, like over 4", that window looks off because no vertical line is present at the rear. I also like a full back window because it's like getting more metal out of the rear profile above and below. A chop should improve the look, almost as if it wasn't done at all but it just looks "right". 3 1/2 is the max to still have a decent looking 1/4 window. I'll admit that this is something that I think looks right. Your results may vary, tax n title extra, void where prohibited, see your retailer for details...
What's better , static looks or driving dynamics? Driving straight legged and with a crook in your neck or not?
28/29 coupes are 1" taller in the side windows than a 30/31.. However windshield and back windows are the same height all 4 years.. So a 4" chop from the side will look more chopped on a 30/31 than a 28/29, if all this makes any sense to you...
i have a 30 coupe waiting in the wings for a chop and i think i've studied this thread ( http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/model-a-coupe-showing-different-chops.869524/ ) just about every day since i drug home my 30
There's a great thread on here by "wex65" that shows PICTURES of Model A coupes with chops from 2" to around 7". Great visual aid. "jbon64" gave you a link up a couple of posts ^^^^ I like a 3" chop myself ; you can still see and the quarter windows don't get distorted. Before and after
I saw a guy crawl in and out of his car at "Burn Out" a couple years ago. I bet he thought he was a real cool.
Maybe less than practical, but practicality isn't everything. Always liked this coupe. Six inches I think.
As shocking as it sounds, this question has come up more than once and the range of answers is always the same. So, once again the search function will come in handy, as already demonstrated. But there is more.
I have a '31 cp highboy with 4" chop and using a minivan seat. I have just enough headroom and I'm 5'10".
Here is the thread mentioned earlier that wex65 started.....http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/index.php?threads/Model-A-Coupe-showing-different-chops.869524/ His first post showing different chops pretty much sums it up !