Thread: need some advice on my roof

Tweet

After a closer look at the roof on my 29 tudor sedan found that the roof is in sections welded together on top of the wood struts, here is the problem and what I need advice on... from the metal support in the middle of the roof to the front of the car is in good shape just a little work needed but from the metal support back the roof sags right behind the metal strut then in pretty wavy all the way back... the wooden struts are glued to the roof with some very strong black glue, I used a jack and a 2x4 and jacked up in the first wood strut behind the metal one and it looked alot better of course as soon as you relase the pressure the hood comes back down, probably since the wood is glued to the roof... any ideas on how to fix this problem...

thanks,
simon

perhaps you could make several relief cuts along the bottom to relieve the tension and then jack it back up. once it is in place you could laminate the brace with some strips of marine plywood to hold it in the correct shape pemanately

Guess if it were mine, I'd tear the whole mess out of there and start with some good metal supports and new steel (or if you want, a roof off a full sized van) and do it right...... I don't like having any wood in a steel car....

what do you mean by laminate it with marine plywood? sounds like the fix that I am looking for but I don't know what to use to do it.. I found marine plywood on line but I don't understand what to laminate it with

thanks,
simon

for the quick fix you're after-without some pics its hard to see what you're dealing with and describe a jimmy up fix-from what youve described and what the other guys said i reckon make incisions in the wood in even distances up to the roof skin, jack roof up with a porta power using a flexible long bit of wood on top between your brace and the porta power to spread the load and take up the slack in the roof evenly, when you have it where you want it squirt some automotive adhesive sealant, urethane, sikaflex, whatever on the sides of the wood brace you have in your roof you made the cuts in (dont get mixed up with the windscreen adhesive that doesnt set), clamp the ply you have to the sides on the urethane with wood clamps laminating it like scotter said and put some screws in the ends and middle to hold it and leave it overnight till urethane sets. urethane will have some give it wont just crack like a wood contact adhesive if it gets movement or shaken around from the road surface when driving

if youre unsure still, send me some pics and ill draw what i mean with paintshop editor and post them back up for you

just remember that what ever you decide to do to fix the problem you don't want a large obstruction hanging around up there for the the Upholstery guys or you to have to figure out later !! I'm with Dave on this one start it over and do it right so you don't have problems later.

if the roof is welded in sections its probably warped to buggery from the welding and the the fact it wasnt supported underneath when doin so, wood is there to stiffen it and stop it being oil canny, best bet would be to use daves suggestion and be done with it, looks like you got R's 2s support on it too. weld a whole new roof skin on in one piece from a wagon of some sort once youve got all the bows stiff, the skin wont warp if theyre stiff and resting on them when you weld and has no where to sink. hard to tell without pics

....or you could just fill it with bog and sell the car before it cracks....

Ouch !!!!!!!!!!!

haha yea i know, thats what happened with mine, similar sorta thing. we hadnt quite got the bows where they shoulda been before welding the roof on and some poor excuse for a panel beater tried shrinking (!!!) the steel in my roof to get rid of an oil canny bit and it all sunk down about an inch in one area, i was an apprentice at the time didnt really know the score and was feeling my way since it was a first chop, i coulda bogged it but my conscience got the better of me and i ripped it apart and redone it properly once i knew what i was doing after gettin a few more years under my belt. now i feel alot happier about it

well I will try the "mickey mouse fix first" I am going to take the roof all the way down to metal first and relieve the pressure on the wood bows where it has sunk and if it looks to bad I am going to go for the cut and weld approach I am sure I can find a van in the junk yard that would like its lid to live on.. I thank you all for your in put this is my first hot rod and I will also learn in time ... And that was harsh "putty it up and sell it before it cracks" LOL I understand this is my first hot rod and I love it...

here is a couple of links to pics of the car (not the roof I will try get some for you guys so you can see what I am dealing with)

http://s170.photobucket.com/albums/u...t=CIMG4365.jpg

http://s170.photobucket.com/albums/u...t=CIMG4365.jpg

I tried for days trying to get my roof into the shape I wanted and I still wasn't happy with the result so I found a perfect fix.

Sean