Chop

Joe Brienza's 1929 Ford Model A Coupe of West Islip, New York was built in 1954. The top on Joe's coupe was chopped 4 inches.

Chris Casny's 1931 Ford Model A Coupe, of Hollywood, California was completed in 2010. The top on Chris' top was chopped 4".

Norman Kopp's 1932 Chevrolet Coupe of Beloit, Wisconsin. Originally owned and built by Norman's brother, the first running completion was in 1958. The build was completed in 1961. Norman was a member of the Road Gents of Beloit car club. Norman's coupe was fully chopped and channeled.

Jim Papworth's 1932 Ford Roadster of Culver City, California. Jim was a member of the Culver City Screwdrivers, and the roadster, that he bought in 1947, was his first car.

Bruce Olson's 1932 Ford 5-Window Coupe of Beach, North Dakota. The first version of Bruce's coupe was completed in 1955. This version was unchopped. Later on, Bruce took 2.5 inches out of the roof.

Conrad W. Jacobs' 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe of Baltimore, Maryland was built around 1956-1958. The top on Conrad's coupe was chopped 3 inches.

Sven Sandberg's 1932 Ford 5-Window coupe of Stockholm, Sweden. Sven started the build, known as the Glowing Coupe, in 1961. The first version was shown in 1965, featuring a 5 inch top chop.

Joe Brienza's 1934 Ford Convertible of West Islip, New York was completed in 1958. The top on Joe's convertible was chopped 4 1/2 inches.

Ron Maxwell's 1934 Ford 5-Window Coupe of Salt Lake City, Utah. The build was started in 1954, when Ron was 15 years old. The first iteration of the coupe was completed in 1955. Ron's coupe ran under flathead and later Cadillac power, competing in B/Altered at strips around Utah. In 2006 current owner Rob Montalbine decided to chop the top on the car 5 inches.

Ray Giovannoni's 1936 Ford Roadster of Washington, D.C. Ray's roadster was restyled by Bud Unger, and the build was completed around 1947/1948, featuring a chopped top.

The top on Don Brady's 1936 Ford 3-Window Coupe, of San Francisco, California was chopped 3 inches.

Allan Winward's 1936 Ford 5-Window Coupe of Salt Lake City, Utah. Built by Kipp, the build, known as "Miss Scarlet," was started in 2010 and completed in January of 2016. When Kipp chopped the top on the '36 he took 3 inches out of the A-pillars. The back of the roof was moved forward 3 inches before Kipp chopped it somewhere between 3.25 and 3.5 inches.

Jon Fisher's 1936 Ford 3-Window Coupe of Burbank, California. Jon is a member of the Burbank Choppers car club, and the coupe was restyled by Jon and Scott Guildner. Guildner chopped the top on the car for Fish. 3 1/4 inches were taken out of the A-pillars, while 3 3/4 inches were taken out in the back of the roof. The build was completed in 1996.

Ed Pink's 1936 Ford 5-Window coupe of Los Angeles, California. In 1949 Ed chopped the top on the Ford 5 inches and converted it into a dry lakes racer. He joined the Rusetta Timing Association, and became a member of the Coupes club.

George Barris' 1936 Ford Coupe of Roseville, California. This was George's first real custom. He bought the car from money he had earned while doing some odd jobs for Harry Westergard at Brown's Body Shop. George worked at the car between the staggering amount of school work, and working with Westergard. The build was completed in 1941, featuring a chopped top.

Alf Rasmussen's 1936 Ford of Bergen, Norway. Alf bought the chopped, channeled and sectioned car from a British or American pilot in Bergen in 1951 or 1952. The pilot had worked in the Independent Norwegian Brigade Group in Germany after WWII, and was now returning home to his girlfriend.

Glenn Johnson's 1937 Ford Coupe of Las Vegas, Nevada. The build was started in 1947, and completed it in 1951. Glenn chopped the top 4 inches up front, and 4 1/2 inches in the rear.

Gene McCrickard's 1937 Lincoln Zephyr of Detroit, Michigan. Restyled in 1953, the car was Gene's first custom and high school ride. The car was chopped about 4 inches.

Bill Pearce's 1939 Ford Convertible of Hacienda Heights, California. Bill's Ford was restyled in the late 1940s or early 1950s. During the restyling the top was chopped.

Bob Calahan's 1939 Ford convertible sedan of Culver City, California. Bob's convertible sedan was chopped and fit with a padded top.

