To chop or not to chop, is that the question?

[Mangokid]

Sorry if I'm reposting, but i couldn't find a similar topic. Perhaps I'm not looking nuff enough?

Well, is the chop-top strip only, or does it go on the street as well?

I can't say I've seen too many good looking chopped bugs claiming to be cal-look. So, a few might do it, but not for me. Thunderbug, MouseTrap, TarBabe etc. are all incredible gassers, but remove the names,decals etc. and give'em plates?

What so YOU say?

[Lee.C]

Chop it dude - we need to see more cool street cars with roof chops 

[speedwell]

chop top is cal look     remember some bug in winner as the keith goss & mike martinez chop top cal look , there is a lot of bad cal look with the chop top but  how many nice one  ???give the right look at your car and this one will be a nice cal look with a roof chop

[speedwell]

 

[maX cal-look]

Top chop it !!
 

[Zach Gomulka]

Chop top is very cal look! There are very few chopped VWs that still retain the proper curves of the original roof though, it isnt easy I can tell you that! I spent more time sitting in the garage staring at the car thinking about the next move then I actually did with cutting, welding, ect.

[Rick Meredith]

It is way hard to get a choptop T1 to look right. The Martinez and Goss cars are exceptions. Most of them look disproportionate or don't have the right curves.

If you're gonna do it... don't half-ass it. Of course it will take a ton of money/time to get the righ look.

Rick

[Zach Gomulka]

With the chop Im working on, the plan was to chop it 4" straight across, and leave the windshield angle stock to conform to 1970 NHRA I/Gas, H/Gas rules. Also, for me raking the rear window forward wasnt an option, becasue it destroys the rear line of the car- and you can no longer fit a engine lid properly! So, when I lowered all the pillars down 4", the windshield height looked great, but the quarter windows and rear window were too small, and the roof became flat looking from front to back- most visibly at the rain gutters. After many hours of pondering, I realized the only way to get the curve back into the roof was to either lower the A and C pillars more and leave the B pillar alone, OR raise the B pillar and leave the A and C alone. So I removed the B pillar completely, and set the front and the back or the roof to where it looked good and everything flowed smoothly from front to back with very good curve. Luckily I had a donor roof, and I cut the entire B pillar out of it and fit it in. I havent measured, but the B pillar is probably only chopped 2 3/4" or so, but the side windows look right. If you plan on doing a chop, a ragtop car is MUCH easier to chop, and having a donor roof makes life 10x easier!

[67Screamer]

[Lee.C]

I'd forgoten just how cool Keith goss's old car was 

[SilverPig]

It's a fiiiiiine line between a chop and a plop...if you know what I mean. The last car here (the yellow one) looks cool, with most of the original rake still intact. Personally, I think the black one on the top has a way too flat roof for my taste...but hey...it's not my car. So my dear Bingokid...if you have the car and the donor roof(s) and a ton of time/money/patience...do it. DO IT! 

[Mangokid]

See that's what I'm talkin' about. If done right, it looks awesome, like the yellow one, but I think they are far between, the really successful street-chops. For strip use I'd go for the wildest one, Thunderbug, just because it looks so damn crazy.

I got the donors IlderPig, but i kinda lack the cash and the time, not to mention the skills. Anyways, my "secret" project will never hit the street...strip only.

[Zach Gomulka]

Kindof a weird angle, but I like the look of this chop. The rest of the car however, is argueable!

[Jon]

Mango, I think the secret is to refrain from choping TO much. I really liked the yellow "late" model... and the Gross car... 

[Mangokid]

Word Johnny, but for the strip I'd go for less is more, less roof that is...

if done right it's absolutely playable on the street, but I've seen far to many bad -chops over the years. Still remember the Asterix/Obelix bug from sweden with the leaning b-pillar. Ikes.

[maX cal-look]

More ?

[Zach Gomulka]

The Lightning Bug has the flattest chop Ive ever seen! The WagonMaster isnt much better. Im not a big fan of the yellow late model- Ive never seen a post 65 car that looked right chopped. I think the thicker pillars of the earlier cars makes a huge difference. The yellow car is also wedge-chopped with nothing taken out of the rear window, and they raked the widshield back. This keeps the "roundness" of the roof intact, but it makes the car look "hump backed" to me. As you can see they had to pop the decklid because it no longer fit either.
The Goss chop is one of the first, and the best ever execution of a chopped VW- its flawless!!

[Lee.C]

I agree about the yellow bug, the rear side windows also look a little funny to, But what about "Dr Gonzo" wasn't that a post 65 car?

[jick]

i'm going to chop the roof on my 64 gasser project.......along the lines of Thunderbug, Snoopy or Small Wonder,i prefer the more extreme look of the angled windscreen.
it'd be great to see a really nicely chopped super-detailed old school cal look car, for me too many of the chopped cars i've seen have been too far towards custom with a lack of style/taste in the overall look of the car.

there's definitely a lack of nice chopped cars on the scene.

do it dude.

anyone have any pics of the porsche india red chopped early car with color coded real BRM's, it was a big car in the USA in the eighties i think...i seem to remember it had nice lines.

[maX cal-look]

You speack about this one Zach ? 


Btw, the man's built this 68, do it alone, He never see Keith goss car's before....Funny no ?

What do you want's to say by : "hump backed" please 

[Russell]

CHOP............ All the way

Mr Goss got it perfect and 31 years on the car is still turning heads, you need the whole look. Im sure that some colours would make a chop look bad but if i was doing one nowadays it would VW Palm Green.....

The Goss chop will be at European Bugin feel free to come over and say hello and see up close for yourself the job done correctly. Good luck.

Russell

[Zach Gomulka]

What do you want's to say by : "hump backed" please 

When the rear of the roof looks too large compared to the front. It kind of "bubbles" up.

[GreenTom]

in my opinion bugs wchich are exreamly chope are most mean... like this black rag top bug



I've seen one in Poland during one of our bug meetings few years ago... but it has to wide wings and wfull T4 engine on horrible twin solex carbs and no cooling (just a cooling fan from some kind'a truck hang above the engine...) but... the most inmportant thing is that someone is doing something to show that kind of bugs in Poland (I like that style a lot... maybe my crashed mexico bug will become a top chop one day )

[The Ideaman]

Daniel's is VERY nicely done, but it took 4 cars to get all the pieces to do it right.  He said and english wheel would have made the job easier.
[img]http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/168545.jpg[img]
Now he just needs to finish it.

[maX cal-look]

What do you want's to say by : "hump backed" please 

When the rear of the roof looks too large compared to the front. It kind of "bubbles" up.

Thank's Zack !

[Lids]

Daniel's is VERY nicely done, but it took 4 cars to get all the pieces to do it right.  He said and english wheel would have made the job easier.

[Zach Gomulka]

From that angle it looks like the rear window is a tad too short. For the chop Im working on, I figured out the stock window height ratio from the rear quarter window to the rear window, then when I figured out the height of the new quarter window, I made the rear window the same ratio as stock. Im trying to get as close to a "factory" looking chop as possible.

[DHood]

Zach,  Why don't you stop talking about your chop and post some pictures!!

[Zach Gomulka]

Im not trying to take anything away from you Daniel! I admit your skills are a thousand times better than mine! Here is a couple pics I took before I decided to make the rear window larger, it still has a loooooonnnnngg way to go! I hope to get re-aquainted with it in the next few months...

[jick]

looks cool so far Zach, the proportions look really nice.

man you dudes in the States dont know how lucky you are with those rust free cars......

here's the floor on my '64, i got SO much repair to do before i can even think about the chop........