hey guys,
A friend of mine is mid way through restoring his car (ah the joys of bodywork) and has asked me to fill the hole where the sunroof was.
funnily enough he has managed to get a half cut of the front section of the roof, which should make my life easier.
He's a good 3 hour drive from me so I would love to do it in one hit, so he can block/prime etc.
I haven't done a sunroof before, and im worried about warpage. any one have any tips?
Obiviously try and keep the heat as minimal as possible, should I use a chill block of some kind?
Around the sunroof it has a fair amount of structure, so im hoping that will take a a bit of heat out and provide some rigidty.
thoughts?
Ben.
I have zero auto body experience. I have done sheetmetal panel work though.
Apart from what you have already said, my tips are:
- make the fit as perfect as you can, avoid gaps.
- once in position, go around tacking every 4". Then go around tacking every 2". Then every 1". The more tacks you have the less warping you will get.
Blast tacking like Jody does is a real help.
Good luck.
Apart from what you have already said, my tips are:
- make the fit as perfect as you can, avoid gaps.
- once in position, go around tacking every 4". Then go around tacking every 2". Then every 1". The more tacks you have the less warping you will get.
Blast tacking like Jody does is a real help.
Good luck.
Flat out like a lizard drinkin'
In fact if you go around blast tacking until you end up with a continuous weld you can pretty much avoid warping because the joint has not seen serious heat. Time consuming but effective.
Flat out like a lizard drinkin'
- big gear head
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Good luck with that. He would be MUCH better off replacing the whole roof skin. I've seen several attempts to patch a sun roof hole and they were all terrible failures. This is a huge thin panel with compound curves and warpage is going to be bad. When he tries to work the body filler he will probably have too much flexing in the panel to get it to look right. You didn't mention what car he is working on, but you can buy complete roof skins for the popular muscle cars. Even if there is no reproduction skin for this car he would be better off finding one in a salvage yard and cutting it off and welding it in where the factory seams are.
Freddie
thanks heaps for the replies guys 
car is a ae86. not easy to get parts for here in Australia.
I've left the ball in his court see what he wants to do. I know a old school sheet guy who still (for the right money) Is happy to reproduce panels, skins etc. might see what he'd slog him to do a roof skin. he's in his 80's and has a exceptional eye for detail. May be the better option.
ben.
car is a ae86. not easy to get parts for here in Australia.
I've left the ball in his court see what he wants to do. I know a old school sheet guy who still (for the right money) Is happy to reproduce panels, skins etc. might see what he'd slog him to do a roof skin. he's in his 80's and has a exceptional eye for detail. May be the better option.
ben.
- big gear head
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Never heard of that car, and I didn't realize you were down under. It might be better to cut the roof out of a similar shaped car and fit it to the car that is being repaired. It's better to weld around the edges of the roof than in the center of it. It would be easier to control the warping and easier to work the metal after the welding is done.
Freddie
I didn't realize you were a fellow aussie either. I believe in most states it is now illegal to cut and weld panels. You can only replace a full one piece panel which in your case would include roof, pillars, windscreen and rear fenders.
Flat out like a lizard drinkin'
- Braehill
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How the flip did they make the Mad Maxx movies if you're not allowed to cut and weld panels together. I should have known that wasn't real life. Now I'm never coming to visit you guys. Please tell me that you're still allowed to spray paint your teeth with chrome rattle cans.
Len
Len
Now go melt something.
Instagram @lenny_gforce
Len
Instagram @lenny_gforce
Len
Its a recent thing. They are trying to stop rebirthing of economic write offs and welding repairs because too many weld failures were being picked up done by unqualified and backyard hobby welders. I have a panel beater mate that is very pissed off because he had $30k in a lazer welder and he used to weld panels for all the shops this side of town. And now nothing.
You think our teeth are rattled canned? We are born that way plus a little natural petina. Give us a kiss
You think our teeth are rattled canned? We are born that way plus a little natural petina. Give us a kiss
Flat out like a lizard drinkin'
- Braehill
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Just watched the newest MM movie the other night and they were spray painting their teeth with Chrome paint. When and if you watch the movie, my comment may or may not be funnier. sorry for my poor attempt at humor.
But back to the criminal panel patchers, that's just bizarre to me. What does welding a patch in a fender that's rusted out have to do with safety or economics. Half the cars I've owned in my life were revived from the scrap yard and pieced back together. I know we've fallen in the rabbit hole but I didn't realize how upside down the rest of the world actually is, wow.
Len
But back to the criminal panel patchers, that's just bizarre to me. What does welding a patch in a fender that's rusted out have to do with safety or economics. Half the cars I've owned in my life were revived from the scrap yard and pieced back together. I know we've fallen in the rabbit hole but I didn't realize how upside down the rest of the world actually is, wow.
Len
Now go melt something.
Instagram @lenny_gforce
Len
Instagram @lenny_gforce
Len
I don't know the detail of the law. Maybe rust patch repair is ok. What they are trying to stop is a like a crunched rear fender being cut off from the attached roof section at the pillar and a new fender welded on. It's been done so badly so often they just pulled the plug on it.
Your humor is ok it's me that's weird. At least that's what my daughter says.
Your humor is ok it's me that's weird. At least that's what my daughter says.
Flat out like a lizard drinkin'
noddybrian
- noddybrian
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Movie had some great stunt work but overall did'nt work for me - agree on the teeth ! - hoped to see more from Ripsaw although all the vehicles were epic ! I also have driven many welded up scrap motors - can't see the problem being a farmer !- but I do wonder why someone would restore a mid 80's rice burner !
- MosquitoMoto
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Used to know a panel shop guy from my home town who was something of an operator.
Decent bloke.
Being in the business, he'd spot a front half of one car that was good to go and a rear half of the same model in good shape and hey presto, some time later he'd have a complete car. It's worth noting that he was a man of integrity so he was always transparent about what was going on, and he also did his work to a high standard, so safety was never compromised.
But the bottom line is that as a sideline he'd create 2 or 3 complete cars for sale each year, all done properly, all on the books. And of course as his daughters came up to driving age, each of them also received a neat little late model car, ready to go.
The reason things have changed is that there were plenty of shady dealers shoddily tacking together two unrelated cars and then selling them off as one car with no mention of any accident history and no focus at all on safety.
Kym
Decent bloke.
Being in the business, he'd spot a front half of one car that was good to go and a rear half of the same model in good shape and hey presto, some time later he'd have a complete car. It's worth noting that he was a man of integrity so he was always transparent about what was going on, and he also did his work to a high standard, so safety was never compromised.
But the bottom line is that as a sideline he'd create 2 or 3 complete cars for sale each year, all done properly, all on the books. And of course as his daughters came up to driving age, each of them also received a neat little late model car, ready to go.
The reason things have changed is that there were plenty of shady dealers shoddily tacking together two unrelated cars and then selling them off as one car with no mention of any accident history and no focus at all on safety.
Kym