I am going to Chop my 29 A coupe. I know there are right and wrong ways of doing this. I have searched for threads with the right way to go about this task. So far I have not found what I am looking for. I know the A piller is narrow at the top. Were are the best places to make my cuts. I am planning on 3.5 or maybe 4 inches. Thanks for any help.
I think they look best if you keep all three hinges! Cut below the top hinge. You will need to relief-cut the pillars but its worth it. It depends how much you are taking out. I used a long rod that went through all three hinges to keep everything in line while tacking it back together. And I tacked my doors shut, and to the top while cutting. if your car isn't painted this makes things easier to line up. And keep the vertical body seams in the top (either side of the back window) if you can.
Not painted. I agree three hinges looks best. The rod tip is the type thing I am looking for. Anything that will make the job easier.
If you take a look at my album in my profile you'll see what I did. Not sayin' it's right (probably isn't) but at least there's pics. I had to cut relief cuts in both the front and side of the pillar. You might also sheck the distance from the windshield to the A pillar before you cut it so you know how close it should be. Keep in mind that there will/should be weatherstripping in there as well. BTW I took 4 3/4" out of mine.
Rob Paul had a great thread on chopping a Model A, almost a step by step great pix.You might want to do a search.I chopped my 30 Model A 4". When you start take your time you will be fine........PINCHER
There are lots of pictures in my '28 Tudor chop thread: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=377233&showall=1 I made most of the cuts near the middle of the posts to simplify aligning the top & bottom afterward. In some places, I moved the cut lines in order to cut out some rusty sheetmetal.
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