Tex Smith ?

I am going to be chopping my first top. Is the Tex Smith book that everyone talks about model specific or is it just the basic guidelines? The chop will be on a 55 customline.

 

It covers all different kinds of chops from a Model A to a Merc with a lot of others thrown in. A damn good investment.

BB

 

I picked it up and though it was a little brief on each chop. I guess it depends on your metal working skills to fill in the blanks. Helped me a lot and the little things I couldn't fine reference to I always found someone who could help.
Yeah, its worth picking up even if it just turns out to be a starting point for you, I mean its Tex Smith! He knows what he's on about.

 

I have a different book called how to chop tops in 301 photos by Tim Remus. In that book they give chopping highlights from '26 model t,model a, '34 ford coupe, '39 plymouth four-door,'41 ford convertible,'60 oldsmobile sedan, and a '66 dodge charger. Steve

 

it's an excellent book. it helped me a lot! you'd definitely be doing yourself right by picking it up.

 

Its an okay book in my opinion.
It wont give you a step by step for each car. Theres a few in there it gives more info on and some just a couple of pics.
If you have never done any metal fab its a good read but if you need advanced info I would shop around.

 

good book. what they fail to mention is to cut the glass first. fit the top to the glass.

 

you'll get better responses to a question by putting something more than tex smith in your title. the only reason I clicked is cuz I thought he died or something.

 

The best thing about the book is that there are many different ways of chopping a top and the book shows several of them to give you an idea of how you'd like to do yours (lay the window down vs. lengthening the top, etc., etc.). But like Mudslinger says it does not give really good step by step detailed instructions. I had to figure out a lot of things as I went along, including 49ratfink's point about the glass. In your case I'd get a '56 Victoria hardtop windshield and cut the roof to fit it. It's several inches lower than your '55 Customline.

 

I thought it was Tex himself doing the "Newbie intro in the wrong place" thing.

 

I hope you post pics when you do it.I have a '56 Customline I'd like to chop.