I'm PROUD to announce that I have started my choptop this past week. I have decided to take a slightly different tack then most. My chop is only 1.5 inches as measured in the back, has a meaner front slop then most and a roof wider by 2 inches. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so here you go!
I'll be posting my progress on my site so I invite you all to stop by and join me as I attempt to find a custom windshield and real glass side and back windows.
Thank you all for your support. The car was sitting on the floor and supported by jacks on the front cross member supports and the rear by a board under the trunk. I noticed no flexing and i was in and out of the car quite a bit. Of course what happens on the 1/8th of an inch scale is a different story. The roof is currently just tack welded into place while we plum it all up with some odd device probably called a plum, measuring measuring and meauring.You can see the 'plum' we are using in one of this pix. I hope to post all the pix I have on my site this evening.
whoever did mine widened the roof also. what are you going to do for a windshield after that? i think i have an idea that will work but it's fairly half baked. is there a windshield you know of that will fit that new demension?
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07:01 PM
skitime Member
Posts: 5765 From: Akron, PA, USA Registered: Aug 2000
Why is the roof being made wider? Sounds like an interesting concept.
------------------ Red 88 GT T-Top 3800 INTERCOOLED SUPERCHARGED White 88 GT Stock Please give me a rating if you appreciate my contribution. Click here to read the History of Skitimes Car
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07:35 PM
Midshipman Easy Member
Posts: 198 From: San Antonio TX Registered: Dec 2003
For the windshield I COULD USE THE stock one if I extended the pillar lips and made the fiberglass a pillar covers wider. But instead when the final product is done Im going to measure it .. consult the glass mans book on shields and pick one to cut down. My body mans glass guy ensures me he can cut the shield down with little problems. Im crossing my fingers. I've widened the roof so that the b pillar arms do not have to curve in excessively. Ive also got a few half baked ideas on glass work. I plan on trying to use glassblowing techniques to bend a straight piece of glass using lexan windows as a template to make a metal sheet that i can bend it too. No idea if it will work or not. Ill try a small piece first. All else fails I can go with lexan. Yes straight glass is a bad thing but with some tint ill risk it. The back glass will be a custom piece of safety glass cut to size. Overall I planned custom glass to be the majority of my expense for this phase and have budgeted for it.
Philphine, Do you have a thread with some pictures of your ride? Id love to check it out.
You are right the windshield is safety glass and can be cut. I replace my rear window with a removeable window setup. I had custom tempered glass made for the removeable rear window but safety glass is much cheaper to get custom made. Good luck on your project and I keep following its development.
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09:13 PM
Midshipman Easy Member
Posts: 198 From: San Antonio TX Registered: Dec 2003
Thanks for the words of encouragement Skitime.. I must say Ive definitely noticed your car here on the net. Very nice indeed. Can you tell me some more about your rear windows? For instance I'd love to be able to contact the person who did your tempered rear glass !
He is an old guy at a glass shop about 20 miles away. Most any custom glass shop can make custom flat tempered glass. Check your yellow pages for custom glass shops. It they can make custom glass table tops they can make a custom rear tempered window too.
[This message has been edited by skitime (edited 01-13-2005).]
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09:33 PM
Jan 14th, 2005
Midshipman Easy Member
Posts: 198 From: San Antonio TX Registered: Dec 2003
Wow that is interesting! Everything Ive ever read said tempered couldnt be cut even flat! I will definetly take your advice and call around. Thanks.
For anyone interested Ive posted a few more pictures on my site of the chop in progress. And should have more Saturday evening as I will spend the day doing the finally measurements and adjustments for the measurement of the windshield. When thats done its time to weld the proper sleevings in.
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04:24 PM
GODFATHER Member
Posts: 1020 From: Summerville S.C Registered: Jun 2003
My custom body guy Martin pointed out to me that this would result in the roof slooping back and only look good if the car has the rear wheel raised.
rear wheels raised? the roof would only slope backwards if you didnt correct the angle at the top of the a pillars, which, correct me if im wrong, archie does... you would have to correct this otherwise youd have an aweful funny looking car.
