Hot Rods Unconverntional 39 Ford pickup chop started, suggestions or tips?

All I can say is that I like what you are doing with it. the windshield trick is going to make the truck something special I think.

I'm a fan of the laid back A pillars on older pickups myself feeling that stretching the top makes the cab look squished if it is chopped too much.

I'm liking the idea of using the belt line as the cut line in the chop as Hillbilly4008 mentioned. I had a hell of a time with getting everything squared away last time on mine and that might let me drop the whole inner panel down without cutting it except next to the door jambs.

 

F&J Nice Chop!!
RC

 

Here is where we are tonight;

Can't find a donor piece for the center roof, so I tried roughing out the worst damage from someone walking on the original roof.

Center roof is just clamped to see what it might look like, and to check the transition to the raised windshield and the slanted posts.

3/4" furniture grade plywood is screwed from the backside of the flimsy W/S opening, to make sure the gl*** can lay prerfectly flat after welding the roof on.

The door is only held on with one bolt, and we did not align the gaps for these pictures. The door gap is perfect all the way around when the beltlines are matched.

Need to get the rear window roof panel mocked in, and get the rear window chopped/raised very soon because Ray lives near Boston, and will be leaving in a day or so. I want it set up the way he wants before he leaves, then I can finish the small stuff by myself later.

 

Frank,

Its really looking great. I like all of the decisions that you two have made. It is a very well thought out and executed chop. I can't wait to see it all finished.

You mentioned a car nose. This is going to be a full fendered truck? I got the impression it was going to be a fenderless truck when I was over.

HT

 

I think you really nailed the window shapes and sizes! Very nicely done all around.

Ray

 

I see where you're going now with the crown reduction in front of the top. Looks great!

 

His plan:

It will be full fendered with running boards and pickup bed.
Gloss black paint.
Black roll/pleat inside.
40 Ford car dash.
39 Ford banjo steering wheel.

Running gear undecided, but he has wide 5 front and rear ends, a 40 front with 5.5" pattern, and a good flathead...and some SBC parts. Just not sure yet. It will be a stick trans.

 

Ray just found this truck on the auction site this morning, a 39 truck with a 37 car nose..

You can see how the car nose does not really work well with the straight-up and too tall windshield of a truck cab.....especially in the 3rd picture.

I think we will be looking good with our cab mods... and I do like those wide five wheels

 

I split (narrowed) and choped the top. I narrowed it to fit on a A-model
frame. Yours looks very good.

 

First "roll out"...

Worked real hard yesterday and today to get enough done to be able to roll the cab outside. That's the only way to get a real world look at what is what.

Two things I did not have time for before the roll out; the top of the back cab window is going to be 3/8" lower, because it will help the looks, and we have it overlapped 3/8" right now. 3/8" sounds like an such a small change, but I am positive it needs it.

The other thing I should have done before pics, was to mash down some dents at the rear center of the black roof. If you look from different angles in person, those upward dents make the rear crown look higher than it is.

The black roof skin needs a lot more t*******, especially at the back..it's just d****d over the lower cab right now.

Here are the final measurements of the chop:

-Windshield laid back exactly 10 degrees more than stock(very close to a
40 coupe)
-2.5" linear inches taken out of the front windshield opening
-2" chop taken out of the "top" of the back cab window
-Back of roof dropped 4-7/8" , this puts the back window almost 3" higher into
the crown.
-Front of roof dropped 4"
-The door gl*** ends up 3/4 more of a chop at the back of the gl***,
which makes the middle of the side window about 4.5" chopped.


So, the chop is set in stone. What do you think for proportions? Being that I got used to all the changes over time, I don't trust my impressions on the chop. I am "too familiar with it".

More importantly, Ray said it came out exactly like he invisioned, before it was started.

 

I'd be pleased to call it my own............I think the proportions are VERY good!

Ray

 

looks real cool guys. i was a little worried when i saw the tape lines. did you actually cut the back window down in vertical size or leave it stock and just relocated it? sorry if i missed it if you said it already. been reading threads for about 10 hours now.

 

Here is the 38 I just sold. The wheels were just rollers and look funny because the rear tires are way to small. If I kept it I was going to do what you did to the front window. The bottom sits to hi and the top sits to low.

You guys did a great job and I think the chop looks just right. What are the plans for the truck?

 

The back window is about 2" chopped in height. It is stock width.

But, the way we cut the roof, the top of the rear window is almost 3" closer to the highest point of the roof top skin.

 

It will be full fendered, but with a 38 Deluxe "car" nose. Shiny black, maybe wide fives.

I'm thinking that the truck running boards, which hang a few inches lower than the cab, should be moved up close to the door bottoms, like a car would be.

 

ok thats cool. im glad you didnt cut the same amount out of the rear window.i personally like having a rear window to look out of. if you click on my profile i have my current build pics in an album and i cut the whole rear window out. thought i might take 3/4 inch out of it. after the chop i layed it on the back and it looked perfect the way it was from the factory. so i just welded in back in. took 3 1/2 inch from the rest of the car though.

 

We tried laying it out with just an inch chop on the back window, but it did not look right because the door windows are a heavy chop. He wanted a heavy chopped look, but drivable.

You are right on being able to see out of all the windows, and it does pay to chop each window different, rather than cutting every piece the same. It gets goofy looking.

 

F&J Hi, You did a nice job on that 39 chop. I am working on my 38 Panel,
I purchased in NJ about a year and a half ago. Ted mentioned to me that you might have a pair of doors with rotted lower portions you might be selling. Let me know
I could use some upper window frame extra pieces. My 38 was a bad chop when i picked it up. Check out the pictures i posted in my albums if you get a chance.
Again, Nice clean job, RC

 

RC, sorry to say the spare doors were even bad up at the tops. The metal was rusted so thin, it could not be used. The roof framing/jambs above the doors were full of holes; it sat in the woods and stayed wet forever.

I did look at your album. That windshield area looks good with the delivery body. My only suggestion, is to mock up the 38 W/S frame to see if it makes it ugly Those frames really change the look. If it were mine, I mount the W/S gl*** like a 40 car...but I'm not you