Customs top choppers in so. cal.???

Im looking for someone who knows how to chop round roofs in or near so. cal. dont bother replying with this 4k,5k,6k b.s. im not leno, and this is supposed to be a hobby! i understand people have to make a living but this sh@t is getting out of hand. frankly in these times, if this is the biz your in ur ass should be grateful people are still having work done. so if there is any independents out there who remember what this is all about please hit me up. thanks.

 

You may want to send a PM to Ian Berky.

 

thanks, i will

 

Just curious what you think would be a fair price ? Not meant to imply anything but I used to have a sign on the wall when I owned my own shop that simply said "you can have it done cheap, you can have it done fast, or you can have it done right". "Pick ONE". So with that being said are you looking for a professional shop who is having a hard time due to the economy and is desperate for work, a guy who has done a couple of his own cars and is willing to take on your project in his home garage for extra bucks, etc. Do you want it full of bondo as long as the price is right or are you willing to pay for the tons of hours it takes to do it properly so it will last for many years to come ? Just curious.

 

WOW!!! you must think you know your shit then. if you want something done right then you gotta pay. its not as easy as you think. sure you can get it chopped over a weekend,but it will look like shit. the price of chopping a car hasnt gone up much over the years and isnt getting out of hand.

"and this is supposed to be a hobby!" if this is you hobby. then chop the fucking thing yourself. oh wait?. what does your signature say? "Ill finish that later and Ill start that tomorrow. Wait! What?" so you will never try to do something yourself, cause it will never get done.

 

Nice attitude. I'm sure you'll have builders lining up to do it for free. Where do these guys come from, anyway?

 

Macco will paint your car for $99, if you ask they might have a guy in the back that will chop it for another $99.
Me I would go the for the $299 delux paint job and chop

 

I hope my questions didn't case the rest of ya to pigpile the guy. That was not my intention. I'm just curious since he clearly said how much he considered to be too much, what he thinks would be a fair price. Maybe another option if money is tight is to get friendly with a body guy who believes in the barter system ? I have an OT 67 Camaro I needed bodywork & paint on and I'm no bodyman and don't play one on TV. However a good friend who is needed a Chevy engine built for one of his projects & some routine maintenance type mechanical work done on his wifes SUV so we swapped labor for labor. Just a thought. That being said, if you think you're gonna find a good body guy who can chop a roof and make it look right for 500 bucks you're living in a dream world. Times ain't that tough yet for guys who are good at what they do. Tell ya what I'll do though just to get you halfway there... Send me a round trip plane ticket from NH to CA & pay for a few days in a cheap motel. I'll come out & cut your roof off for free. Then all you'll need is someone to put it back on. Legal disclaimer... This is not an actual picture of me it was blatantly stolen off the internet in a feeble attempt at a joke.. I have met the guy though when I managed a salvage yard a couple years ago & donated 4 cars to the Lenox 300 Nascar race at NHMS for the guy to cut in half...

 

Thanx CORONET!!

Ruckus, Im affordable but I don't do charity vvork, Unless you're on the " MAKE A VVISH FOUNDATION".

Chopping a top is A LOT of vvork, i knovv you knovv that! And there's also a lot of things to consider vvhen chopping a top that vvill increase the price...... Glass, Rubber, paint, garnish, vving vvindovvs. It all depends on hovv far and finished you vvant your chop.

 

OK. I don't mean to beat a dead (hopefully, it'll be dead soon) horse, but since I am out in shop right now chopping the top on my '59 T'Bird, this dufuss' post is really pissing me off. I quit just now to come in and try to articulate what is so irritating about this guys post wanting a top chopped for next to nothing.

First off, let's talk a little bit respect. If one doesn't have the skills to accomplish a task, one hires someone who does. Doesn't matter if it's plumbing, wiring, framing in a house or managing a retirement fund. If you can't do it, PAY someone who can do it for you, and RESPECT the skill set involved in doing so. Demanding cheap work, and then degrading the person with the skill by infering that effort comes out of ones ass is insulting beyond belief. The skills of any journeyman (which is what I consider myself) should earn the respect of someone wanting to hire that skill out.

The second is, where are your friends, Ruckus? By the tone of the initial post, I'll assume you don't have any friends with the skills needed to pull off this very tricky bit of body work. I'll take it a step further, and guess that you don't have very many friends at all, by nature of that very same bad attitude. Nobody likes to associate with people with attitudes like that, unless their outlook on life is the same.

