37 Chevy 4Dr chop project suggestions

[40_Tudor]

I've been helping a friend with his 37 Chevy 4Dr from stock to streetrod, setting up IFS, 350 sb etc.  We've got the frame/engine pretty much finished. We have the body on a rolling frame and we are replacing rusty panels and floor sections.
I've almost got him convinced we should chop the top, you know while where at it. My thinking is we can practice on his 37 then chop my 40 Ford Tudor. I know neither body style will be as easy as an earlier straight post top design.
Has anyone chopped one of these and do you have any suggestions and or photos.

[1FATGMC]

I've been helping a friend with his 37 Chevy 4Dr from stock to streetrod, setting up IFS, 350 sb etc.  We've got the frame/engine pretty much finished. We have the body on a rolling frame and we are replacing rusty panels and floor sections.
I've almost got him convinced we should chop the top, you know while where at it. My thinking is we can practice on his 37 then chop my 40 Ford Tudor. I know neither body style will be as easy as an earlier straight post top design.
Has anyone chopped one of these and do you have any suggestions and or photos.

I would recommend you get Tex Smith's book on chopping tops.

c ya, Sum

[Charlie Chops 1940]

Ditto what Sumner said about Tex's book. I don't remember there being a 37/38  4 dr in there but it's technique ,ore than anything else.  The 37 more door  would be pretty straight forward chop but a lot of cuttimg and fitting back together being a more door car. I wouldn't get too agressive with the chop, maybe 2.5-3" at most.

Before I would chop a '40 Ford Tudor I would do an exhaustive search to find a chopped one that looks right. I love chopped cars and have done a lot of them and quite frankly I can't remeber the last time I saw a chopped '40 tudor that looked right. Usually it has to do with the tumble over the rear into the trunk area. It's sorta like chopped '40 coupes...which I've never done, but which I believe is more challenging than a '49/'51 Merc. I've seen maybe 3 in my life that were "right" and dozens that shouldn't have seen the light of day.

Some cars don't need a chop. Some beg for it. And then there are the great majority that a chop neither helps nor hinders.

Just my humble opinion....

Charlie

[btrc]

I agree with buying  Tex Smiths book.  I went through it throughly before I chopped my '37 Ford 4 dr.  I would also try to find someone who has some experience with chopping '37 Chevys and ask them the best way to do it.  There are probably little tricks specific to this model that will save time and make it come out better.
My best advice would be to really think about the amount of effort you will be putting into this 4dr body.  I know they can be practical and are getting to be more accepted now that almost all new cars are 4drs, but is it what your friend really wants.  Will he be genuinely satisfied with the car when he is done or would he really rather have a more popular 2dr?  When I finished chopping mine I reallized that 2 extra posts just didn't make it for me and I spent another year or so converting it to a 2 dr.   It would seem like it has been a waste of time to have done the body repairs you have so far but he is still better off to switch now than later.  '37 2 door bodys are out there and he can probably still sell the body he has to someone who isn't looking for something as modified as a chopped car.

Bob

[GPster]

I spend a lot (some people think too much) time thinking about the overall scheme of things. SO! Think about some of the ergonomics of the sitution. I'm not telling you to or not to but keep this in mind. The front doors on a four-door car are not as wide as two door cars because they don't need to allow access to the back seat. When you lower the height of the driver's or front seat passenger's compartment you might find yourself wishing for a little more in the front-to-back dimension for comfort.If you move the seat back you're going to find the door pillar right at your shoulder when you go to get out. This might require leaning foreward an appreciable amount to get in and out. This would be ok if you knuckles drag the ground when you walk but some of us need to be able to reach the steering wheel when we drive, so if the seat goes back the wheel needs to go back too. You should be able to enjoy a car you build but if your enjoyment is going to be any more than talking about it you don't want getting in-and-out of it to be a hassel. What's this moved back seat going to do to the back-seat compartment? If the bottom of the back doors is only a foot wide and when you open them you find the back of the front seat in your way you might discover that the back-seat floor is only good for putting 6 packs of beer in, crossways. I've ruined enough stuff in my life-time so now I try to answer all the questions before I ruin it. This mostly comes from 10 years of thinking what I could drive when I wasn't. Now I think I could drive * near everything but I have a finer sense of what would be easier for me to drive. GPster

[WZ JUNK]

I've been helping a friend with his 37 Chevy 4Dr from stock to streetrod, setting up IFS, 350 sb etc.  We've got the frame/engine pretty much finished. We have the body on a rolling frame and we are replacing rusty panels and floor sections.
I've almost got him convinced we should chop the top, you know while where at it. My thinking is we can practice on his 37 then chop my 40 Ford Tudor. I know neither body style will be as easy as an earlier straight post top design.
Has anyone chopped one of these and do you have any suggestions and or photos.

I think this is a picture of my friend Ron's 4 door that is chopped  http://www.carnut.com/cgi-bin/_image.pl?/photo/37-38/38chv3.jpg   Kenny Lane at Claramore, OK chopped it many years ago.  You might give Kenny a call and see what he says.

[Charlie Chops 1940]

That one's nicely done.

[40_Tudor]

I've been helping a friend with his 37 Chevy 4Dr from stock to streetrod, setting up IFS, 350 sb etc.  We've got the frame/engine pretty much finished. We have the body on a rolling frame and we are replacing rusty panels and floor sections.
I've almost got him convinced we should chop the top, you know while where at it. My thinking is we can practice on his 37 then chop my 40 Ford Tudor. I know neither body style will be as easy as an earlier straight post top design.
Has anyone chopped one of these and do you have any suggestions and or photos.

I would recommend you get Tex Smith's book on chopping tops.

c ya, Sum

We've got a copy of Tex Smith's book and it showes a 40 tudor, for my car and a couple of two doors for my friends 37 that are prety close. Lots of good info in the book.
I think we can do it I just have to convince my friend we can.
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and information.

[Charlie Chops 1940]

Go for it. Good luck. Let me know if I can help in some way.

Charlie

[cyberrodder]

Sorry for the bump, but I was going back threw archives and found this thread.
I am half threw my 37chev 4dr chop and it hasnt beeen easy.
But I learnt heaps from it but the chop books give some ideas but not enough when it comes to a 4dr like this.

I'll drag up some more notes I have I an complete email I sent to a couple of people ages ago.
but what I can say I went over board but you can get away with a simple design and heaps less work (depends how you look at it).

cyber