Chopped top '32-'34 pickup windshield question

I've noticed that everyone who chops the top of a '32 -'34 Ford pickup more than a few inches, drives around with the window propped open all the time. Due to the curvature along the bottom and the slant of the window opening, when you chop the top, the windshield can't fully close at the sides anymore because the bottom part hits in the middle before the sides close up all the way. I pie sliced the fronts of the windshield posts to slant back the fronts of them. If the windshield were just a rectangle and flat along the bottom, it would lie flush, but since the cowl arches up there, the windshield hits the cowl in the middle before the sides close up the whole way. I chopped mine 4-1/2".

I have my glass cut and the windshield back from the chromers finally, and I'm wondering if I should bother putting the rubber seals on the sides and along the bottom of the windshield frame? Or would the rubber seals just look ugly and not seal worth a crap anyway? I have the rubber seals, but would I be better off not installing them? Thanks

 

Rusty, I'll pass this question to a friend who has a chopped '32 PU. He might have some tips on this. Will reply w/any info, Pitman

 

Thanks Pitman!

 

I would get a new bottom rail and modify it to fit the cowl, then have it chromed. Don't know why that would'nt be done to start with?............OLDBEET

 

I've chopped and seen alot of chopped '32 coupes where the windshield closes just fine.

Did you chop your car? Or was it chopped when you got it?

 

And I've seen alot of chopped '32-'34 trucks that have functioning windshields...

 

I chopped mine 3" and the window still worked.......

 

Mine's a '32 pickup. I chopped it myself 4-1/2". It's hard to explain, but when the windshield is stock, it sits back at a certain angle due to the slant of the posts. The hump at the cowl part of the windshield opening is also slanted back at that same angle so the windshield will sit flush. When you chop the top, if you bring the top straight down, you have to also pie slice the windshield posts at the forward edge and where the windshield butts up against it at the sides otherwise you have a big step in the windshield post. I chopped my windshield frame the same amount. The windshield frame fits the opening just fine, but since the top is chopped and the opening is leaned back, but the hump in the middle of the cowl is still at the same angle it was stock the rear of the windshield frame hits the center of the opening before the sides do. It's a strange geometry problem and it's tough to visualize until you actually see how the windshield frame fits in there.

It may be that the windshield closes fine with a more mild top chop, or that there's enough flex in the windshield to warp out in the middle until the sides pull tight when you crank back on the adjusters at the sides, or maybe the rubber seals take up the difference at the sides. I would guess the sides are about 1/4" from making it all the way closed when the middle hits.

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Here's an exaggerated view of what's going on. The vertical lines represent the profile of the hump at the center of the windshield opening on top of the cowl -- at the original slope which is closer to straight up and down. The windshield is flat, but the new slope of the windshield posts makes the windshield contact the hump of the cowl a little before the sides have bottomed out against the windshield posts.

I've seen lots of pickups with top chops like mine at shows, and I've never seen one with the windshield pulled all the way shut. I think it's just something you have to live with if you want to chop it that far. Look at Jimmy Shine's truck or any truck with a similar chop and you'll see what I mean. There's a picture of Jimmy Shine's truck in the pictures of the car show "through the eyes of a 13 year old" thread that was posted today, and that picture is what reminded me to ask about it on here. I was just curious to see if anyone else came across the same problem with their chopped top pickup.

It's possible that some people move the upper part of their windshield opening forward instead of slanting the windshield pillars back. I've never seen that actually done before .

 

I was looking through a bunch of pictures from old shows and I found these two '33 or '34 trucks that were at Billetproof in Antioch a few years ago.

I chopped mine like the green primer one, leaving the top of the windshield hinged on in the stock location, and slanting the windshield pillars back in about the same area. You can see where he pie sliced some of the pillar so he could pull it back to line up after the chop. I did a similar chop, but pie sliced it further down so the change in profile would be a little more gradual. When you do it this way the top of the windshield fits fine, but the center of the bottom of the windshield hits sooner than the sides as you start to close the window. I have never seen a truck that's been chopped this way with the windshield closed all the way so that it's flush at the bottom. I think you can get it almost all the way closed, but not completely tight in the lower corners. That's how mine is going to be I guess, so that's why I'm wondering if it's just a waste of time to put rubber gaskets that might not seat against anything. It might look better without them.

The red primer one looks like they pushed the top of the windshield forward so that it would close right on the bottom end. I don't know if they just slotted the hinge strips to push out the top of the windshield, or if they actually moved the whole mounting area forward.

I met the guys who owned these two trucks and they were real nice guys -- they had driven there that morning from about 4 hours away -- which is a long way to go in a chopped and channeled pickup. I like those trucks a lot. They have a real nice stance.

 

Your only option is to fix the bottom of the w/s frame, or the cowl.

Yup. if you've ever seen a picture of my truck, you've seen it done that way. There's no real reason to mess with the posts if you take your entire chop off the top of them. I took the top panel out, removed the header bar from the posts, cut the posts, then renotched them for the header bar. It takes about 10 minutes to work the corners of the top panel to match up with the posts. In my experience, it's about the easiest thing out there to chop.

