Chopped Top BII

OK here it is! The Future...

I did this picture in Corel Photo long before the recent actual lift, axle swap, bumpers, and tires, so it's a little outdated.

What do you guys think, should I chop it?



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Here's what she really looks like:

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[leenjen]

the pictures dont work for me....

 

[Joe93]

You need to fix your links they say page not available. I really want to see the pics. I would like to chop my top someday down the road.

 

[bigDerk]

To get the pics to work, copy/paste the URL into a new window. That should do it.

I think it looks sweet with the back chopped off! I say go for it!

 

[BT4auBURN]

I say you should definately do it! My bro. is doing the same thing to his and i love the idea....he's gonna probably put in some roll bars and look into a soft top down the road.

 

[TarHeel085]

i say go for it, that looks tight.

 

[Frshpwdr2k]

Lookz Sick

I like it, i say go 4 it...unlezz u live up here in Seattle Area.... 2 much rain.

 

[rustytr]

I agree with the rest.

 

[410Fortune]

Thanks for the posative replies.

If I do chop the top the truck will receive a LOT of body stiffening, a Ranger tailgate, some frenching around the brakelights, a custom spare carrier, and of course a full roll cage.

The cage will be tied into the existing roof above the front 2 seats and similar to that of a EB for the rear of the truck. (see Defender 90 style)

This is a big project. The interior would need some serious custom fabrication to make the side rails look good and weatherproof.

The soft top is the easy part, a simple tanneau that follows the contour of the rear of the cab with a small rear window sewn in. Similar to the half tops they sell for full size Bronco's.

I sure would be nervous taking the chopper to the ol girl, I'd rather do it to a seperate BII first.

Any other idea's?

I'm currently looking into some more armor for the axles and rocker panels, some rock sliders and diff skid plates are next on the list.

 

[leenjen]

that looks so cool.
if ford made a modern version today, i would run out and buy one tomorrow.

 

[410Fortune]

If Ford made one of these today I would be pissed!
All that work and all I had to do was go buy one?

HAhahaha!

Thats kind of the whole point though you know, you cant buy something like this, it has to be built.

What the hell happened anyway? I mean somebody at Ford said "NO! We are not going to make this Bronco a convertible!". Why the hell not? All the others were...

They originally designed those big rear windows to come out, like a glass sunroof, they even had a bag and strap in the cargo area for them. Safety issues and leaks caused too many engineering problems and they never made it into production. It's too bad because that would be sweet! Take off the rear hatch and swap in a Ranger tailgate, get some 1/2 doors up front, and take out those windows and you got yourself a Jeep beater.

If you look at the BII it's really made to be chopped.
I mean as long as some stiffening is done to the bed sides and some sort of roll cage is fabricated, this baby was meant to be open to the eliments.

Hmmmm maybe I will do it......

Here's what I know so far:

A Ranger tailgate bolts directly to the BII, with VERY little conversion.
The Ranger bed can be cut, the top of the bedsides and the area above the rear brakelight can be grafted onto the back of the BII to make a perfectly finished looking coversion, no open gaps or bondo patches.
Hell the rear of the Ranger cab and roof can even be used to make a "cub" cab similar to an old Bronco or a Scout.

A simple tannuea type soft top can be made very easily and for cheap!

The truck would lose about 400-500# (est) with the roof, tailgate, and heavy side windows gone. (no more lift blocks in the rear )

The stock interior pieces can be retained and slightly modified to work with the new bedsides, the back seat and side panels can be kept. Of course the back seat would be folded down when the soft top was on.

It is a real wonder why Ford never did this with the BII.
Can you say "rollover problems?"

 

[RTStork]

Looks great! We've got to get Ford to build some.

 

[rickcar]

Just thought you'd like to see what one looks like when it's done.
Here are a few pics of my brothers old truck. He just sold it a few months ago.
BTW he did all the work himself.
It wasn't a show truck but I thought it looked pretty cool.
Rick
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[leenjen]

Originally posted by rickcar
Just thought you'd like to see what one looks like when it's done.
Here are a few pics of my brothers old truck. He just sold it a few months ago.
BTW he did all the work himself.
It wasn't a show truck but I thought it looked pretty cool.
Rick
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it says "Restricted Area"...........

 

[rickcar]

Oh, and the last three pics are of his current Bronco. He didn't have the heart to cut the roof off that one though. He needed the rear seat for his daughter to ride in. Kind of illegal to haul her around in the box. LOL
Rick

 

[rickcar]

Hmmm...... I'll see if I can fix it. Maybe I have to disable something to let other people into the album.
Rick

 

[rickcar]

OK..... it should wok now. It was set for private only. I switched it so everyone can view it.
BTW for some reason it moved the order of the files. The first ones are of his current Bronco and the last 3 are of the one with the roof cut off.
Rick

 

[rickcar]

Grrrr......... cancel that, now they are back in the original order!!! Crap, what is with Yahoo?!?! LOL
Oh well, they work now anyways.
Rick

 

[410Fortune]

Hey thats a nice one!

I have seen about 20 of these baby's after they are chopped. Looks like your brother decided to go with the mini truck bed route and installed a rear cab of some sort.

I am thinking more like this:
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Oh here's the rest of the gallery (over 50 BII's!!!)
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With an open cab and a back seat. The roll cage will be incorporated into the fron remaining roof section. The tailgate from a Ranger will be used and a couple of soft top options are available. Your brother can also get the metal pieces from a Ranger to finish up the area above those rear tail lights.

I would be VERY interested to see some close ups of the new mini bed and how he finished up the seams where the windows once were.

I would also like to see how he did the back of the cab, is that the factory tailgate and window??

 

[rickcar]

Like I said, my brother sold that one a couple months back. He just has the purple one now. So no more pics. :-( Sorry.
From what I remember him telling me though, he just cut down the old gate off his BII and fabricated it to fit behind the seats. And he had 4 latches holding it in so it was removable.
Also, he just bent and welded in sheetmetal to finish off the tops of the bedrails and the inside of the box.
He did this all in the matter of a few hard days work! I was pretty impressed.
I checked out the website. Some very sweet Broncos!
If you have any specific questions, I can try to answer them through my brother for you.
Rick