4inch Chop Project. Beetle

[32chevy]

[32chevy]

Half the roof is set in stone, working on the rest

[Unknowing]

Hello--

How did you decide where to cut the roof? and how are you going to transition the pieces back together?

John

[greenbaja]

looks great ... i think im gonna try that method to fix the mess i got sittin in my shop ...makes it ALOT easier to line up the drip rails that way .....
thanx for the post , and im lookin forward to more =P

[32chevy]

I'll make a short post but really cant stay up past 2am doing Heat Transfer HW. I'll post more when i head home to work on her next friday.

Ya I followed a online article. Rear cut section is hard to follow but ill post the article and important stuff.

I did use pythagoreans theorm and some trig to figure out how much of the slanted part of the roof needed to be cut.

the rear drip rain lines up but body lines don't however i fixed that by accident when i cut a common rust area out and replace it.

Theres a section on the roof 11in forwar of the pillar that is supposedly the flatest and best spot to cut the roof

an extra bug roof is necessary for parts my extra roof came from a super beetle

[DYCE]

Do you have access to another car? My Dad chopped a few cars and he would use 2 roofs. You just cut the front roof long to meet the rear section. That way you only have one weld to deal with. The bug looks good with the chop!!

[Murzul]

I'm think that better cut roof skin and roof frame separatly at two line.
First line by roof skin and second line by roof frame, with offset.
So when we connect and welding part of the roof it make more stronger, than if we cut roof in one line...

[32chevy]

I welded the front quarter sections of the roof and used vise grips and square tubing for alignment. Filled in the gap between the front roof halves

[32chevy]

I took a inch by inch square tube 16th thick by 48 inch and pie cut it every 6 inch from the center. so the tube would form a crown. I got a club swapmeet to help out at tommorow so not much more. just place her the crown under the sheet metal to give so support and i put a flat sheet over the roof for "mock up"

[32chevy]

So busy around and joyful that i needed to get out of the house. Here I am, welding the top. Ill get some closes ups, of the top and tools used.