Need help in making a decision

You are not cutting any of the roof bracing or structure out, just the exterior roof skin. All the bracing will remain intact.
Duane

 

Thats what i was thinking too, i just wanted to know if it was easy to tweak that bracing or not. I just dont want to mess the car up lol

 

This is another reason I said to talk to a professional before proceeding.

When I replaced the floors in both my convertibles I welded an entire "roll cage" in the car before I took the bodies off the frames. Now that was what I did. A professional would probably take a bunch of measurements, cut the body apart, dropped in the floor and welded it up.

No way would they have spent the time that I did on this process, but they know what they are doing.

I was doing the job myself and wanted to make sure everything came out exact, so that is what I had to do.

Your car has an entire roof structure and you are keeping it intact.
Duane

 

I am getting a hold of a local guy who does restorations this weekend to see if he is willing to tackle the job

 

It's a 5 hr deal start to finish ,..the body work will be another 4hr,..roughly 10 to 12 for complete job

 

Most time will spent on the drip rails

 

Would it be a good idea to buy one of those 5/16 metal hole punches for the spot weld holes? The guy i talked to about doing the roof said that if you rush the roof skin it will be almost worse than the one i started with. He said you have to go an inch at a time, especially on the drip rails

 

The time spent working on it will be worth it in the long run, thats for sure

 

I don't care for spot weld cutters,..I've welded more panels on cars than probably anyone on here,..and I cant remember the last time i used one. I use a cutoff wheel and and a seam buster

 

I always cut the center out as close to the edges as possible it makes it easier to handle, separate and see what's still holding on

 

These old cars have such inconsistent weld sizes you would need a 3/8 to be able to catch all sides then you have a huge hole to weld back up

 

I use a cut off wheel, hammer, and chisel for popping spot welds. i meant using that hole punch for the new panel to put on the car. As far as using those to spot weld the new skin on, i will do that to cut the old roof off of the car and ensure everything goes smoothly

 

Yes a hole punch is your friend,..I prefer 8mm holes

 

That sounds good, i just think the hole punch would be easier on the new panel than drilling them out

 

That was one of my first jobs in the shop when I was 8 or so,.my pop would have me drill the holes in the new panels and raise hell if I drilled too close to the edge ha

 

Im not so good at using a drill to drill the holes lol i always try to force the bit through the metal and either junk the bit or mess up the panel slightly

 

Lean on Ethan (Hugger) to walk you through the job and you can do it!

 

I trust him and everyone elses opinions on how to tackle this bigger project. So hopefully when this is all said and done i can make good on my goal to get my car back on the road next summer

 

I just need a lot of time lol