DESCRIPTION:
Learn how to chop tops with advice from the experts!
Today, the purpose of a chopped top on a hot rod is mostly to make a visual statement, but that wasn’t always the case. In the late 1930s, roadsters were considered to be real hot rods, while sedans and coupes were not considered to be race cars. Over time, sanctioning bodies began to accept sedans and coupes as race cars, which created the need for chopping tops. When competing in dry-lakes racing, the tall birdcages of cars that had not been chopped created an excessive amount of aerodynamic drag. Chopping the top increased the aerodynamic efficiency to the point that the coupes were competitive with the roadsters.
Tops aren’t often chopped for those reasons today. However, when viewing the works of art that have been created by the best chopping masters, it’s clear that enhanced aesthetics is the only reason that is needed.
Chopping a top may seem simple at first (especially if you think that old tops are mostly square), but it is not. The process of chopping a top severely alters the angles of the A-pillars, the intersections where metal meets at the C-pillars, and the rake and fitment of the glass.
In How to Chop Tops, hot rod expert and historian Tony Thacker takes you through the process of chopping a top. Individual chapters feature a variety of chops that have been performed by the industry’s most talented fabricators. The most popular candidates for this modification are covered, including Ford Model As, Model Ts, 1932 3-window and 5-window coupes, 1933s, 1934s, and Shoeboxes. Featured industry experts include Rick Lefever, Evin and Justin Veazie, the Kennedy Brothers, Bobby Walden, Troy Ladd’s Hollywood Hot Rods, Rolling Bones, Roy Brizio, Cornfield Customs, Max Grundy, and more.
Whether you want to give chopping a try or you just want to see how it’s done before hiring a professional, this book is a valuable addition to your library.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Chapter 1: Tools and Equipment
- Chapter 2: Ford Model Ts
- Chapter 3: Rick and Rayce Lefever: Ford Model A
- Chapter 4: Veazie Bros. Fabrication: Bruce Fortie’s 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe
- Chapter 5: The Kennedy Brothers: Two 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupes and a 1932 Ford 5-Window Coupe
- Chapter 6: Walden Speed Shop: 1932 Ford 5-Window Coupe
- Chapter 7: Hollywood Hot Rods: 1933 Ford 3-Window Coupe
- Chapter 8: Rolling Bones: Schmidt & Suckling 1934 Coupe
- Chapter 9: Roy Brizio Street Rods: Jeff Beck’s 1934 Ford 5-Window Coupe
- Chapter 10: 1936 Ford 3-Window Coupes
- Chapter 11: Cornfield Customs: 1940 Cadillac LaSalle Model 50
- Chapter 12: Pete and Jake’s Hot Rod Parts: Billy F Gibbons’s 1950 Ford Shoebox Kopperhed
- Chapter 13: Fabian Valdez: 1950 Chevy Styleline
- Chapter 14: Max Grundy: 1960 Dodge Dart Phoenix and 1961 Chrysler Newport
- Chapter 15: Glass Cutting
- Source Guide
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