 

huh? I'll have to go look at mine, I chopped it 5" and took the header panel out and reset it after the posts were chopped like Hillbillhell said. I also pie cut the front of the pillars slightly so the windshield would seat flush. That red one looks a little weird like that, I think I'd rather have it a little open at the bottom than the top! I don't have a problem with it closing at all. Maybe I have a little more clearance at the bottom? I did chop the frame until it fit the opening if I remember correctly...

 

You should have lined the front of the roof up as mentioned by hillbillyhell. Or cut across the witdh of the cowl, right under the windshield, and lean everything back, not just the posts. This way the opening remains the same and the windshield still works.

Looks like you might have a "Re-Chop" on your hands... Better to get it done right now, then to realize in a year that you should have done something differently.

 

Yeah, I guess I just did it the hard way. I sliced away the outer sheet metal of the pillars and pie sliced the inner structure to chop it and ran some inserts up through the inner structure even to make it stronger, then I pie sliced the outer sheet metal and welded it back on tilted back to line up straight again. It came out pretty smooth. I also welded some radius pieces in the lower corners of the visor to give it a little custom touch there.

Here's some pictures from a while back after I had just painted the cab. I painted the insides of the openings black and masked them off first because it would have been a pain trying to get candy inside there.

I later chopped and then pie sliced the moldings that go in there on the sides.

I think the windshield will work fine, but it will just be poking out a little in the corners instead of lying completely flush. There might be a gap of 1/8" or 1/4" or so behind the corners. I think I'm probably going to be driving around with the windshield propped out most of the time anyway for lots of fresh air.

Thanks for the info. Too bad I wasn't a HAMBer when I did my top chop.

 

I thought I read a ton of posts about chopping the 32 trucks, but I never heard this - or didn't understand it. I'm getting into this real soon - so you say take the header panel out and move it ? Got any pics? How do you like the 5" chop? You ever wished you would have chopped more?

 

Damn you do nice work!

 

I chopped mine 3," but don't recall having that sort of problem. It must be a matter of degree. I never thought about that problem, but what you're saying makes sense. I'm kinda glad I didn't know about it when I did it. This must be inherent for most chops for similar years. The chop book I had didn't touch upon such a thing. I wouldn't mess with anything if I was in your place. Run it with the damn windshield open & be proud for an obviously beautiful hot rod.

 

Here's one that is chopped 6", not sure if it helps, but may be a good reference for someone else. Top of the A-pillar was pie cut on the side and pulled out, bottom was pulled in.

 

-Rusty Bolts
Let's see a pic of a full on shot of your truck. That color is badass on it. Just gives me all the more drive to finish mine. As far as the w/s frame chop I had no problems with my last truck with a 3" subtle chop? I probably did something wrong and yet to realize it! It opened and shut just fine.

 

Nice pic! Says a 1000 words. Got any more? How about the whole truck? I want to see how short 6" is

 

I still don't get what is with all this messing with the posts?

 

If you don't move the header/windshield panel forward like you did, you'd need to slightly adjust them to get the windshield to close. In moving that forward, didn't you have issues with the front roof bolts lining up?

 

this one is cut 6" and the window shuts, forget what i did to make the window shut, its been awhile since i did it, didn t pie cut the a pillar though, i think i extended the pivot flange where it bolts to the roof, but im not positive at the moment

 

Yeah, I get that, I really was saying "Why would you do all this hacking on the posts when you can do it the easy way, which also works better?"

As far as the roof bolts, either A: no, or B: it was such a small probelm that I corrected it and forgot. I can't remember.

The thing is, if I remember right, that the actual distance the header moves forward is very very small. If I'm remembering correctly, there is like a rib on the front edge of the roof panel that fits into a channel on the header. As long as that goes into place, you're good to go.

 

Thanks slddnmat - that looks great. I was afraid 6 would look too short, but your truck is selling me on 6. Wow good info

 

Since the truck is painted already I guess you don't want to do it over. Did you consider modifing the winshield frame to make it fit the body?

 

i was going to take the 5 inches out of the top of the A pillar post and just have like a 1/4" wider post (just the outer sheet metal )where it meats the visor. would this look bad or is this what was being explained earlier. basically my A pillar post would stick out 1/4" past the edge of where it meets the visar. i could probably add some metal to the visor but the visor body lines would not meet the A pillar post.

 

sorry..... i forgot to say i was then going to extend the bracket the winshield bolts to the winshield roof rail by 1/4" and redrill the holes. instead of moving the roof rail.

if you see a flaw in this theory let me know!!!

 

Dznuts - we just did this last night - I'm still tired. I'll tell you what we did - maybe right - maybe there are better ways. I was glad to see this post before we got into though.

6" chop - cut the front post right where the curve starts. Tudor is up to the task.

Then squared up some stuff. The top of the upper post and the roof post are now offset.

We took all the screws and rivets out where we could and still had to work the header pretty good to get it out of the roof.

Then you can see where the front needs split and widened to fit the wider lower post.

The other thing that showed up - need to take about 1/2" out of the middle of the header. It was too wide to fit now. Will probably be making new holes for the window hinge.

Then I'll make a few small patches to fill in the new space in the upper post.

Damn that was fun - it was the drinking and standing in the garage in the cold after the kerosene ran out of the heater that wore me down Many thanks to Cosmo Merc, Vegaracechic24, Ed, GreenMtnBoy, Tudor, Russ and Dvanacek.