Hardtop conversion on OBS?

laidbackbigun said:

Alot of old school hot rod sites can walk you thru the chop on the top. recessed window pockets or chopped glass and all that jazz. the doors look like there isn't anyway to have the windows seal up or even be flush once they reach a certain height in the window frame. it would be like this. sawzall the window frame and upper section of door off. plate and sheetmetal where necessary for strength. Then come back in and figure out how to make windows work. the cab would be awhole nother story trying to make the door jam smooth and work for windows as well.

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Bob L said:

To make it work with windows I think you would need to make new glass that would fit the larger opening. Then you would need all the window tracks made to support the glass inside the doors like an older hardtop car. Then you would need to add weatherstrip to the new smoothed out door opening for the glass to seal against. As an auto body guy I don't miss adjusting glass in hardtop cars but I do love the look and have owned many over the last 45 years.

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Bob L said:

On our trucks the rear window run channel is already tight to the door latch. So you would need to either bump out a part of the door for the latch and create a recess for the striker. Or go to a bear claw type latch on the outer part of the door like a street rod style latch. Hard top door windows come out of the door right at the very rear and many even have a cutout for the glass to raise a half in. behind the door. The windows didn't go straight up and down usually either, but went up and rearward at the same time on angled tracks.

I don't know if it is the angle of the pic but it looks like they also leaned the rear pillar forward as well as it being thinner without the rear of the door. It looks like they welded the old forward and upper part of the door frame to the roof and A pillar but how would you swap out a windshield unless they have altered that too.

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