5 weeks times 40 hours sounds like 200 hours to me. But who only works 40 hours a week when doing one of these. The other thing is shops will not take on a job where a customer wants to do the finish welding, to good a chance on screwing up their reputation relying on someone else's skills. I've chopped a few but the 51 in my avatar is the last.
While I have never done a complete top chop, I have participated in a few. Helped cut the top, Help lift the top off, Held a few pieces for welding, ect. Without helping I would have thought 200 hours was too much time. After helping I might think it is not enough. Just the thought of welding the cir***ference of the roof turns me off now. On that truck the roof will probably need to be cut in 4 pieces for a 2 inch chop. On that pick-up roof one lap around it would be like 12 feet of weld. So 12 feet of weld 1/4 inch at a time then let it cool will take how long? And there is much more welding besides that.
I've done about 40+ chops. Each car is different. Same car, more or less inches in the chop-completely different. Extras like slanted B pillars, hardtop conversion, different back window...add lots of time! Slanted A pillars, decrowning... more time. What I'm saying is that custom work can only be priced fairly by time and material. Unless it's a super easy chop (model A) it's going to be all over the map in pricing. The area you live in also affects hourly rate, therefore overall cost.
Try Scott Guildner, he's in so cal does very good work and can get it in and out as needed. 818-709-2139
choptop40... Does that include interior garnish molds-resizing stainless windscreen and side trim molds.....dont see how charging by the inch has anything to do with about the same amount of work involved whatever the chop is...maybe I'm missing something?
We do everything time and material no exeptions, if you needed a rough estimate it would say 160 hours. chopped and metal finished out. my labor rate is $100 per hour so that is $16000. The other people talking about hours and money really are not far off. Just remember you get what you pay for. i fix a lot of cars that the other guy said he could do it cheaper.
yes , im thinking basic 2 door , no stainless , no vent windows , no gl***,,,Guess i didnt realize a complete ready to go chop...im way off...
If ya trust your welding skills to finish, consider doing it all. Learned skills are priceless. Even if some of the tool investment is close to what you think the chop is worth. I have seen more bad chops than good. I have personally only been involved with one. The details are the hours. Garnish mountings, door fitment, window channels, and all the metal finish work. I knew a guy that would chop any 2 door for $500. It looked and fit like a $500 chop. I agree with others that those trucks look messed up with a heavy chop. Should be enough info here to formulate a plan.
When you talk to the owner about a job and then solicit a worker to do the job on the side, you and the worker are stealing from the owner!
I'll throw my 2 dollars in. As an owner of an AD truck, I kinda pay attention to them. As Mr48chev pointed out, 2 -1/2" to 3" chop really looks "balanced". 150 to 200 hours is a pretty ligitamate answer. Don't lean the windshield pillars. ----------On a completely different, but related note. Back in the 50's there was a cartoon about chopping a 50 Merc. Guy has his Merc chopped, in primer, he receives his bill. $1000 to chop the top. He really complains and the shop owner says 'I'll rewrite the bill for you"------saw blades $1.00---gas and oxygen $3.00-----lead $8.00-----Primer$5.00----labor$350.00---total $367.00 -----knowing how to cut it, -------where to cut it, -----AND----- how to put it together,.... $633.00______Grand Total $1,000 "Any Questions" Bill Rinaldi
Great Advise Spark. I like doing most things myself and was considering doing 40 mopar myself. I still have to learn my limits.. Its just so expensive to get someone to do the work nowadays
I paid $10k in 2013 to chop my 1960 thunderbird but I can’t find a single flaw in the completed job. After all is said and done a proper chop looks to be very labor intensive. I’d say today $18-$20k is a good starting point for a car though probably less for a truck.
If you are going to farm out the work, find someone who has done the same make, year, and model before. Why pay for someone else to gain the experience and education when you could learn yourself.. You want to hire someone who knows how to do the job, not learn the job or procedure at your expense. This follows the same concept as: do I buy the tools to do a job or do the buy the skilled labor to do the job. Pretty deep stuff.
Respectfully, where did you hear that? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Compare work required for a 4 inch chop (WITH gl***), for a Model A, 32 Ford, 34 Ford, 40 Ford, 50 Merc and Chevy Fleetline. Those are jobs that differ radically in terms of difficulty and labor despite all being the same number of "inches"
Shops are $75-100/hr now, so $15k is definitely reasonable. I do chop cl***es across the country. Depending on how much work you want to or can do yourself depends on how much you pay. If you can draw what you want, it'll cost $15k+. If you can draw what you want, and weld, but just need some help in the chop layout and execution part of things... and can do basic bodywork, you could get it done for less than $5k. Ask me how! I'd love to help!
This is a good example of how shop rates vary by metro area. That shop rate is what I needed to charge here, 10-years-ago.
There is a third more preferable option: USE AN EXTRA ROOF PANEL TO SPLICE IT IN AND END UP WITH ONLY ONE SEAM AND NO FILLER PANEL NEEDED. Also, take less out of the back window by moving the top window section up higher on the roof. Here is a 3" chop using two roofs and taking only 1.5 inches out of the rear window.
Also, I suggest sectioning the seat riser accordingly, as shown above, depending on the driver's height (I'm tall).
I did a 4 inch chop on my AD truck with just a little extra drop on the front. Removing the rear inner shell was easy, I chopped it separately and installed last. I think 4" looks good on these without sectioning as long as the stance is low enough.
Bellos in California does some of the best chops you will ever see…And he can build the car from the ground up to boot..
Call this guy, he puts on top chop cl***es where you help and other people sign up for the cl*** and help out. Pinstriper40 Here on the HAMB
55 F100. 1" cut above back gl***. 1" cut through back gl***. 3" cut below back gl***. Windshield raised into roof 1". Eliminated drip rail. 56 roof insert. Doner cab used to eliminate filler pieces. All metal finished. Shop rate $100.00 per hour. You guess the hours. Going to lose my *** if I find a buyer as is unfinished. Might end up netting $10.00 / $15.00 per hour building the View attachment 6131672 truck so far.
Another not so run of the mill chop. 5" in front and 5.5" in back to eliminate the stock wedge shaped window opening. An additional 1" chop at the drip rail to eliminate the out of proportion high ambulance type roof. That needed a 1" cut above the windshield too. I used a slightly cut down 52 Ford back window. I had a LOT of time on my hands because NO ONE was interested in me building a hot rod for them and NO ONE was interested in me building them a race car 1991- I went into the used car business 1991 and retired 1997 to build more hot rods for myself. Oh ya I finally did get an order to build a 28 RPU about 2005.
Why not buy a really rough old cab and try chopping it yourself just to see what you can do. Maybe $300-$500 for one is lots cheaper than paying a pro and waiting in line for your turn. You also end up with a bunch of extra parts if you screw up your good truck. There are books and videos on chopping trucks similar to yours. Also, if a pro cuts it and tacks it, it may shift some when you are trailering it home to finish the welding.
The Jalopy Journal
