Thread: chopped pickup question

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If you cut the cab side to side and front to rear how hard is it to get lined up after.

It would be very hard. I've never seen a reason to quarter a top in order to chop it - especially on an older vehicle, where the posts are nearly vertical.

Damn, Don---How many hotrods are you working on? I didn't even know that you had a truck!!!!

I'm a VERY sick man Brian. I have my current T, my '39 Dodge truck, my '27 that I want to resurrect someday, and there is this '30 cowl and doors that keep wanting me to join them with an extra Olds engine I have laying around. I need therapy.


Strange as that is, I am finding out something from being on this forum and some others. THERE ARE LOTS OF OTHER SICK GUYS OUT THERE TOO. I see lots of guys posting that they have a project they are working on and 2 or more sitting in the wings. What is it with us? The oldest rule in hot rodding or car building is to never get involved with another car while you are doing one.

It would be interesting to see how many of us on here need to car pool with me to the Clinic.


Don

hey don you need to get back working on the truck. i like your truck. i would like to see it when done . the metal work looks very good

Thanks, this darned T project is just taking longer than I thought. I was actually nieve enough to think I could build both the truck and the T and have them done for Daytona this year. Boy was I wrong. But I do want to get back on the truck, and hopefully will have the T done in a couple more months. Now that Xmas is out of the way I plan on working on the T lots to get finished.

In fact, I think I will drag myself out of this comfortable chair and head over there right now. (darned Forums are so addicting and fun)


Don

Actually that explained it perfectaly (spelling). that 3rd picture down made it super clear, Now what I am seeing from that is that I can chop the top without having a second roof to graft in,,just by simply putting a lean on my posts, which is exactly what I wanted to do, and it also answers my next question about starting the framework for the floor,,,a few weeks ago i was kind of timid of starting a project like this,,,now I want to go start shoveling snow and get the body home

and I do understand the sickness thing, currently I am working on my 1966 Chevy II Nova, and I also have a 1963 Chevy II wagon and a 1979 CJ7 Jeep,,,I either need a bigger yard or a cure for my sickness

It's a 12 step program. You have to get 12 cars to qualify.

You mentioned the floor you want to put in. Thought this picture might help. Last Xmas my Son surprised my by putting the entire subframe in the truck, without me knowing until it was done. Might be some ideas in here for you.


Don

I am likeing these pictures,,,now when you change the angle on the front windshield how much trouble does that cause for when you are getting the doors lined up?
Do you have any pics of the truck with the doors on it?

Doors aren't done yet. Our plan is to cut the window frames off and piece them back together to fit into the opening, sort of like a jigsaw puzzle. Dan did his '29 this way, and it was way easier in our opinion than doing the doors while in the car. It is real easy this way because the bottom of the doors stay the same, all you do is cut and fit the window frames to fit.

Don

ok,,,everything seems pretty straight forward so far, thinking to do a 4 inch chanel of the body and about a 4-5 inch chop of the top, I will likely have to take about an inch off the bottom of the doors because they are rusted bad and there is none to be found around.

Right now one of my problems is the frame, It is in good shape but it was cut about 4 feet after the back of the cab, and it is a very tall frame like something out of a 1 ton.

I want to keep the original looking frame with a solid front axle but have people saying that I could use a S-10 frame,,pull the motor back so my wheels stay out in front. But I am hating the idea of those ugly control arms especially if I am fenderless.

The one in the pics is a custom job,,,what did you use for a pattern or was it built to fit the truck?

It was built just to fit this truck. We blocked the cab up at the ride height we wanted it at, blocked the engine and transmission where they needed to be, rolled the rear axle and some tires into the position we wanted, mocked up the front axle at ride height, and then built a 2 x 4 wood frame to tie all of those things together. Once the wood one was built, we duplicated it in rectangular steel tubing.

Doing the wood routine first of all lets you make changes easily, and also gives you a pretty close example of what the finished rod will actually look like. Plus, 2 x 4's are cheap.

I am not a fan of modifying existing frames, like S 10's, because they just are not very pretty. They are made purposefully bulky, and don't have a good profile, IMO. And, as you pointed out, the stock IFS front end is not very attractive in a fenderless rod. We just find it easier to work with 2 x 3 or 2 x 4 rectangular tubing, and we always use 3/16 wall thickness. Some people feel this is overkill, but it makes a very strong frame, has nicer rolled corners than 1/8 inch wall, and gives you more thickness to drill and tap for minor attachments, like brake lines and wire looms. We still weld on some 3/8 plate sections where we attach critical items, like shocks, and tap the threads all the way through. I know this is overengineered, but nothing ever comes loose, either.

Here is what I mean about those plate sections.


Don

I was also thinking the same as you with the 3/16 wall tube, right now I have access to a 23 T-bucket frame jig, a 1930-32 frame jig and a jig for some jeep cj or yj frame,,,the jeep jig is good for one thing, the owner of it is not planning on building anymore so I can do anything I want to it so I was thinking that the 2x4 wood idea would be good for a starting point, but basically all the frame would be is two straight frame rails going back and then a kick up where the rearend is,

Does anybody know where the serial number would be on that 1941-42 Ford truck cab?,,I have looked all over it and cannot find it

Making any progress on the doors Don?,,,you have me very curious how those are going to go together

Mike

We won't even be touching another thing on the truck until the T is done, hopefully this spring. Doors will be down the list somewhat, as there are lots of other things to do first, lke floor, build a bed, steering, etc.


Don

i have a question is it better to chop the top with the doors still on the truck fit them in later ?