Rat Rod Nation - A place for motorheads
Rat Rod Nation builds => Rat Rod Body Discussions => Topic started by: RaTaTat on June 22, 2011, 08:38:38 AM
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So I have a dilemma. My 53 Bel Air came with a complete set of stock glass. I really want to chop her tho. There's no way I can use the old glass right????? Does anyone know how much custom glass is going to be. I'm super cheap so I don't know if I'll be able to fit custom glass into my budget??? Maybe I could sell the stock glass??? I don't know, I'm a little perplexed. Your thoughts please?
PS: Really dig the spell check
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maybe some one else can remember the name of the video where a guy chops his top on a 53ish chevy and uses the stock glass??? got it at walmart for like 4bucks??? it comes out pretty nice but, it looked like lot's of little cuts.
sorry wish I was more help...someone's gotta know???
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So your saying he choped the car and used the stock glass height. Interesting? I dont know if I would like that look exactly. I'll poke around and see if I can figure out what your talking about. Sounds like that would be a pain in the ass LOL
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thats what i was thinkin but in the end it came out realy nice. it's one video then there's an indepth build dvd... leadsleds and somethin somethin... i'll keep lookin for it also
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Back From The Dead and Back From The Dead 2. that's the name of the videos, check them out.
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Mornin ana..........I hate to sound negative about chopping a top on a car or truck, but it is really a bitch. I am a very good welder and it was probably one of the toughest things i have done. First, when you chop a top on a vehicle, you have to remove any interior from the inside, then weld in a ton of bracing. The bracing stops the vehicle from distorting after you remove the top and cut the doors. Generally after you remove the top, you will have to split the center of the top in half (drivers door to passengers door). You will probably end up with a 2 1/2 to 3" gap when you go to put the top back on. After you have started welding the top back into place, you will need to look at your doors where the windows are and see if there is any bend in that section because after you cut it, and weld it back up, you need to make sure it still follows the same curve as the glass....The welding is a very slow process and takes a couple days if you do it right, because you don't want to warp the top.
Now, on to the glass. The glass you have will not fit after the chop, but, you will need the front glass and the rear glass because those pieces can be cut down to fit the chop. The door glass is a little different and i would recommend getting that cut from scratch if you have a good glass person in your area. You still want to be able to use the track, so you take a piece of card board, roll the window up so that it act's like there is glass in there and it's all the way closed. Take card board and make a cut out until if fits like a new piece of glass. This way you will be sure that when the new glass is cut, it will roll up and down correctly.....
In my opinion, i wouldn't chop the top unless your hubby/boyfriend or whom ever is a good welder and has chopped a top before. I would leave it, and put the money into an air suspension for your ride. Paint the car flat ass black, paint the rims fire engine red, tint all the windows and put a bad ass stereo system in er. Put on a kewl side exhaust system and maybe even spend a little money on a flame throwing system......that car of your will look awesome even without the chop topped.
Like i stated earlier, i never try to discourage anyone from building THEIR ride, but a chop on a car is tough and once you cut it, there is no going back. Allot of body shops that do lead sleds, do so with two cars at their disposal, that way they can use pieces of the top from the other car.........
I attached a couple pics of my bracing and chop, just so you can get an idea of what is involved......
Doug
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Thank you Doug and MN60, I really apreciate your imput becouse I'm really doing this alone! My stupid husband is jealouse of my car, how stupid huh. Hmmmmm well maybe I'll just keep thinking about it then. I am a welder/ structural steel fabricator by trade so I think I can handle the actuall fabrication/modifications, I have done patch panels and i'm getting ready to do my quarter panel replacment (Just got them in the mail Yippi). Maybe after I get done with the body work that I need to take care of I'll be all burned out on cutting and patching metal panels anyways LOL. I think I can save myself a tone of money and time to just leave the chop alone for now and then I can just use the glass I have becouse it's in really good shape I hate to not use it.
I like your air suspension idea. I've been planin on the flame thrower exahaust for a long time now too ;) I'm going with a flat black with neon green rims and pinstriping of corse. With a sexy Betty Page pin up airbrushed on my trunk.
Got 3 wheels ready for primer last night see!
:D
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Ana, chopping a top is easy,,,,,
putting one back on, with glass, not easy.
Hotwheels was right on with his thoughts, I'll throw a couple more out.
The 53 Chev has curved glass front and back, very hard to cut and not crack, most shops won't touch it. There are two other ways to chop on your car without cutting glass, #! cut the firewall and build a "trough" to lower the glass down, this was a done a little in the 60's. #2 lay the glass down at a lower angle, this means your redesigning the whole front roof line and windsheild pillars, (radical custom)
My thought is to give some merit to Hotwheels suggestion, or call around to a few glass shops first to make sure they will cut the window, remember when you do, because of the way the glass curves around you now have to rework the pillars.
repeat pain for back glass, doors may be done without cutting on your car, but windows might not stay up as well because of window crank gear angle change.
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Arg... well maybe no chop for this car. :( Maybe next time. Thanks guys!!!
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There is always other car's ana...........I would just keep going the way you are, paint those rims (by the way, awesome job) and make it a bad ass ride..One day you may find an old 30 or 40's cab sitting around and you will be able to chop the shit out of it and build another rat to go with that one..
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Sounds like a plan! 8)
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I, too, would leave your top the way it is....just strip and paint the wheels
8)