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Fibreglass Roof Skin


Best Answer Retroman , 21 November 2017 - 02:05 PM

How ever you do it it won't be easy, but a fiberglass roof will be a huge job, you don't see many of them today. I have seen them bonded and riveted on competition cars but not road cars.
  As they are relatively thick it will be pretty much impossible to hide the join, and probably kill the value of your car.
I too hate sunroofs and would nail every one up.
I think you have 3 choices :-
1   A steel skin which will have the lower flange....the old one can then be cut round just slightly up the curve above the gutter, you then have to grind the whole of the old skin flange off...and its a long way round it will take about (1 1/2 hours) this then gives you the surface to weld the new skin to. It can then retain all the strength and be perfect, it will need sealing all the way round in the gutter after too.
2  A steel plate to fill the hole, carefully cut and welded in. You may be able to curve it very very slightly to the shape of the roof. It can only be a tack welded in one at a time at least an inch apart first time round and then add very small welds to each weld otherwise it will distort both the roof and panel with heat. Its like surgical welding...then it will all need to ground back to flat....then  plenty of filler and time to get it back to the curve of the roof, which is very subtle...

3  If its a hillclimb or sprint machine you could cut round the whole roof leaving about 1 inch of the up curve and bond the skin on, though I would use a carbon skin.
 
I have just done method 1 on a 1972 van, which is even more complicated as the joining seam shows inside at the back half.
 

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#1 Xfitcarper78

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Posted 21 November 2017 - 11:47 AM

Has any body got a photo of fibreglass roof skin of the join to the guttering after fitting foot skin ? Also whats best for the bonding not looking for strength just to cover old sunroof

#2 Retroman

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Posted 21 November 2017 - 02:05 PM   Best Answer

How ever you do it it won't be easy, but a fiberglass roof will be a huge job, you don't see many of them today. I have seen them bonded and riveted on competition cars but not road cars.
  As they are relatively thick it will be pretty much impossible to hide the join, and probably kill the value of your car.
I too hate sunroofs and would nail every one up.
I think you have 3 choices :-
1   A steel skin which will have the lower flange....the old one can then be cut round just slightly up the curve above the gutter, you then have to grind the whole of the old skin flange off...and its a long way round it will take about (1 1/2 hours) this then gives you the surface to weld the new skin to. It can then retain all the strength and be perfect, it will need sealing all the way round in the gutter after too.
2  A steel plate to fill the hole, carefully cut and welded in. You may be able to curve it very very slightly to the shape of the roof. It can only be a tack welded in one at a time at least an inch apart first time round and then add very small welds to each weld otherwise it will distort both the roof and panel with heat. Its like surgical welding...then it will all need to ground back to flat....then  plenty of filler and time to get it back to the curve of the roof, which is very subtle...

3  If its a hillclimb or sprint machine you could cut round the whole roof leaving about 1 inch of the up curve and bond the skin on, though I would use a carbon skin.
 
I have just done method 1 on a 1972 van, which is even more complicated as the joining seam shows inside at the back half.
 

BlQRiQB.jpg  Not got any close up images





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