Cutting down the Cab
The original cab was in pretty poor shape. It is not real evident in this picture, but the top of the cab was loose, and the Tolex (especially on the other side) was in bad shape - ripped, peeling, and just plain missing in spots.
The original cab
We decided on a 10" height for the Head Cab section (we wanted to make sure there was room for the reverb pan), and after removing the hardware (handles, corner protectors, and the old caster mounts) we marked the cut lines using masking tape. We weren't sure what the baffle piece was going to do, but decided that if it remained attached, it could be modified a bit to allow some air to flow through the grill cloth that would be in front of it, so we planned to cut it at the same point as the sides to start with. As you will see later, we did end up keeping it as is (with half of the old speaker cutouts), which worked just fine.
The top piece cut out
The top piece cut out
As it turned out, the top easily separated from the baffle, and in fact, the top and two sides pretty much fell apart. So, we went ahead and pulled them the rest of the way apart, so that we could re-glue them later when we added the new bottom piece. The black stuff you see on the boards is the Tolex glue. Fortunately, the old Tolex pulled right off without much fuss, and the old glue sanded off easily with a belt sander. For some reason the glue holding the baffle board to the sides near the top had dried out, and pretty much had let go, while the baffle board down nearer the bottom was still holding tight to the sides.
Top and two sides of the top piece
Next, we marked the side cuts for the bottom half, picking a point that worked for the baffle such that it would fit into a slot on the new top piece, and provide enough space between the top two speakers and the top of the cab.
Sides cut for the bottom speaker cab
We then cut the baffle board 1/4" taller than the sides, so that it would fit up into a slot we would cut in the new top piece.
Baffle cut to size for the bottom cab
One of the side pieces of the top half had two pretty good cracks, so we spread them apart a bit, squeezed in some glue, and clamped it up to let it dry over night. While we were at it with the glue, we filled the four holes that the old caster mounts had lived in with pieces of a 5/8" dowel. One of the holes was pretty trashed, so we filled that with a piece of 3/4" dowel after drilling it out. We were going for a road worn look here anyway, so these would be fine.
Side glued up, and major holes filed
Once the glue dried, we started making the new bottom for the top cab, and the new top for the bottom cab...