chopping my 53 pilothouse

[buds truck]

Ok, guys, it's been a while, but I have been busy. Started the chop on my 53 truck last week, got 2 nights of work in it and it's starting to take shape. I took Kusters roof he gave me and used it for the front half, used my rear half and lowered the rear 4 inches and the front just over 5 inches. after the doors are chopped ( I just found a set of one piece windowed doors tonite), I will cut out the windshield area and lower it about 2 more inches. pictures added. I have more pics, but 5 is the limit one can add at one time. More later when doors and front windshield area are addressed. Bud

[4852dodge]

Looks good, keep the picures coming.

[Merle Coggins]

Nice work. But I have to ask... why did you need 2 different roof pieces to make 1 lowered one?

[Frank Elder]

When roof is chopped, it needs a piece of metal added to the middle because the cab is narrower at the top than the base. By using 2 different cabs you eliminate the need to form or shape a filler piece. All thats needed is to cut the second cab to fill in the gap. No english wheel or other expensive metal shaping machines are needed.

[Bob_Koch]

What a great looking start. Far beyond my capabilities and it should look great when you're done.

By the Way, You are welcome to upload all the pictures you want on the DPETCA gallery pages:

http://dodgepilothouseclub.org/show/show.htm

That way you can upload more pictures and keep a running album of your work. You can then just link to your pictures here on the forum. Dan Olson and Jim Shepard have close to 300 pics each of their restorations.

If you download the Gallery Remote software you can upload lots of pics at a time and edit them too.

[carl b51]

Bud she looks Great Carl

[blohmiller]

are you going to leave the back window the stock size or cut it down also?

Bryan

[buds truck]

are you going to leave the back window the stock size or cut it down also?

Bryan

back and corner windows stay the same size, i cut the 4 inches below the glass. Bud :D

[blohmiller]

OK you have corner windows I don't so I been trying to figure out if I want to keep my back the same size or chop it down with the top

Want to see pics of how it looks choped with the corner windows

Bryan

back and corner windows stay the same size, i cut the 4 inches below the glass. Bud :D

[buds truck]

OK you have corner windows I don't so I been trying to figure out if I want to keep my back the same size or chop it down with the top

Want to see pics of how it looks choped with the corner windows

Bryan

here are a couple of pics of the rear after the chop.

[blohmiller]

intersting I must have been thinking of a differant make I was thinking the corner windows were taler than the back window it looks good

Bryan

[grey beard]

Merle,

Like you, I had to think about that extra piece. The explanation just doesn't go there for me. Finally I realized that when he shortened his "A" piller to lower the front, the top of the windshield came foreward, leaving a gap between the front and rear halves. Instead of making a filler piece for the center, he simply used two different sized roof pieces to make up the extra metal he needed. Makes sense when you think about it.

Bet those door top window frames will be fun. Will you use extra door pieces to make up the length like you did with the roof?

[Bob_Koch]

blohmiller, it's the chevy trucks that have corner windows longer than the center back. I don't think it looks as good .I like our trucks with the same length. Once place where I think chevy got it wrong.

[buds truck]

Merle,

Like you, I had to think about that extra piece. The explanation just doesn't go there for me. Finally I realized that when he shortened his "A" piller to lower the front, the top of the windshield came foreward, leaving a gap between the front and rear halves. Instead of making a filler piece for the center, he simply used two different sized roof pieces to make up the extra metal he needed. Makes sense when you think about it.

Bet those door top window frames will be fun. Will you use extra door pieces to make up the length like you did with the roof?

Tom (kuster13) gave me a set of doors along with the cab that were totally rusted away on the bottom, but have good upper fromes, I will do the same with the upper frames and just add longer ones to the front. I just found a set of one piece glass doors a couple of nights ago, so I have a real nice set for sale from my 53 with wing windows. Bud

[blohmiller]

Thats right my father in laws red chevy flat bed he broughtt to the truck show at 48dodgers has the long corner windows thats where I saw them

thenks

Bryan

blohmiller, it's the chevy trucks that have corner windows longer than the center back. I don't think it looks as good .I like our trucks with the same length. Once place where I think chevy got it wrong.

[buds truck]

got the doors cut today. pics of the progress uploaded. Bud

[buds truck]

After The Top And Doors Were Chopped, The Windshield Needed To Still Come Down A Little More To Make It Look In Synch With The Doors, So Out Came The Sawzall And I Cut The Upper Windshield Opening Out And Lowered It An Inch And A Half. Man, That's A Lot Of Work For Only A Little Bit Of Height Difference, But It Sure Made The Chop Look Better and it got rid of the roof seam on the front pillars too!! Another Set Of Pics Uploaded Of The Progress. Bud

[buds truck]

front of the cab is all welded, the roof is welded and the rear cab is tacked into place. The gaps look really good. I should have all the welding done by this weekend. Gawd, this is fun!!!!!! Bud

[4852dodge]

Thats inspiring work. Keep posting pictures.

[woodscavenger]

When you're finished come on over and do mine!

Looks awesome.

[51 Fargo]

Well Bud

It looks great ... I guess this means you will have to remove the seat frame from the floor so your seat will sit lower to look out the windshield. I have noticed that with the stock seat in my truck and me being 6 foot tall that if I want to look out the door window I have to tip my head down . So I can see that with a chop top the seat will have to sit lower in the cab .

[buds truck]

Well Bud

It looks great ... I guess this means you will have to remove the seat frame from the floor so your seat will sit lower to look out the windshield. I have noticed that with the stock seat in my truck and me being 6 foot tall that if I want to look out the door window I have to tip my head down . So I can see that with a chop top the seat will have to sit lower in the cab .

I really want to use the stock seat, but if the height becomes a problem and taking out the seat frame is not enough, I have a seat out of an S=10 that I can fit in there. Until all welding is done and I can take out all the bracing inside the cab, I can't put the seat back in and see if the inner roof scuffs the noggin or not. Bud

[Jim Gaspard]

I assume you are using a sawzall to cut your sheet metal, but what kind of welder are your using to get such clean weld lines. I guess practice makes perfect but seems like it would take a wire welder with some gas option to make these smooth welds. Please enlighten us novices. This has been a great show and tell.

Jim in Dallas

[buds truck]

I assume you are using a sawzall to cut your sheet metal, but what kind of welder are your using to get such clean weld lines. I guess practice makes perfect but seems like it would take a wire welder with some gas option to make these smooth welds. Please enlighten us novices. This has been a great show and tell.

Jim in Dallas

I use a sawzall for the big stuff and a die grinder with a 3 inch disc to even things out. I have a large mac tool (miller) mig welder that has .23 wire with argon/c02 for gas. pictures are great for making everything look better than they are, I will have a bunch of work left to make the roof presentable. I am so glad you ae enjoying the show and tell. Going down to the shop to start finishing up the rear welds now. Bud :D

[woodscavenger]

So what is tougher, the cab or the doors? The more I look at doing this myself the more the doors scare me.