I'm a big fan of mild customs that have been built with an eye for how the original designer imagined it would look before all the committees and accountants stuck their noses into the design process. If you look at original concept sketches and artwork from design studios of the major car manufacturers from the '50s and '60s, all the cars look chopped. They all look wider, too, but that's another story. You'll also notice they're not chopped in the "let's chop it so everyone knows we chopped it" kind of way, which is so popular with some people today (these are usually the ones selling their unfinished projects in the weekly rags).
I like a chop that matches the proportions of the top to the proportions of the body. Some people say there's a formula: two-thirds body and one-third top, which is probably a good guideline. But I like to think of it more along the lines of a woman's figure. You can't calculate a formula to find out why it's great; you just know it when you see it.
A great figure works as a whole. No one part stands out more than any other. Each curve and line flows into the next flawlessly, all the major shapes complement each other in a pleasing way, and most importantly, they all work from every angle. So if you take anything away from this article, let it be this: You're not just chopping the roof, you're customizing the entire car's shape. So think about it all. Look at it from all angles to see that it's working. How is the back window area working with the rear decklid and how does this work with the front of the car? How are the side window openings working in relation to the crown of the roof, as well as the body sides? How does it all look from the front, sides, and three-quarter view, and very importantly, how does it look from the driver seat? After all, that's where you'll be living in this thing.
So, although we will be doing some measuring to get started, after that it's all down to the eye and what we find pleasing. And if you need inspiration, you can do yourself absolutely no harm going back and studying the work of Sam Barris, Valley Customs, and Harry Bradley. To paraphrase Picasso, don't be afraid to steal.
We were lucky enough to spend some time at The Nostalgia Ranch and watch Jay Dean perform some magic on a Ford Shoebox, turning the coupe into a lowered-lid hardtop. This month we'll cover the easy part of cutting the roof free.
Here's our victim at stock...
Here's our victim at stock height awaiting the chop and hardtop conversion.
Whenever the top is going...
Whenever the top is going to be removed, the body will need to be braced to keep it from moving. Before starting any cutting, Jay welded a support structure in place to add as much strength as possible to the body. It ties the front, rear, and sides of the car together.
Jay started the chop by marking...
Jay started the chop by marking a straight line 4 inches up from the rear window across the entire back of the roof from driprail to driprail. He then used a small grinder and cut a slot along the gutter to make a hole for the Sawzall blade, which was used for the rest of the cut. The cut simply follows the driprail down until it hits the point where the roof meets the quarter-panel.
Using the grinder trick again,...
Using the grinder trick again, Jay started cutting across the roof. Notice he's on the outside of the tape and has placed arrows on there to remind him which side he had to cut. Believe me, this will save your life one day. Once he got to the other side, he cut along the rain gutter down to the bottom of the roof.
Jay marked the cut at the...
Jay marked the cut at the rear side window in line with the top of the opening aperture.
For the B-pillars, he marked...
For the B-pillars, he marked the tops to be cut right where the curve stops and they become pretty much straight up and down. This is just a starting point, as most of this area will be cut away and modified later as you'll see.
Jay marked the bottom of the...
Jay marked the bottom of the B-pillar twice. The bottom line is purely a reference line to check if any sagging has occurred in the body once the roof has been removed. The upper line is the cut line and this runs flush with the upper edge of the window aperture, as does the rear cut. This will be formed into the top of the doors and modified window openings later on.
At the A-pillar he marked...
At the A-pillar he marked a cut line and started cutting the door right where the curve stops. He uses this as his cut-off point for the door pillar. This part will remain part of the door once the coupe is a hardtop and will be the only break or seam in the entire window opening. Jay likes to do it like this because it's a great way to get a good waterproof seal when you're running working windows and it's really only noticeable when the door is open.
With the top of the door lopped...
With the top of the door lopped off you can see where he has to take out the B-pillar. Jay was careful to keep the blade perpendicular so the surfaces will all mate up happily when he lowers the roof back down.
It's starting to look like...
It's starting to look like a custom hardtop now. Jay sliced through the rear pillars on each side to the first cuts he made that followed the rain gutters.
Moving back up front, Jay...
Moving back up front, Jay marked 4 inches on each A-pillar and then carefully cut along the top of the marked area. The roof was then ready to lift off.
And there you have it: one...
And there you have it: one roofless shoebox. It was at this point that I would have freaked out and given up if it was down to me. Didn't bother Jay though; he just kept cutting, removing the excess metal from the A-pillars.
Getting back to the rear window,...
Getting back to the rear window, Jay had to separate the inner parcel shelf from both sides of the inner body structure...
...and the back seat/trunk...
...and the back seat/trunk panel area because, when he starts leaning the rear window forward, the parcel shelf needs to go with it.
Jay's attention was then turned...
Jay's attention was then turned to marking and cutting along the bottom of the roof panel between the driprails. This will completely free up the rear roof panel, giving you two things: a heart attack, and the ability to push it forward and lay it down to get a nice contoured slope to the rear decklid that the rest of the roof will be crafted around to match.
Here's what I meant by heart...
Here's what I meant by heart attack material. When you make that cut, the panel is free to spring back to whatever shape is least stressful for it and you're left with this huge gap. But don't panic, all will be revealed on how to fix it.
A 4-inch chop was marked and...
A 4-inch chop was marked and cut at the rear corners of the separated roof. This is our starting point so we can start offering the roof up, eyeballing it, and then removing it to trim a little bit more off.
Here's the roof roughly in...
Here's the roof roughly in place for the first time and you'll notice a couple of things. First, nothing matches up. But don't panic, that's normal. Second, to our eyes the roof slope was a little uphill from rear to front, which is the exact opposite of what we wanted so it had to come off again. It took about three more trims and trail-fittings before Jay was happy with it. The actual amount cut isn't as important as how the top looks; just be careful to trim both sides the same amount. Next month we'll start stitchin' it back together.