Planning a 4" chop on a '31 A tudor and wondering if there is a particular spot to cut so that there are no vertical relief cuts at the back? I've seen some here searching the threads that look like some do and some don't- is that just poor workmanship lining the back panels up or inevitable?
I put one 3-4 inch verticle cut in the rear corners, cut off wheel wide, and that took care of it. Is it a big deal to you to not do that? It's not like your doing a no-cut chop.
No, not a big deal, I was just curious to see if it can be done without. Apparently there is a big difference in workmanship because one of the A's I saw had 3 3"-4" relief cuts, and you say you had 1.
I didn't mean to jump on you. I know a guy who was adament about no relief cuts on his and I never could figure out why. Anyway, it could be a number of things like location of cut, differences in ford bodies, workmanship, if the metal got streched out during cutting or tacking, ect.
I think I found my answer, looks like towaholic did his in this pic of his tudor with no relief cuts.... see his thread... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=224424
Acutally your just seeing the side that hasn't been done yet. I would say it was about four relief cuts.
Chop it and then see where your at. If it needs a relief cut here or there you will know it. Tack it near the window openings first and see how the metal will fit from there. It will be obvious if theres going to be a bulge in one panel or possibly a low spot in another. Go slow and before you make a relief cut be sure and find the optimal placement for it. There is nothing wrong with relief cuts, they can and do add to a quality job. Not doing relief cuts when necessary is poor workmanship. It can lead to uneven panels that require a lot of metal working, shrinking etc or a lot of filler. The deeper the chop the greater the chances you will need them. Dig in !
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