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03:15 AM
NotAFieroAnyLonger Member
Posts: 4413 From: 75762/Texas/USA Registered: Dec 2003
rear wheels raised? the roof would only slope backwards if you didnt correct the angle at the top of the a pillars, which, correct me if im wrong, archie does... you would have to correct this otherwise youd have an aweful funny looking car.
Are you saying it slopping from the windshield slopped back/down towards the rear glass..?? Sorry if I am just missing what you are saying...lol Been a long night! Time for bed!
Well my bad it should read a raised rear body not wheel. Ill correct this. Ok having never seen an archie chop in person, Im only speaking from talks with my body guy and the few pictures ive seen. If one wants to use the stock windshield uncut then they must keep the A arms the same overall length. From what ive read the windshield is simply set back 9 more degrees. It then follows that the roof must move backwards to accomodate this. No where did i find meantioned where he cuts the roof smaller along the back. So where does the extra go? He meantions removing 3 inches off the B pillar, since the extra has to go somewhere, this causes the roof to sloop back as viewed from the side. If you look at the picture of his stinger car that you meantion, notice how the road is straight.. the roof of the building behind is straight, the roof of the CAR is straight as compared to the roof line behind it. So where is this straightness coming from.. Well look at the wheel gaps from front to back. Doesnt this imply then that the roof sloops back? Now mind you I think Archies chops look great, I just wanted something no one else had which was a pronounced sloop in the front. Sides if i do decide to raise the rear end Ill just get an even meaner look.
Ill post some more pictures this evening.
By the way notafieroanylonger. Im a member of the alamo fieros club and yours was one of the first cars I noticed on our website when I joined. It looks really great.. When will you be bringing it to a meeting?
Hey COOL ! Looking good<? will you be done by the round-up this year? what about the ruckus in Oct? ( I hear the one in Austin WILL be a very good show to attend this year!! )
MORE PICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! let me know if you need any help!
------------------ 98 3800SC, Getrag 5sp. only one in Austin Texas and surrounding areas
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09:17 AM
jscott1 Member
Posts: 21676 From: Houston, TX , USA Registered: Dec 2001
Originally posted by Midshipman Easy: No where did i find meantioned where he cuts the roof smaller along the back. So where does the extra go?
Ken
I'm looking forward to seeing this completed...hopefully at the Round Up in San Antonio, for sure by the Ruckus.
By the way I will elaborate on Archie's answer. He does shorten the roof so it does not slope backwards at an unnatural angle. If you look at the roof on a sunroof car there is about 3 inches behind the sunroof before the rear clip starts, and on a chop top sunroof car that area is less than a quarter of an inch. Oh and I think a chop top still looks better with the rear body raised, (or at least not lowered.) I intend to only lower the front on mine like Archie did with the GBCT. Hopefully you will be able to see mine in person soon.
[This message has been edited by jscott1 (edited 01-15-2005).]
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12:14 PM
NotAFieroAnyLonger Member
Posts: 4413 From: 75762/Texas/USA Registered: Dec 2003
I see a frame and a removable top.. wheres the rest of the car? are you doing anyother modifications to it as it sits on jackstands? lol Looks pretty decent, and please say it used to be a notchback...
Thanks for the offer Riven. It certainly would be nice to have it done by Oct. and Im thinking it will be. The mechanics and frame work will definetly be done, The body is iffy and I doubt the interior mods will be. Yes it is a notchie and will probably windup a notchback when its all said and done.
Today was a good and bad day. I didnt get to work on the sleeving because I spent the day cutting the front end off another notchie frame to replace the radiator support cross member that was damaged in some crash from the time before. I also scored a pair of 1.5 inch drop springs from my good buddy Stephen M. a fellow PFF'r . So shout out to you dude THANKS again!
