Chopped and channeled is a description of a form of car customization in the "kustom kulture" of hot-rodding. Both procedures are often combined, but can be performed in isolation as well. Kustom Kulture is an all-encompassing term used to describe the artwork, the vehicles, the hairstyles, and the fashions of those who drove and built custom cars and motorcycles in the United States of America from the 1950s through today. ... T-bucket hot rod Modern look of traditional 32 roadster. ...

Chopping

A choppped roof on a AMX GT show car that was built using a 1968 AMC Javelin production car

To chop a roof the pillars and windows are cut down, lowering the overall roofline. "Chopping the top" goes back to the early days of hot rodding in an attempt to reduce the frontal profile of a car and increase its speed potential. Some racers on the dry lakes chopped the tops of their cars so severely that the windows were only a few inches tall. These were sometimes referred to as "mail slot" windows. This sort of bodywork is also popular on custom cars, kustoms, and leadsleds. Roof chopping also quickly became very popular with drag racers for much the same reasons as it did for lakes racers. The first roof chopper is considered to be Sam Barris (see article about his brother) who chopped and customised his brand new 1949 Mercury. 1968 AMX-GT press release photo, the second version. ... 1973 AMC Javelin AMX Pierre Cardin edition The AMC Javelin was a sporty coupe_type automobile in the pony car class built by American Motors Corporation between 1968 and 1974. ... An SUV with four pillars A Barracuda fastback has only two pillars A stretch limo with five pillars When looking at the side of a vehicle, the A-pillar is the pillar that attaches to the windshield and supports the roof. ... A window is an opening in an otherwise solid and opaque surface through which light and, sometimes, air can pass. ... A custom Ford Taunus. ... Kustoms are modified cars from the 1950s and early 1960s done in the customizing styles of that time period. ... A leadsled is a car from the 1950s or early 1960s that has had extensive customization done to the body of it. ... Drag racing is a form of auto racing in which cars attempt to complete a fairly short, straight and level course in the shortest amount of time. ... George Barris is the best-known designer of custom cars in the world. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Mercury is an automobile marque of the Ford Motor Company founded in 1939 to market near-luxury cars slotted between entry-level Ford and luxury Lincoln models, similar to General Motors Buick (and former Oldsmobile) brand and DaimlerChryslers Chrysler brand. ...

Concept cars often undergo a lowering of their roofs even if the vehicles are based on production models. Automakers use the chopping technique to make them look more "racy", although it would be impractical for normal use. A concept car is a car prototype made to showcase a new vehicles styling, technology, and overall design before production. ... Automakers or automobile manufacturers are companies that design and manufacture automobiles. ...

Roof Chopping a VW Beetle Race Car - the rear of the roof has yet to be lowered in this picture

In this picture the chop is almost complete. Note how much smaller the rear side windows are when compared to a stock VW Beetle

The Volkswagen Beetle or Bug is a small family car, the best known car of Volkswagen, of Germany, and almost certainly the world. ...

Channeling

To Channel a car the body is also lowered over the frame by removing the floor & refastening it higher inside the body, causing the body to rest closer to the ground without altering the suspension. The overall effect is to give the car body a more massive appearance. Each automobile would have its own engineering challenges as far as modifying the various components of the chassis. Local laws may prevent making the modifications too extreme, and safety would dictate some restraint. Channeling is also popular amongst hot rod, leadsled and minitruck enthusiasts, though the latter refer to it as a "body drop". T-Bucket hot rod Hot rods are older, often historical, cars. ... A leadsled is a car from the 1950s or early 1960s that has had extensive customization done to the body of it. ...

Sectioning

A related process to channeling a car (and one that has almost the same aim) is Sectioning. Sectioning is the act of removing a horizontal section from the body of a car, lowering the top half onto the bottom half and welding the result back together. The purpose is to reduce the overall height of the bodywork of the car. This sort of bodywork is popular on minitrucks, custom cars, kustoms, and leadsleds. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. ... A custom Ford Taunus. ... Kustoms are modified cars from the 1950s and early 1960s done in the customizing styles of that time period. ... A leadsled is a car from the 1950s or early 1960s that has had extensive customization done to the body of it. ...

External links

• Rod & Custom Magazine article: Vintage Channel Jobs