These floated by us on the interweb a few weeks ago and while they were anonymous it was apparent they were destined for Freak Show Friday. Beyond that, we have no idea why someone would raise the top on a Nissan mini truck. Actually, why anyone would raise the top on anything. It’s the opposite of an extended cab. Instead of extended, it’s more like an upended extended-cab pickup. 

This is not Photoshop, nor is it normal. It’s real crazy madness. We’re using these metaphors because we have no idea why someone would spend the amount of time and energy it took to do this. 

Since the 1930s the chopped top has been the super cool body mod

Since the 1930s the chopped top; where the top is cut off and then welded back onto the car with a section removed to lower it, has been the super cool body mod. It made the car or truck look more sinister; more mysterious. There are three classic body mods that have for decades been performed on custom cars. They are chopping the top, channeling the body over the frame, and sectioning. Sectioning is like chopping a top except you’re taking a section out of the body rather than the top. 

These have been the traditional ways to customize a sharp custom car. A chopped top was always a thing of awe due to how much work and talent it took. The same amount of work and talent it took to raise the top on this Nissan mini truck. The big question here is why? Many of us at Motorbiscuit have been in the car scene for decades. No one has ever seen a raised top. 

Now you can say you’ve seen it all

Yet, here we are. Now you can say you’ve seen it all. So, without context to tell us why this was done, we are only left with the images of this contortion. It’s well done, and we love the Navy gray color. The flares are exceptionally well done. Stance, execution, uniqueness; this pickup checks off all of the boxes. But what about the top?

Why would anyone add height to a top? It’s like it was done as a prop for the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Can’t you see Mickey Mouse driving this thing to Minnie’s house for a date? Is the owner exceptionally tall? Does he or she have claustrophobia? Is their vision impaired to such an extent that they need a taller, wider view of the road? 

Making new glass for your chop, or in this case, your raise is a lot easier with flat glass.

One thing that makes a chopped top easier to pull off is the use of flat glass. Making new glass for your chop, or in this case, your raise is a lot easier with flat glass. As you can see the windshield is not present but that’s somewhat normal during the painting process. But eventually, this will need a windshield. 

There are only two ways to accomplish this. You can either get some plexiglass and heat it up over a form. The other is to find a glassmaker that will take a sheet of glass and heat it up to conform to a mold the owner or builder provides. The glass is heated, formed over the mold, then trimmed to the edges of the mold. The plexiglass route is cheaper, though not cheap. The glass choice is expensive. 

We are exhausted trying to understand or explain what you’re witnessing here. All we can say is why? And nice job, such that it is. Check back next week for more Freak Show Friday insanity.