Clarence Patterson's 1939 Ford convertible of Glen Allen, Virginia. Built by Glen, the build was started in 1948 and completed in 1951. The car was chopped and fit with a padded top.

Arthur Lellis' 1939 Ford Convertible of Los Angeles, California. Restyled by Art at Art & Jerry Custom Shop, the build was completed in 1946, featuring a 3 inch chop.

Jerry Moffatt's 1939 Ford Convertible of Los Angeles, California. Restyled by Jerry at Olive Hill Garage, the build was completed in 1946, featuring a 3 inch chop.

Harry Keiichi Nishiyama's 1939 Ford convertible of Hilo, Hawaii. Harry's chopped and channeled Ford was built in 1949. The top was supposedly chopped 3 1/2 inches.

Eddie Dominguez' 1939 Mercury convertible of El Paso, Texas. Eddie bought the already customized Mercury from a local kid in 1960. When he got it, the top was chopped about 2 inches.

Jim Kierstead's 1939 Mercury Coupe of Inglewood, California. Jim's Mercury was restyled by Barris Kustoms, and it is rumored to be the first 1939 - 1940 Mercury coupe that the Barris Brothers chopped. The build was started in 1945 and completed in 1947.

Fred Crellar's 1940 Chevrolet convertible of Concord, California. The build was started in 1948, and completed around 1951-1952. The top on Fred's Chevrolet was chopped approximately 2 1/2 inches.

Johnny Aguirre's 1940 Dodge Business Coupe of Riverside, California. The build was completed early in 2019, featuring a 3 inch chopped top.

Nick De Simon's 1940 Ford coupe of Jersey City, New Jersey. Nick worked for his dad at De Simon Auto Body, and he was a very talented body man and fabricator. The build was completed around 1957.

Bob Creasman's 1940 Ford coupe was chopped 4 inches . Bob began restyling the car late in 1943, making it the first 1940 Ford coupe to be channeled, and the second to be chopped in the Los Angeles area. The work was done in conjunction with the Brand Brothers Body Shop in Los Angeles. In 1948 the car received fadeaway fenders.

Paul McGill's 1940 Ford Convertible was restyled by Clusters of Grays Harbor member Paul McGill, of Aberdeen, Washington, in the early 1950s. The windshield frame on Paul's Ford was chopped 5 inches.

Fred Cain's 1940 Ford coupe of Wilmington, Massachusetts. Fred's coupe was originally restyled in 1948, receiving a top chop and a channeling.

Ted Graziano's 1940 Ford Sport Custom, of Cranston, Rhode Island.

Jimmy Summers' 1940 Mercury convertible of Hollywood, California. The build was completed in 1946, featuring a 2 inch top chop.

Al Andril's 1940 Mercury Coupe of Maywood, California. Al's Merc was restyled by Barris Kustoms in 1948, featuring a 5 1/2 chop.

Johnny Zaro's 1940 Mercury Coupe of Maywood, California. Johnny's Merc was restyled by Barris Kustoms in 1948, featuring a 5 1/2 inch chop.

Kevan Sledge's 1940 Mercury coupe of Martinez, California. Restyled by Kevan, the build was started in 2002 and completed in 2014. The top on Kevan's Merc was chopped 6 inches at the a-pillars, and 7 inches at the c-pillars.

Dick Owens' 1940 Mercury convertible of Redondo Beach, California. Dick's Mercury was restyled and chopped by Barris Kustoms, and the work was sometime between 1945 and 1947.

Dan and Ken Hiramoto's 1941 Buick Century convertible of Cleveland, Ohio. Built by Dan and Ken, the car went trough several iterations between 1951 and 1962. This photo shows the Raven version of the car as it appeared in 1958. The top was chopped 3 inches around 1957 - 1958.

John Vara's 1941 Ford Convertible was restyled by Barris Kustoms in 1948. The windshield frame on John's convertible was chopped 4 1/2 inches.

Harry Rusbach Jr's 1941 Ford coupe of Ridgefield Park, New Jersey. Harry bought the car in 1988. In 1990 he and three friends spent a weekend chopping the top on the car. They took 4 inches out of the front, and 4 1/2 inches in the rear.

Don Holland's 1941 Ford convertible of Lakewood, California. Don's Ford was restyled by Gil's Auto Body Works sometime between 1948 and 1951. The top on the car was chopped 5 1/2 inches.

