Wageneer Matthews ride

Mug Shot

Here is a mug shot of the Chop job with a Hood on it to help show proportions. The 6" chop gives us a 8" vertical height front window. The rules say 5" is the minimum vertical height for the front window. If we chopped it for a 5" window--the car would loose its shape, which also is against the rules.

Wagens got a brand new lid

Here are all the pieces sit into position to make the top. All the pieces are in place, but are a long way from final fit up. Now comes wrestling match--Von Chop VS German Steel

Tops on parade!

For you viewing pleasure, we proudly display the two different tops associated with the construction of the SPEEDWAGEN roof. Our lovely blue top is the longer of the two German beauty's. She sports a sassy crank back sun roof opening that is the talk of the shop. And equally lovely is the little sand blasted roof segment from the Speedwagen body.Not to forget the vivacious horizontal piece of roof positioned behind these two beauty's is the rear portion of the Speedwagen top. Once this ensemble of highly stylised metal commentary is welded together, we will address the issues on the rest of the body construction.

Trim a little off the front

The blue tape that goes from side to side on the Speedwagen top, indicates where the cut will be made to remove the front lip from the top. Then a longer front lip from the donor Super will replace it with the hole in it for the escape hatch. If I don't stop eating Twizzlers with the Baron, I won't fit thru the hole in the roof.

Your only as good as your tool

Von Chop has allowed the SPEEDWAGEN to publicly display for the first (or maybe second) time, his tool of choice. This is the ancient Bavarian Chop-0- Matic battle axe. Displayed above are the fragments of the SPEEDWAGEN top that were removed with surgical precision by Von Chops legendary swings of the Chop-O-Matic. You can have your own Chop-O-Matic by calling

1-800-Chop-O-Matic, and you too can chop like the Baron.

Two Tops are better than one

This is the trial fit to see how things are going to line up.

There is going to be a lot of massage'in of the tin to get things to fit up.

Since we are not widening the roof, the 'A' pillars on the tub are wider than the pillar stubs on the top. Some pie cuts and slices will get things back into alignment. The windshield will be Hi- Impact plastic, so we don't have to sweat the glass fit up.

Off With his Head!

Looks like the Queen of Hearts has had her way. The Donor Super has lost his head for the cause. Baron Von Chop may call his associate Dr. Crankenstein in on this CARcase, and see if might not metamorph into a Roadster project.

Striking profile

Honey I shrunk the TOP!

Be a Roof Donor

The "Sun Roof Superbeetle" that is hiding in the left of the pic, was kind enough to sign a donor card at Buggy Works. So now this rusty old Super will live on as a grafted in part of the SPEEDWAGEN roof.

Sorry about the fuzzy picture

More 'B' Pillar surgery

The top was flipped over, and the 'B' pillar stubs were sliced from the roof. This kind of delicate surgery require a steady hand.

Baron Von Chop has developed a special diet to help insure a steady hand in the operating room---Twizzlers & Pop-Tarts! The metal shavings that stick to the Twizzlers are suspected to enhance the Barons Hand-Eye coordination. The second pic shows the 6" slice that was cut from the 'B' pillar. OOOHHHH nice glove! Now on to getting the donor roof sliced and diced for grafting to the SPEEDWAGEN roof.

B pillar relocation

This pic shows the location of the 'B' Pillar after the top was lowered and shifted rearward to the new alignment of the drip rails. The 6" slice still needs to be taken out of the bottom half of the 'B' pillar.

The top portion of the 'B' pillar will need to be cut out, and a donor piece from the sun roof donor top will be patched back in to fill the hole.

Oh No--- Bugzilla!!!

It's not HERBIE---IT' BUGZILLA--Oh NoOOOooo!

Top Reduction Surgery

Baron Von Chop has begun the process of the Top Reduction Surgery on the Speedwagen body. Now that the 6" slice has been removed from the A, B & C pillars, the top has been positioned with the drip rails realigned on the C pillars. The back window looks cool, its not an OVAL----it's an OBLONG! As you can see the final alignment will require the Baron to apply his ancient torch skills to do some shrinking and stretching of the metal. A minimal amount of slicing and plugging of gaps with donor tin is the order of the day from Von Chop. The goal is to have a solid top to jump out of, if need be. A Super Beetle sun roof will be the beginnings of an escape hatch for the drivers. The Baron has awarded the Speedwagen the naming rights to this style Chop The SPEEDWAGEN CHOP! as seen on TV

up up and away!

Baron Von Chop has developed many tricks for working in secret. When he does the cuts on the top, he has a constant light pull applied to the top using a cherry picker. This keeps the top from pinching the saw blades as the stresses change on the pillars.

Then when all the pillars are sliced, just gie the hoist a few pumps, and up the lid comes

Baron VonChop returns

The elusive Old School Chop Miester, Baron Von Chop was called to do the "lid work" on the Speedwagen. He seldom leaves his secret Haughville enclave, but was allured by the call of German steel. Shunning the abrasive cut off wheels and sawsalls, the Baron sliced the lid with only a small amount of blood loss and a stack of fresh hack saw blades. The Chuckinator was close at hand to steady the VW carcass. Plus he brought a big bag of Twizzlers for the Baron to chaw on.

This could be the origins of a new dynamic duo--Von Chop & the Chuckinator.