How to Chop Tops: A Pictorial Guide to Hot Rodding's Most Popular Modification

Today, the purpose of a chopped top on a hot rod is mostly to make a visual statement, but that wasn’t always the case. In the late 1930s, roadsters were considered to be real hot rods, while sedans and coupes were not considered to be race cars. Over time, sanctioning bodies began to accept sedans and coupes as race cars, which created the need for chopping tops. When competing in dry-lakes racing, the tall birdcages of cars that had not...