Thread: 1941 Ford 1/2 ton Rat

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The roof of my 41 Ford 1/2 ton is done. After being dented down and sitting for years it is a rusted (that's OK), thin, pin holed non useable mess. I read somewhere that a guy replaced his roof with a more modern vehicle from the wreckers. Anybody have any ideas. The perimeter of my roof is ok about 8" all around, just the center is a mess and has to be replaced.

It was a common practice for the guys with cars pre- 1940's, Back then the roof was an insert of cloth and wire and sometimes tarred or doped to stop the rain from coming in. So they would go to the wrecking yard and find a car with a good roof section and remove it to weld into their car. Some guys liked a corrugated roof as it provided stiffness and strength. You'll need some welding tools and grinders, vise grips etc. etc. also a plan of how you want to cut away the bad parts of the original roof and how to fit the new section in. Leave it a bit larger in all dimensions to give yourself some working material. Take your time and weld in short burst to minimize warpage... OH, and share some pics! rofl....

Good tips there, and it is not as hard as you may think. It might be hard on the guy holding the new roof up for you to weld. Just make sure he has a tall bar stole ........ Just kidding..

Advice here is not free payment required .......... Pictures

Originally Posted by 34_40

It was a common practice for the guys with cars pre- 1940's, Back then the roof was an insert of cloth and wire and sometimes tarred or doped to stop the rain from coming in. So they would go to the wrecking yard and find a car with a good roof section and remove it to weld into their car. Some guys liked a corrugated roof as it provided stiffness and strength. You'll need some welding tools and grinders, vise grips etc. etc. also a plan of how you want to cut away the bad parts of the original roof and how to fit the new section in. Leave it a bit larger in all dimensions to give yourself some working material. Take your time and weld in short burst to minimize warpage... OH, and share some pics! rofl....

Good tips, Mike, but the 41 Ford pickup already has a steel roof. The OP's has been caved in and is filled with pinholes. The same procedure can work though. Just cut out the center section that is rotten and look for a truck from 40's or 50's with similar curvature front to back & side to side. (A corrugated roof might work on a 30's sedan but not a 41 Ford pickup.) Trim to fit the hole you cut and weld it in per Mike's instruction.

I'm thinking that though this '41 pickup is similar/identical to at least the '39/'40, that much of the cab roof though smaller is very close in shape as the '48-'52. A back woods/off the beaten track junk yard may still have something like that. Even a Chevy pickup might have that general shape. What ever you do, expect to spend some time fabbing and beating in sheet metal. Then you might even find a complete better cab at that back woods junky.

Well, I know what I need and how to do it, what I need is a panel, or roof section from a 40-47, I was thinkink that I could put cross members out of hard wood under the roof, inside to prop it up and then I would at least have the shape back.

That would work fine the metal of course will keep its over all shape. The cross members as you say will get and keep the general placement fixed for you as you stitch it in. Show us a picture of the roof, let us see what you're working with.

Looks as if the 48 to 52 ford pickup has the same shape...might be fairly easy to find....use cardboard bucks fitted to your original shape, to check the donor roof before cutting out.

Thanks everbody, I will keep you posted on the progress and send a few pics

Originally Posted by randyr

Good tips, Mike, but the 41 Ford pickup already has a steel roof. The OP's has been caved in and is filled with pinholes. The same procedure can work though. Just cut out the center section that is rotten and look for a truck from 40's or 50's with similar curvature front to back & side to side. (A corrugated roof might work on a 30's sedan but not a 41 Ford pickup.) Trim to fit the hole you cut and weld it in per Mike's instruction.

I know R2, I was just using the 30's cars as an example but I guess I was unclear in my explanation. But you arrived at the same conclusion so I wasn't totally out of line!

And I requested PICS, something you failed to do! LOL..

Originally Posted by 34_40

And I requested PICS, something you failed to do! LOL..

I knew you already had it covered....you can be my deputy in the Pic Police!

Originally Posted by randyr

I knew you already had it covered....you can be my deputy in the Pic Police!

You taught me well mastah.... rofl..