My 1977 Dodge Ramcharger SE Rock Crawler Project

Chopping the Top

I had a problem. When I was looking for a trail rig, I wanted a '74-'80 RC because the top is removeable. I love wheeling in a topless rig, but I quickly realized it had a downside. When it was sunny, I got burnt and sweaty. When it rained, I got wet and cold. I didn't want to put the top back on, 'cuz that just wasn't cool, and the top is very heavy. Also, this 300+ lb top had to be stored somewhere while it wasn't on the RC.

I had and idea, cut the top in half, and only keep the portion I need. This would protect the front seats, but would still be similar to wheeling topless, especially with the doors off.

But how do I cut the top and keep it straight and clean? I didn't own a torch, or a plasma cutter, but I didn't think I could get a straight enough cut. I also cosidered using a sawzall, but I felt that was still to rough and would probabaly warp the sheet metal. Fianlly I went to Home Depot and bought some 7" cutting discs for my skill saw for $1.98. This left a very straight, and clean edge. I used 2 discs.

I really like this mod, more that I thought I would.

I lined up the cut with the front edge of the side windows. Not shown in this pic, I welded some 16 gauge plate over the hollow opening left by cutting the top like this. The remaining top probably weighs less than 50 pounds now.

PLEASE SIGN MY GUESTBOOK!

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