In March '99 my 3W was hit by a van coming back from the Bakersfield March meet. After straightening out the sheet metal my friend Stan told me, "If you want to chop it now is the time". After studying photos of other chopped 3Ws I decided that 2" would be perfect for my car. Stan agreed that 2" corrects the design flaw from Ford. The proportions are now correct to me and I've lost no visibility. To chop or not is certainly the owners decision, I'm very pleased with my 3W.
I have done it both ways. Chopped 4 inches. Looked good, awful to drive. If the car is just driveway jewelry it is fine. If you drive it any meaningful distance, it is a PITA! Our '31 is unchopped and we love it. It comes down to form or function. If you are only interested in it looking cool, chop the hell out of it. If you want to drive and enjoy it, stock is best. In the end everyone gets to do it their own way. BTW I just got back Saturday from a 5200 mile road trip in our '31 5-window. It was great with the stock height. It would have been miserable going that far with a chopped top. Your choice.
Sorry there purple52 I have to call BS on your statement. My model A is chopped 6" I am 6'3" tall and it is not a PITA at all, as a matter of fact it is a joy to drive. I have had it on several 2,000 mile trips and last week drove it 1,085 miles to Arkansas and back in one day, it was a hell of a day put we got her done. I am not one bit interested in looking cool to anyone but myself, and I have never once in my life owned anything that would or could be called "Driveway Jewelry". So your blanket statement is just wrong in many ways. I do agree about choice, the OP has decided not to chop this Coupe, hell it's his car and that's the choice he gets to make, as a matter of fact there is no right or wrong here at all. That is until someone chooses to insult guys who made the choice "TO" chop with the idea that there cars are wrong or "Driveway Jewelry". I would just bet that there are a hell of a lot of chopped cars here on the HAMB.
Who cares what I think but I usually only like low T-32 Fords with no chop.. A medium to tall stanced car can look un-custom-e pretty quick.. but I'm sure there are exceptions..
I decided to not chop my car. With the deuce frame and the stance setup on the car i think it looks fine. I think they look great either way although a super heavy chop can be a little too much on the wrong car. Hilton's 4" chop is the sweet spot in my opinion. At the end of the day it's your car. do what makes you happy.
Ok- - - my coupe is chopped. I'm 6'3" -- - got Glide Engineering special seat for tall crazies and chopped tops. Back in the day, one could purchase a rear view mirror with a opaque thingie in it to see those stupid traffic lights. Don't make those anymore so do whatever you think will work for you. Normally its form over function but all that goes to the wayside when you start enjoying the car. If the 5 window wasn't chopped, it'd make long travels slightly better, not much, just easier to get in and out of. Hahahaha -- - But I'd sure would've like to have tried it first!
Chop, channel, and section are to hot rods as beer is to pizza, but you have to have the passion for the look of a chopped hot rod roof. You sound ambivalent about chop it or not. You might check out the chopped tops on the "Rolling Bones" 33 and 34 Ford coupes. If these cars do not push all of your buttons then maybe you are not ready to commit to a chop. I chopped the top on my 34 Ford pickup by 6". Now, ten years later I realize that one more inch would have made it perfect. I believe that there is such a thing as "esthetic perfection" in the design of a hot rod. In any builder it takes years to develop an eye for that perfection. Cars were originally chopped to decrease frontal area to lessen wind resistance at speed events. In a hot rod with a roof, if you are sitting in it and you have more than one inch of space between your head and the roof you are missing the point.
Here is an example of a common five window coupe chop. IMO anymore off the top and the proportions would be ruined.
I’d say that’s not common. ^ and the ones before. Personally I think this thread has run out 2-3 pages back if not more.
I really like the way it sits. It can be DRIVEN anywhere, and isn't that why we build them? A slight haircut makes everyone wonder. Gonna be right. See you at Top Notch before too long ?
I see this rodder at LSRU along with several other Model A highboys, all parked in a row. Together, they have the market on Buick 45 fin drums. Great color, sweet engine, and clean ride.
This is how it looks inside those chopped model a's and 32 at the lone star round up this year. There driven thousands of miles each year and very quickly
Agreed, unless it’s original having a nice chop is quintessential. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Do You fit in it as it now sits, can You see out of it, do You like it? Be honest and then You decide. It's tough to go Back! Keep us posted, Carp.
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