calling all top choppers!

Chopolds, you have given me some ideas on this chop of mine. I like the reasoning. I will try to get some pics of this as I go and how it went. I think i am going to change my layout a little bit. Might be a bit more welding but I think it will end up being a cleaner chop. Thanks

 

Hey, Zeke, if you hold on for today, I might be able to find the pics of doing it...home from work sick. I'll post if I find them.

 

Morning Zeke, there are some very talented people that have given you great advice, pics and videos. What they are doing requires lots of skill, talent and experience. When things don't go quite right they'll recognize it and know how to deal with it. Where you will run into trouble is that you'll think everything is going smooth and it really isn't but you won't know until it is too late. you have committed yourself and a lot of welding has been done.
The question you asked about butt vs lap weld is an entry-level question (we have all asked that same question, don't be embarassed) suggests to me that you don't have a lot of experience at this kind of thing. What i would do is get a lot of 18ga sheet metal pieces and practice butt welding them together and metal finishing them. Start with flat pieces and weld them with a panel behind them to absorb heat, when you have learned to join them and hammered to keep them flat then remove the filler in back (the safety net) and begin butt welding with open air behind them and improve your hammer/dolly work, after you get good at that begin butt welding two bowl-shaped pieces (and that is what your roof is) and metal finish it.
The F1 is the only one that you have, respect it and give it the effort that it deserves. There isn't any particular deadline you have to meet, the only thing that is required is a finished product. There's people on here that have spent years to develop a particular skill in order to build something they want - point in fact, any belly tank thread - so take your time, don't rush out and get a fistfull of sawzall blades and begin your welding/metalfinishing career by whacking the top off your favorite truck in the whole world. Screw up a lot of scrap metal first. Good luck, oj

 

Make your cuts carefully, trim the sheetmetal lightly and butt weld .............Chop by H.A.M.B member Mark Phoenix, he makes it look easy!! In Wis. call Mark for you next chop!!

 

**PANEL CLAMPS**
Call Alex at Gambino/San Jose Speed and Chrome. He's got'm and is an active HAMB member.
http://sanjosespeedandchrome.com/

 

Hey Zeke ... #1 rule ... "take your time"
make sure you got some extra hands and eyes to help you out.
Just a quick question here ... how tall are you ???
There are some issues to consider here.
Here's a couple of shots of my buddies truck with a 3" chop.

 

use two cabs you will have less seams to deal with, if done right you should have one seam above the rear window and you wont have to put a strip in the middle of the roof. good luck

 

man there is all kinds of shitty advise on this thread.

 

i cant find them on there website.. u have a link or a product number? Harbor freight is a little out of my way, I want to call before i go over there but without a product number those guys are useless

 

2 roofs makes it lots easier, this one I dint have much choice as the drivers door opening had had its ass kicked at least twice. What ever did this pushed the door opening so far out of whack that the door overlapped the opening by 1"



Since I had 2 roofs and was doing both acrown chop and a normal chop, I did it in halfs..



I took 1 1/2" out above the driprails,



And another 2 1/2" out of the windows



Fronts done, now for the back

I cut the skin loose on teh back and finished the door frame first, and added a brace to tie the door frames together, and to help brace the suicide hinges. Also made a nice place to mount the shoulder harness/seatbelt.



Then it was just a matter of setting the new rear roof on and trimming to fit.



Keep your gaps tight, and use lots of clamps.



Butt weld the seams, use steel filler rod! This will allow you to bump everything back into shape and not need much if any filler.




Also when cutting the skin, try and cut AWAY from any structure on the inside. This makes it lots easier to get dolly behind it. I try to round the corners of the seams too, this helps keep the heat more even when welding.

On a truck it ok to cut and seam just about anywhere, with the windows out you can reach the seams with both hands anyway. Car roofs are whole nutter fiasco..

Finished (well almost finished) product, its at body shop now getting shiny paint!

 

You can do it. Old Beet and K Member did Keith's F1 a few years back and posted a how to thread about it if I remember correctly.

Let me see if I can find the thread.

Here's k-member's thread

You can also look at his post history and find a couple of the update threads. Hope that helps.

 

Now are you dazed and confused from the articles or other substances.

 

I agree butt weld overlaps just collect moisture

 

Yep... On both counts.

It was just a general remark against quartering a roof.

Not that it cant be done that way, but it has some big drawbacks.

 

Thanks to all for the help. Tremendous amount of info. I have the top off quartered and doing final fitment. Whoever mentioned about the extra hands was right on the money!! But it is coming together solid. Thanks again.

 

I was going to say that you wasted your time chopping the cab so little, until i saw the last pic all is in proportion and it looks great, also really dig the tire wheel combo...nice work!

 

Cuts with the "Z" make things so much eaiser to align....see 3rd picture in post #26

 

No pics, that was like 3 computers ago as well. Great effort though. It's not really rocket science ether, there's 152 ways to skin a cat (probably more) just have fun and take your time. Like we talked about before, I did quarter mine because I like the stock apperance look to a chop and I like a back window that says I AM CHOPPED! In 82 while in high school my Dad and I chopped my 52 and we did NOT quarter that one and it had more of a bubbleish look to that one. I've done 3 or 4 of these things and did them all different, and my favorite was the 2 roof one, quartered and inserted, less welding, but my 51 Merc pickup with the filler strips was'nt too bad ether. Now DO IT and show us the pics.

 

Let's add your other in here...
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=440911

 

not to hijack

but a quick question.................

how low can you chop a roof legally???????????????????????????????

 

I believe its state to state. Here in Missouri I believe its a minimum of 12" glass measured vertically.