Getting started on the choptop truck...

[snake]

Hey Keith,

Based on what you know now about how the chop was done and how it doesn't work for a cut down stock windshield, do you have any recommendations on how to chop it so a stock windshield will work (cut down of course)??

Based on the pics you posted (which I realize may not show the entire picture) it looks like it may have been better to not 'widen' the roof but rather to go ahead and pie cut the A-pillar (and B-pillar and doors) in and then in addition to cutting the top of the windshield off, also trimming the sides of the windshield to match the A-pillar angle. Does this make sense and does it look like that may have worked better as you look at it in '3-D'??

I've been thinking about chopping one (not as drastically as yours) and was planning on the same method that I believe yours was chopped. I'm glad I see the problems that presents before starting on mine (not glad you have the problem though !!)

Thanks for all your input!!!

[FORDification]

Well, a chop done properly starts with the windshield. You get that FIRST, and then modify the top to fit the glass...NOT the other way around.

Knowing what I know now, I would think you'd have a lot less time involved by laying the windshield back and not messing with custom glass.

In my situation, as mentioned, the sides and bottom of the windshield fits great...it's just the top edge of the cut-down glass that doesn't fit now, because of how the curvature of the glass is different. I essentially cut the windshield in half and used the bottom half, but the stock glass doesn't go straight up from the bottom...it also angles rearward. By chopping off that rearward curve, the center of the windshield now sets several inches out too far. The only way of cutting a stock windshield and having it fit would be to recurve the upper windshield channel outward (towards the front), so that it protrudes out to meet the glass. However, depending on your tastes, you might not light how it'll look, since the center portion of the glass won't be under the drip rail anymore, it'll actually be out roughly flush with it. In other words, each end of the glass will be under the driprail, but in order for the upper channel to meet the cut-down glass, the center portion of the channel will be farther forward, to a point where it'll be flush with the outer driprail edge.

Let me know if this makes any sense. I could whip up some Photoshop graphics to better illustrate my point if need be.

[Ranchero50]

Keith, could you lay a board across the A pillars and measure out to where the gasket lip is on the top and bottom and how tall the glass is on the edges and middle? I'm wondering if you could luck out with a fairlane or galaxy windshield. I really haven't looked at my stuff to compare but the measurements would help out a lot.

You'd figure out of the hundreds of different style cars and trucks made since the '50's that something could be made to work.

Jamie