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chopped roof??

2.5K views 19 replies 6 participants last post by  playr158  
#1 ·
what would it actually take to chop a roof besides a garage equiptment and alittle know how i mean i saw that other guy on here doin it but does it actually work do you have to reinforce the body in anyway has anyone ever done this succesfully or know where i can get some advice im really considering this for my 2 :smile:
 
#2 ·
more than you proabably have the resources to do. No you do not have to reinforce the body if welded correctly. The biggest issue is all of your glass will now not fit, all 6 pieces. The windshield if fairly easy the rear glass a little harder . The sides much more difficult. The triangles are going to take some serious engineering.
 
#4 ·
i cannot wait to see how he deals with the glass :)
 
#5 ·
well i work at a shop so like i said the resources to do it and i deal with a few people that work with glass so im not worried about that but how much are you safe chopping off and do you have to bend the pillars back to get it to look right ?
 
#6 ·
if you weld it properly you are safe chopping it as low as you want or atleast until you cannot see any more. I dont think you realize at all how hard this really is to do. You cannot just cut the glass, it is tempered. The windshield can be cut safely it you know how. Cutting the roof is the easy part, welding it back is not that bad if you know how. I am waiting to see how you deal with the glass. One option is to use plexiglass in place of the real glass on everything but that damages really easy and you cannot pass inspection with it in any state that has inspections.
 
#7 ·
Look in some street rod magazines (Rod and Custom) they have features on how to do it. Most try to drop the glass down into the cowl so they don't have to cut it....and they have glass that's easier to cut. If you look a some of the windshields they rake it back to avoid cutting it as well. I'd chop a top on a 32' all the glass is flat...not a MR2 and I really like the look.

I never thought of Plexi glass rear ....good idea.
 
#8 ·
I am not saying it cannot be done at all. I am just saying prepare to get very creative. Old street rods where much easier to deal with than this car will be to do a chop. I see it has been done, and looks very nice. There are companies that will cut glass to your dimensions, i have seen them do it on some chop top lead sleds. But prepare to pay out the yang for such service.

Good Luck to you. If it doesnt work there are companies that can make a nice convertable top for you
 
#10 ·
The trick to cutting the front glass is scoring both sides and pouring alcohol in the scores and setting it on fire. *excuse me* FIRE..FIRE...F.F.F.FIRE!. Anyway, the fire will melt the plastic crap thats sanwiched between the glass and you can cut it without shattering the whole thing. If you choose to lay the a-pillar back, you just have to cut the new angle into the side glass. The quarters and the back would be easy enough. They should be straight cuts.
 
#11 ·
you cannot cut tempered glass, and the alcohol method works most of the time not all of the time. The windshield is the easy part.

Again good luck with the glass.
 
#13 · (Edited)
yeah, we havent even talked about that. You still sure you wanna tackle this :)

If you plan to send the glass out you better make sure you cut it and weld it absolutley perfect. If not the first time you roll the windows up.....pow. I have seen more chop jobs fail than succeed. It is actually quite rare to see one done totally correct.
 
#14 ·
i would really like to i mean i have another car i can use in the mean time and i really love the way it looks but if i do go thru with it , it would be in the winter when its snowy and i cant use it anyway , i wanna rebuild a motor for it turbo it and a wide body kit because i dont think a chopped roof would look good on a stock body plus i got this car dirt cheap if i mess it up it really isnt a big loose
 
#15 ·
If you do this do a really good writeup with lots of pictures.
 
#17 ·
your getting good advice from someone who does body work for a living and has seen several hundred train wrecks that started as good intentions. This is much more difficult than you are capable of imagining. It would be easier to cut the roof off and make a convertible than cutting and rewelding the roof back on. Custom convertible tops arent that hard to get made if you have the means. People need to listen to people that have seen people try this. I know of several cars in this area that started off as chop jobs and are now badly done convertables.
 
#19 ·
this is uncharted waters for everyone. The pioneers get the glory but also pay the premium. I cannot possibly put a figure on this type of mod not having done it. I can only tell you based on experience how hard this will be.