Tommy Thornburgh's 1947 Studebaker of Gardena, California was restyled by Barris Kustoms. The build was completed late in 1952. The top was chopped 4 inches.

Jack Crabbs' 1948 Buick Roadmaster of Bettendorf, Iowa. Known as the "Black Flame", Jack's intent was to build and market a low scale production custom car for wealthy people, like the Kurtis Cad and the Muntz of the same time. The build was started in 1953 and completed in 1956. It was restyled by Dunshee's Body Shop, who chopped the top 4 inches.

Glen Patrick's 1948 Chevrolet Stylemaster of Beavercreek, Ohio. Glen resyled the Chevrolet in 1985. Inspiration for the build came from the Barris Kustoms built High School Confidential 1948 Chevrolets. The top was chopped 4.75″ at the front and 6″ at the rear. The rear quarter windows were filled in and the C-pillars were leaned forward.

Jim and George Bernardo's 1948 GMC Pickup of Milford, Connecticut. Jim and George ran Bernardo Auto Body in Milford, and the truck acted as rolling advertisement and parts hauler for the shop. The build was completed around 1958 - 1959, featuring a 5 inch chop.

Tom Piantkoski's 1948 Mercury Convertible of New Jersey. Tom bought the car in California in the early 1950s. By then the top had been chopped 5 1/2 inches, and the car had been fitted with a padded top by Carson Top Shop.

Qvintus Brusefält Ån's 1949 Chevrolet of Borensberg, Sweden. In 2018 Qvintus and Gene Winfield chopped the top on the car 4 inches at the Yankee Car Show in Finland.

Lloyd C. Hammond's 1949 Ford of San Bernardino, California. Lloyd was a member of the San Bernardino Krankers and his car was known as "The Majestic Lady." The first iteration of his Ford was completed circa 1958. It featured a 3 inch top chopped constructed by 1953 Ford and 1954 Mercury roof sections.

Lloyd Myers' 1949 Mercury convertible of San Jose, California. Lloyd was a member of the San Jose Rod and Wheelers car club. The Merc was completed in 1959, featuring a chopped and padded top.

Sam Barris' 1950 Buick Sedanette, restyled by Sam Barris of Barris Kustoms, was completed in 1953. The car was chopped three and a half inches up front. The rear of the car and the top was sectioned 5 inches.

Erik Lind's 1950 Chevrolet of Livermore, California was chopped 3 inches up front and 4 inches in the rear. The build was completed in 2013.

Edward Meritai's 1950 Ford of East Paterson, New Jersey. Restyled by Monego's Body Shop, the build was completed in 1958 featuring a 3 1/2 inch chopped top.

Richard Gregg's 1950 Ford Pickup of Sacramento, California. Restyled by Richard at Rick's Body Shop, the build was started in 1958 and completed early in 1959. It featured a 5 inch chopped top. The car was shown as "the Capri."

George Mizzi Jr.'s 1950 Mercury Convertible of Lyndhurst, New Jersey. Mizzi was a member of the Driving Deuces car club, and his Mercury was restyled at Monego's Body Shop. Named the "Purple Bug," the build was completed circa 1958 - 1959, featuring a 3 inch chopped top.

Ralph Tyrone Scarfo's 1950 Oldsmobile 88 hardtop of North Bergen, New Jersey. Ralph's Olds was supposedly restyled in San Diego in the mid 1960s. The top was chopped 2 inches.

Phil Macchiarella's 1950 Plymouth four-door of Santa Clara, California was chopped 7 inches. The first version of the car was completed around 1955/1956.

Chris and Jeni Johnson's 1951 Ford of Fairfield, California. Chris is a member of the Emperors of California car club, and his and Jeni's Shoebox Ford is known as "The Emerald." After 5 1/2 years in the works, the build was completed in 2017. The top was chopped 3 inches by the A-pillars before it was brought down 5 inches through the sail panels.

Fred Rowe's 1951 Mercury Convertible, of Los Angeles, California was restyled by Barris Kustoms. The build was completed in 1953 featuring a 4 inch chop. A second version of the Merc, restyled in 1954 was featured in the movie Running Wild along with Bob Hirohata's 1951 Mercury.