JScottie.. we actually met at the San Antonio car show. You might perhaps recall that I asked to sit in your car a few times to enjoy your interior. Totally awesome feeling to have the dash wrapped around you. I can only imagine for now that is.. that dash in a chop top!
JScottie.. we actually met at the San Antonio car show. You might perhaps recall that I asked to sit in your car a few times to enjoy your interior. Totally awesome feeling to have the dash wrapped around you. I can only imagine for now that is.. that dash in a chop top!
I remember that vividly...I didn't recognize your username...
Well I certainly like my Firebird dash, and now I have a chop top too. Soon I will be combining the two. But which way
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12:24 AM
NotAFieroAnyLonger Member
Posts: 4413 From: 75762/Texas/USA Registered: Dec 2003
Well I certainly like my Firebird dash, and now I have a chop top too. Soon I will be combining the two. But which way
Show-off!!
No, I was'nt in west texas last year due to me having to work.. I have already scheduled off EVERY WEEKEND off in October... I ain'nt missing anotheer one!!
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03:14 AM
Philphine Member
Posts: 6136 From: louisville,ky. usa Registered: Feb 2000
Originally posted by jscott1: Oh and I think a chop top still looks better with the rear body raised, (or at least not lowered.)
that's another thing that was done to mine. if you measure from the top most edge of the rear wheel well opening up the the top of the body right above it, you get about 7.5" on a coupe. on my chopper that measurement is 9.5".
no idea why. it's another reason i wish i could talk to the person who did it. it was a while before i even noticed it had been done. i didn't really consider how it changes the look, but i'm thinking if i get to the engine part, i'll have those extra inches for a carbed or throttle body v8 swap. guess it will also make my high wing look that much higher also.
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11:42 AM
Jan 17th, 2005
Midshipman Easy Member
Posts: 198 From: San Antonio TX Registered: Dec 2003
Very very interesting that the tops are cut! Well then I'll have the car with the widest roof then to set me off as well. I know that there are a few threads out there about custom glass all the way around for chop tops. I started my web inquiry this past Friday and first thing this morning had this wonderful email waiting for me at my work. I inquired about how much it would cost to do a tempered right/left glass side and a rear window if I provided lexan templates.
If you were to provide the templates for this part so that we could tool for them, we just need thickness, color, and edge work information for the glass. This is going to run you about $2,000. This would cover tooling and also furnace time in order to temper it. We have no problem doing this for you, but you have to understand that you are paying a premium because we usually do runs of no less than 50 sets at a time. Let me know what you think, and we are ready to go.
Thanks, Danny McMahon Auto Temp, Inc.
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12:07 PM
PFF
System Bot
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
I'm PROUD to announce that I have started my choptop this past week. I have decided to take a slightly different tack then most. My chop is only 1.5 inches as measured in the back, has a meaner front slop then most and a roof wider by 2 inches. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so here you go!
I'll be posting my progress on my site so I invite you all to stop by and join me as I attempt to find a custom windshield and real glass side and back windows.
If you were to provide the templates for this part so that we could tool for them, we just need thickness, color, and edge work information for the glass. This is going to run you about $2,000. This would cover tooling and also furnace time in order to temper it. We have no problem doing this for you, but you have to understand that you are paying a premium because we usually do runs of no less than 50 sets at a time. Let me know what you think, and we are ready to go.
This is interesting...There has been talk of a group buy for chop top glass but considering that Archie has only done 16 Chop tops to date I don't think he wants to lay out that kind of cash to buy 50. Your design is different enough that it's not going to help me or the other Archie type chop tops either if you go that route. So we wait again for someone to come up with an economical tempered glass solution for chop tops.
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03:45 PM
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
Well Sadly no progress has been made.. Im still waiting on the body guy to finish the welding so I can take the next steps. I did however score a 2000 grandam dash that atleast having the glass out will make easier to cut down. Thanks for the support I'm hoping he gets back to it soon.
)
I have already scheduled off EVERY WEEKEND off in October... 
