There are several ways to go about chopping the top on an L-series International. My idea is that, since the width of the windshield doesn't vary from top to bottom, the smart way to do it would be to make a left-to-right [or right-to-left; it doesn't really matter] cut across the middle of the roof, and then take a section out of the windshield posts to get the front down to the height you want. The following photos from another website will better illustrate what I'm talking about:
[DISCLAIMER: THESE ARE NOT PHOTOS OF MY TRUCK] Notice, if you will, the reinforcing used to make sure the cab dimensions stay true. My plan is to set up an adjustable reinforcement to be placed vertically in the cab doorway, with two "stop" positions: the stock height, and the desired height after the chop is completed. Additionally, I would recommend bracing laterally in the roof areas both in front of and behind the area to be cut, as well as above and below the cuts in the rear of the cab, in order to minimize shifting and twisting of the metal when everything is apart. Now, for a much better sense of before and after [and notice the lateral bracing inside the cab]:
But I'm of the opinion that the rear cab windows on the L-series are already short enough. Since I'm not a lizard, I choose NOT to see the world through two tiny slits. Here's an example of an "inscrutable" effect I'd hope to avoid:
And here's that R-series, which uses essentially the same cab as an L-series, but with a single, larger rear window:
While the effect isn't as bad on the R-series, I still would rather keep my rear cab windows intact. That would mean, then, taking the 3-1/2" or 4" out of the area between the rear cab windows and the cab styling "break" line.
As the summer progresses, I hope I'll be able to post some in-progress pictures of the process involved as I chop the top on my '52 L-110 longbed.
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