Ron Fagundes' 1952 Ford Victoria of Napa, California. Ron's Ford, known as The Ronbardue Kart, was restyled by Barris Kustoms, A-1 Body Work, Hall's Top Shop and Andy Southard. At Barris Kustoms the car was fit with a 5 inch chopped 1954 Mercury top. The build was completed in 1958.

Larry Ernst's 1952 Ford Convertible of Toledo, Ohio. Restyled by Clarkaiser Custom Shop, the first version of the car, named "Pharaoh's Pacer", was completed in 1955. Larry was a Roman Catholic priest who later became a monsignor. Owning a radical and famous custom car put him at some odds with senior members of the church, so he showed the car under the fake name Grant Macklin. The top on Larry's Ford was chopped 6 inches.

The second version of John Bozio's 1953 Buick Roadmaster, of East Hartford, Connecticut, was chopped 3 inches. The build was started around 1960 and completed in 1978 by later owner Red McCormick.

Mikko Kiviniemi's 1953 Chevrolet of Örebro, Sweden. The body on Mikko's Chevrolet has been sectioned 3 inches and chopped 3 inches, reducing the height with a total of 6 inches. The build was started in 2013 and completed in 2019.

Bill Layman's 1954 Mercury of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Inspiration for the build came from Dick Jackson's 1954 Mercury. Bill's Merc was completed in 2005 featuring a 2 3/4" chopped top].

Scott Roberts' 1954 Mercury of Moorpark, California. The build was completed in January of 2016, just in time for the Grand National Roadster Show. The top on Scott's Merc was chopped 3 inches.

Harry Hoskin's 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air of Maricopa, California. Restyled by Barris Kustoms, the car went trough several iterations. The first version was completed in 1955. In the late 1950s the top on the car was chopped 2 1/2 inches.

Barry Atkins' 1955 Chevrolet of Columbia, Connecticut. The car was supposedly restyled in 1958, but the original owner and builder are unknown. Barry bought the old custom from Red McCormick of East Hartford, Connecticut in the early 1980s. He restored and restyled it further before he sold it in 1984. The top on Barry's Chevrolet was chopped 3 1/2 inches before Red bought it.

George Barris' 1955 Chevrolet truck, the Kopper Kart, was built as a promotion vehicle for Barris Kustoms of Lynwood, California. The build was completed in 1957, featuring a 4" top chop.

Vic Collins' 1955 Chevrolet truck of Rahway, New Jersey. Vic's truck is a clone of George Barris' 1955 Chevrolet truck, the Kopper Kart. Restyled by Customs by Flash and John Maurice, the build was started in 1999, and completed in 2008. John chopped the top on the truck 4 inches.

Rich Pichette's 1957 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery of Moreno Valley, California. The car was restyled by Bill Hines and Gary Minor after a rear end accident in 1992. The build was completed in 1998, featuring scallops designed by Jerry Weesner and pinstriping by Larry Watson. The top was chopped 4 1/2 inches.

George Garcia's 1958 Ford Ranchero of Bellflower, California. George's Ranchero was built as a tribute to Richard Lee Tiago's 1957 Ford Ranchero, according to him the best custom Ranchero ever built. The build was completed in 2018 featuring a 3-inch chopped top by Brad Masterson.

John Hychko's 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk of Waterbury, Connecticut was restyled by John at his Valley Auto Body in 1959. The top on John's Studebaker was chopped 5 inches.

Peder Behr's 1960 Chrysler New Yorker of Sweden. The build was started at Forsberg Motorcars in Huntington Beach, California in 1996, and completed by Peder in Sweden in 1998. The top on Peder's New Yorker was chopped 2.5 inches.

Richard Zocchi's Second 1962 Pontiac Grand Prix was restyled by Lucky 7 Custom for Richard Zocchi of Walnut Creek, California. The car was built as a chopped clone of a 1962 Pontiac Grand Prix that Gene Winfield of Winfield's Custom Shop restyled for Zocchi in 1962. The build was completed in 2002 featuring a 3 inch top chop.

Dave Stuckey's 1965 Pontiac Catalina of Wichita, Kansas. The build was started in 1967 and completed in 1969. The car was Dave's personal driver, and the overall height of it was drastically reduced by chopping the top 3 inches, sectioning the body 3 inches, channeling it 2 inches and lowering it 6 inches.

Chop - to lower the top by removing a section from the window posts and winshield.

