For the past two months we've been in the process of lowering the lid on our '71 C10 Project Get Shorty. After 40 hours of work and three months worth of magazine issues, Shorty is officially chopped. Yep, this month will mark the ending of this stop on the truck's journey.
Before we get into this installment's details, let's recap what has taken place over the past few months: For starters, the lid has been lowered 11/2 inches in the front and 1 inch in the rear. On top of that, the front A-pillars have been leaned back nearly an inch, and they have also been pinched ever so slightly in. Through all of this, the top was reverted from its uphill climb into a more aggressive and streamlined nosedive that brings a whole new look to the cab. We also ditched the two-piece GM window design for a Brothers one-piece window kit, and we installed Electric-Life power windows. Although it may sound like a lot of hours and work ... well, actually it is ... time seems to fly by when tackling a job of this magnitude, because honestly it's just fun. Not to mention, the end result is so worth the labor.
For the last story, we're going to tackle the glasswork. When it comes to chopping a top, what scares many away is the glass aspect. For some reason, when it comes to glass it's almost taboo to even talk about it. Yet, the reality is that the glasswork-like the metalwork-is something that anyone can tackle at home. Although the process of dealing with tempered and non-tempered glass is slightly different, both can easily be handled in one's garage.
Last month we had to make templates to get new side glass made, as tempered glass cannot be cut or ground down. This month we install our new side windows-made at The Glass House in San Dimas, California-and then handle the windshield. Because the top is lower than it used to be, the windshield will need to be shortened. This task is something that anyone can do at home-as opposed to shelling out some major dough to have someone do it for you. As always, we've got a lot to cover. Let's get to it.
When we left off last month we were getting side glass made up at The Glass House in San Dimas, California. The Glass House can cut just about any glass for any automobile required. They even stock a profound index of patterns for tons of cars and trucks on filing tables, like so. | 
In cases where a customer needs a window that Mike has on file, he simply references the pattern number, places a sheet of appropriate glass on the pattern, and cuts it out. | 
For custom one-off jobs, one needs to make a pattern and send it off to The Glass House. From there they can custom-cut a piece of glass and have it tempered for safety. Here you can see that Mike has cut this glass to match the side window pattern I sent him. |
The '67-72 trucks weren't meant to have one-piece side windows. Therefore, in order to make the windows work, a triangular spacer needs to be installed (like late-model Chevy trucks) in the front lower corner of the doorframe. On Shorty I used a Brothers Trucks window kit. They provide their own spacer. However, considering that the top is altered on my truck, I needed to create a spacer to fit the profile of my window frame. Last month I made the template, and this month I am making the spacers needed. My first step is to trace the pattern to a 16-gauge piece of sheetmetal. | 
Using a cutoff wheel, I cut four pieces out. | 
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the Brothers spacer (left) and the new spacers (right). The Brothers pieces are meant to bolt into place-mine will be welded in. |