I know I'm probably wasting my time, but since I'm knee deep in the exact job this horses ass wants to get done for nothing, I can't get it out of my mind. I put down the cutoff tool, washed my hands and came in to vent. My guess is, there is no "round topped" car to chop, just a wannabe who's looking for a little immediate, anonamous gratifcation.

If there really IS a car, get off your whiney, lazy ass, take a class, buy a book, make some friends and get the job done rather than waste your time at a keyboard insulting the very group of people who would, if you weren't such an obvious jerk, be willing to help you out.

Gee, I feel so much better now! I think I'll go back out and keep cutting up that 'Bird.

 

HAHAHA...that's the ticket!!!

 

man i vvish i had you're vvriting skills!! Ive tried in the past to express myself like this and it never comes out clear like this!!! Great vvriting man!!

please let us see your 58 chop vvhen you feel ready!!!

thanx man for havin' our backs!!!

 

Maybe ruckus can take all the time needed to learn all the ins and outs of chopping and then buy all the tools and equipment and rent a space and then when someone on the HAMB needs a top chopped, ruckus, you can do them all for free.

Why is it I never see ads for free/cheap services done well? Ruckus could be the first!

 

i have to agree with you. most likely no friends. one thing that comes to mind as i read the post the first time was" SEENSTER"!!!

 

Probably a tool from one of the R@% Rod sites just trying to stir the pot.

 

WOW I am sure guys are lining up to help you out.
Funny thing I mentioned at work yesterday that I need to re-arange my shop and three guys offered to come over and help if I bought pizza. Wonder what the difference is

Kevin
LFD Inc.

 

Hopefully he will get his cheap price chop. Then when his car is sitting in "The Cheap Chop Shop" with the work stalled because the guy with the low ball price has figured out that he is going to make $2:00 an hour on the job and has lost all motivation, he may change his tune. $$$ = motivation! Chopping an egg shaped car is no easy task. I am lucky, I do car fab & OT fab to support my car hobby, not put bread on the table. When somebody comes to me and bitches about price this is my standard line " I have my own junk I can work on for nutthin"
John

 

Hahahaha... Where'd he go? Don't do it Ian. I smell trouble!

 

Flyinbrian48.Nailed it.First of all the attitude comes off as smart ass and full of disrespect.Why you would disrespect the craft of the people whom you want to work on your ride is beyond me,but people still do it.A chop takes expertise,skill and patience.I would pay what someone is asking not what you think that its worth.If you dont have the skill to do it yourself, you really cant tell someone how much it will cost, can you?Now, since this post you may have to chop it yourself,so start reading and get some tools for the job....also you may want to look at the art of bridge making since you have just burnt quite a few.

 

Check out the first six pics. in this thread, this guy does them cheap...
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=163762&highlight=35+3w+build+off

 

body and paint=gotta pay. period. maybe there are some people out there willing to do some side work for a more reasonable price than a custom shop (someone like ian) but i doubt you'll have much luck getting someone to do it for you until you figure out how to interact like a human.

 

ill do it for 500 bux bring it over....haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
this hobby is verrry money oriented if ya dont have skill..if ya have skill then ya dont have to spend as much money. or if ya think ya have skill and really butcher it then your are gonna spend even more money to have it done right...


and that attitude isnt gonna get ya any where boss

 

I like where this thread is going.

 

You need to raise your prices so you can buy a keyboard.

 

Dood's long on attitude and short on knowledge...

Depending on the car and all the factors cited by Ian Berky, $4-$6K is not out of line for a decent chop. First hand knowledge here, hammer welding and metal finishing are time consuming, a craftman's time is valuable whatever the economy's doing.

Maybe he should consider a different ride, like maybe a Honda Civic?...

 

try doing it yourself. see how much money you spend before you can even get started. then those 4,5,6,K numbers dont look so bad. GFY

 

Man that attitude will get you know where. The thing you don't understand there Ruckus is that there are some ultra nice guys on this forum who would help a bother do a chop for a few beers. Guys like you get charged full shop rate.

 

MEEEEE TOO!!! Im out!!

 

that's funny.

 

Interesting attitude, we do chops , as was said they are very time consuming , ALL LABOR , 4 years ago I worked out that it cost me $100 per hour to keep my lights on PLUS PAYROLL , I dare not work the costs out today , I own a shop & as most if not all the shop owners on here know we aint gettin' rich !!!. Our glorious State of California puts pay to that. I am not bitchin just stating facts. Luckily we are busy & people like our products & are buying them. I do count my blessings , A top chop on a round roof is going to take time when done right & thoroughly as was said above , get used to it or as was also said above practice , practice, practice . How about get an old wreck with a similar roof line & give it a go, you may have some respect for the guys that can do it , I know I do.