Chopped Cars

Joe Brienza's 1929 Ford Model A Coupe
Chris Casny's 1931 Ford Model A Coupe
Norman Kopp's 1932 Chevrolet Coupe
Bruce Olson's 1932 Ford 5-Window Coupe
Conrad W. Jacobs' 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe
Jim Papworth's 1932 Ford Roadster
Sven Sandberg's 1932 Ford 5-Window Coupe - The Glowing Coupe
Joe Brienza's 1934 Ford Convertible - The Brienza Special
Ron Maxwell's 1934 Ford 5-Window Coupe
Alf Rasmussen's 1936 Ford Convertible
Allan Winward's 1936 Ford 5-Window Coupe - "Miss Scarlet"
Don Brady's 1936 Ford 3-Window Coupe
Ed Pink's 1936 Ford 5-Window Coupe
George Barris' 1936 Ford 3-Window Coupe
Jon Fisher's 1936 Ford 3-Window Coupe
Ray Giovannoni's 1936 Ford Roadster
Glenn Johnson's 1937 Ford Coupe
Gene McCrickard's 1937 Lincoln Zephyr Coupe
Arthur Lellis' 1939 Ford Convertible
Bill Pearce's 1939 Ford Convertible
Bob Calahan's 1939 Ford Convertible Sedan
Clarence Patterson's 1939 Ford Convertible
Harry Keiichi Nishiyama's 1939 Ford Convertible
Jerry Moffatt's 1939 Ford Convertible
Eddie Dominguez' 1939 Mercury Convertible
Jim Kierstead's 1939 Mercury Coupe
Fred Crellar's 1940 Chevrolet Convertible
Johnny Aguirre's 1940 Dodge Business Coupe
Bob Creasman's 1940 Ford Coupe
Fred Cain's 1940 Ford Coupe
Nick De Simon's 1940 Ford Coupe
Paul McGill's 1940 Ford Convertible
Ted Graziano's 1940 Ford Sport Custom
Al Andril's 1940 Mercury Coupe
Dick Owens' 1940 Mercury Convertible
Jimmy Summers' 1940 Mercury Convertible
Johnny Zaro's 1940 Mercury Coupe
Kevan Sledge's 1940 Mercury Coupe
Dan and Ken Hiramoto's 1941 Buick Century Convertible - Raven
Don Holland's 1941 Ford Convertible
Harry Rusbach Jr's 1941 Ford Coupe
John Vara's 1941 Ford Convertible
Tommy Thornburgh's 1947 Studebaker
Jack Crabbs' 1948 Buick Roadmaster - The Black Flame
Glen Patrick's 1948 Chevrolet Stylemaster
Jim and George Bernardo's 1948 GMC Pickup
Tom Piantkoski's 1948 Mercury Convertible
Qvintus Brusefält Ån's 1949 Chevrolet
Lloyd C. Hammond's 1949 Ford - The Majestic Lady
Lloyd Myers' 1949 Mercury Convertible
Sam Barris' 1950 Buick Sedanette
Erik Lind's 1950 Chevrolet
Edward Meritai's 1950 Ford
Richard Gregg's 1950 Ford Pickup - The Capri
George Mizzi Jr.'s 1950 Mercury Convertible - The Purple Bug
Ralph Tyrone Scarfo's 1950 Oldsmobile 88 Hardtop
Phil Macchiarella's 1950 Plymouth Four-Door
Chris and Jeni Johnson's 1951 Ford - The Emerald
Fred Rowe's 1951 Mercury Convertible
Larry Ernst's 1952 Ford Convertible - Pharaoh's Pacer
Ron Fagundes' 1952 Ford Victoria - The Ronbardue Kart
John Bozio's 1953 Buick Roadmaster
Mikko Kiviniemi's 1953 Chevrolet
Bill Layman's 1954 Mercury
Scott Roberts' 1954 Mercury
Barry Atkins' 1955 Chevrolet
George Barris' 1955 Chevrolet Truck - The Kopper Kart
Harry Hoskin's 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air
Vic Collins' 1955 Chevrolet Truck - The Kopper Kart Klone
John Hychko's 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk - The Polynesian
Rich Pichette's 1957 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery
George Garcia's 1958 Ford Ranchero - The Tiago Ranchero Clone
Peder Behr's 1960 Chrysler New Yorker
Richard Zocchi's Second 1962 Pontiac Grand Prix
Dave Stuckey's 1965 Pontiac Catalina