One of the time-honored ways of giving a car or truck a sleek look is to pie-cut the hood-slanting the hood toward the front, giving the vehicle a lower profile and a svelte look. While this modification has been popular for decades, in this article we will show you a "new wrinkle" that can significantly decrease the amount of work required for many vehicles!
The subject vehicle is a '56 Studebaker truck owned by Joe McGlynn, who is doing a radical chop and section job with the goal of emulating the famous Rod & Custom Dream Truck from the 1950s. This was a really groundbreaking project, with work being done by several of the top shops at the time. It's almost amazing that the truck came out as well as it did, since it's rare that a design theme is carried through in a cohesive manner as a project goes from one shop to the next-but in the case of the R&C Dream Truck, the results were spectacular!
Although Joe's truck has a 6-inch section, which led him to raise the front fenders 2 inches to gain tire clearance, the pie-cutting portion of the job is similar to that required for any vehicle.
A very good way to decide how much to slant a hood is to take a straight-on, side-view photograph of the vehicle and make several photocopies. Then, by "cutting and pasting," you can easily examine a number of different approaches to find what matches your vision for the vehicle you are creating. Let me tell you, it's very disappointing to go through dozens of hours of work, only to find that you wish you had cut a little more out-or maybe worse, a little less out!
Keep in mind that if you lower the hood too much, it may interfere with the air cleaner, or other underhood elements. If you are determined to have a truly radical look, you may be willing to make modifications to some other components, but you don't want to be surprised after it's too late to turn back. Follow along with the photos, and we'll point out some of the fine points of the job.
For a video that features chopping, sectioning, and pie cutting, plus basic metalworking tools, contact:
Covell Creative Metalworking106 Airport Blvd. #105Freedom, CA 95019(800) 747-4631 / toll free(831) 768-0705 / local and international(831) 768-0706 / faxcovell@cruzio.com