Choppin a 40 ford p/u

any of y'all have any tips on choppin' a 40 ford p/u? i have heard a bunch of diff. ways but need some advice. please help. the guy i bought it from already cut it behind the windshield from door to door. where do i go from here?

 

[quote='40-sixer]any of y'all have any tips on choppin' a 40 ford p/u? i have heard a bunch of diff. ways but need some advice. please help. the guy i bought it from already cut it behind the windshield from door to door. where do i go from here?[/quote]

there was an article series in Rod & Custom about chopping a p/u. search them out. basically the cab rear has to go straight down and the w/s posts lean back via pie cuts. This is required unless you have a second roof or can make patch panels to keep the w/s angle the same.

 

My suggestion would be to go to Ron Covell's website and order his "Chopping and Sectioning" video. This video covers exactly what you are needing, albeit on a 39 Stude, but it is very detailed and of course Ron C. is the master.

 

I Kept my pillars the same and lenthened the roof cut thru the middle I used a donor roof from a 39 4door sedan (its a perfect fit) to skin over most of the roof I dont think cutting it behing the windshield would be the best way to do it but I could be wrong.
the books and videos would be helpful to say the least.
here are a few pics from mine to give you an idea

 

[quote='40-sixer]any of y'all have any tips on choppin' a 40 ford p/u? i have heard a bunch of diff. ways but need some advice. please help. the guy i bought it from already cut it behind the windshield from door to door. where do i go from here?[/quote]

Hey '40-sixer,

I'd be great if you could post up a picture of what's been done,
and to what. It kinda sounds like you'll be adding some metal
to the roof, where the po. made that cut, behind the header
rail, across the roof panel. You haven't said anything 'bout
just how much of a chop you're after. The rear post/back
panel area will require some silce work to get a good fit,but
it's not that tough. The door frames too, will need to be cut
and formed to match up with the new door openings, once
chopped.

S****ey Devils C.C.

 

unfinished nationals a couple years ago saw one chopped in a couple hours pillars laid back a bit. didn't look bad

 

How much did you chop this? It looks great! It's the look I want for mine.

Thanks,

Chris

 

thanks for all the help fellas! i'll get some photos up ASAP to show the mangled mess i have to work on.

i'm lookin' to chop 4-6 in. i'm a whopping 5'10", so it depends on how much room in tha cab i'll have.

 

My '37 i laid the pillars back....4" outta of the front and 3" outta the rear

 

Thanks Chris its only chopped about 31/2 inches and actually fellow HAMB'er McQUEEN determined the amount of chop and he was IMO dead on. If you chop these cabs too much I think they start looking too "squatty" for lack of a better term. Head room wise you could go a few more but it would really obstruct your veiw at stoplights.

heres a pic of it finished

 

That's a beautiful truck.

monkey

 

[quote='40-sixer]thanks for all the help fellas! i'll get some photos up ASAP to show the mangled mess i have to work on.

i'm lookin' to chop 4-6 in. i'm a whopping 5'10", so it depends on how much room in tha cab i'll have.[/quote]

Hey,
@ 5'10" you could pick the chop amount that works for your minds
eye and still hava drivable truck. Jus remember, alota the chops you
see today bein' done, are great if you're built like a "bridge troll", but
not really all that fun to drive.

S****ey devils c.c.

 

This truck is KILLER. How long is the box that you used. I new that those other A** holes were wrong about a fender less 40.

 

That really looks nice. there is a guy in town that chopped a 40 and put the stock box hood and grill along with fenders back on it and it just doesn't look right . It would have looked better un chopped. I like that fenderless look. what did you use for the grill shell? 34?

 

Many years ago I helped a buddy chop his 46 trk (same cab) 2 and 3/4 inches. We did NOT cut the roof at all but just laid the front posts back and slightly OPENED the radius of the top posts at the front. It was TIGHT! I'd say best max cut with much less effort is about TWO inches. I'm planning to build another 40 pkp soon and am giving a top chop serious consideration.
Good luck,
Al