Chopping tops is always the big-ticket custom alteration. It makes a big statement and a big impact. However, it also makes for a whole range of headaches when it comes time for putting the whole thing back together and adding the finishing touches to the car.
You can step back from chopping a top and rightfully congratulate yourself on a job well done, but don't get too complacent-there's more to come. Much more. Just when you thought you were done, it's time for the window garnish moldings.
Starting at the front, with...
Starting at the front, with the original door molding in place, you can see just how much material has to go. Although it looks daunting, it's all really rather straight forward.
The first step was to separate...
The first step was to separate the top from the bottom. Jay marked the B-pillar portion of the trim using his eyeball to line up the cut with the top edge of the door. He couldn't use a ruler with any kind of accuracy as he was trying to draw a horizontal line across a multi-planed surface.
Once the marks were made,...
Once the marks were made, Jay started chopping. With the molding reinstalled, you can see the complicated "straight" edge at the rear. Jay made it easy on hiself and left a little extra on there so it could be trimmed to fit.
To fill the hole at the back...
To fill the hole at the back of the trim, he used a piece of discarded B-pillar as a filler. Rather than trim the filler piece to match the complicated shape of the hole, it was much easier to cut an oblong hole in the door trim to match the filler piece.
The filler piece was tack...
The filler piece was tack welded and ground smooth. Jay then cut out a small peice to fill the end.
The front was cut off right...
The front was cut off right where the door top ends and capped to make a nice clean break.
Jay then moved onto the roof...
Jay then moved onto the roof pieces. Thanks to the new laidback windshield, the curves of the roof and the door trim don't match so he had t use some muscle. You'd be surprised how much you can bend this piece to fit your needs.
When it went about as far...
When it went about as far as it was going to go, he marked the center of the bend for a small pie cut. The roof piece was tack welded to the roof to hold it in position so it didn't move out of shape while he welded up the pie cut and finished the rest of the molding.
Jay then turned his attention...
Jay then turned his attention to the back half of the new window opening. He started at the back by separating the top and bottom parts of the original so he could lay the lower piece in place and trim it to fit.