28 replies to this topic

[The Matt]

Has anyone thought about bonding a new roof skin on ? ,
leave about 25mm rim of the old roof , clean ,prime, and bond on the new (used) roof , if done coectly it should be stronger than welding (they bond plane wings on )
And NO , NO MORE NAILS IS NOT GOOD FOR THIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's how they fit the CF skins in place, so it should be OK for a metal roof too (as long as you use the correct adhesives). I think they leave more like a 3-4" lip rather than 1" though.

[andywaller]

[camp freddy]

HI ,

I work as a coach builder, we bond on aluminium body panels with a bonding agent called 'Sikaflex 552'
it's bloody strong stuff. when we bond on the f/glass fronts, roof and rear panels we also rivet them to keep them in place.

I roof chopped a mini by 41/2 '' once and fitted a complete scrap mini roof skin over the existing skin and welded it on ,but i removed the gutter channel

[paulrockliffe]

Porn! What does one of those cost and how much weight does it save?

[minirun]

Would it not be as easy to get the roof from a scrapper and do the transplant from a couple of inches down the pilars upwards? So no complicated welding, just re-weld the pillars, or am I missing something important?

WOULD THAT NOT WEAKEN THE STRUCTURE OF THE VEHICLE.
WELDING IN THIS WAY WOULD BE SOLID FROM A TOP TO BOTTOM CRUSH BUT THE HEAT TRANSFERED TO THE SURROUNDING STRUCURE WOULD HAVE A DIVERSE EFFECT ON SIDE IMPACT OS ROLLING.

[nostalgic]

remember most of the strengh in a mini is in the roof, you wont know till you turn it over by then it may be to late ,my mate is an ace welder but he would not tackle a mini roof replacement ,my son bought another mini without sun roof ,welding a new panel in over or under the sun roof hole is a job in its self if its to be done properly then seek advice from a pro if they say no way then buy another mini or the webasto might be only other way if done well all ok if not well you dont want to go there just yet
remember look check reserch read study get exprt advice first ,then when you are sure you know whats what go ahead slowly
sorry for being a kill joy but to get this right means staying safe and im a dad its my job good luck

[AVV IT]

remember look check reserch read study get exprt advice first ,then when you are sure you know whats what go ahead slowly
sorry for being a kill joy but to get this right means staying safe and im a dad its my job good luck

As this thread is now 5 years old and hadn't been added two in over two years, I fear your advice may be a little too late in this case!! I'd imagine that if they were going to do it, then they may well have done it by now!!

[Cooperman]

One might assume that the reason for fitting a lightweight roof panel would be to reduce the weight and lower the C of G for racing or other form of motor sport. If that is the case then a proper rollcage will be installed so the roof panel strength will not be an issue.

[DANTOO]

Unclecooperman, you said you've changed your roof. What was I like to do? Do you have any pictures mid job? I assum it's spot welded?

[Dusky]

Was it ever fitted actually? An dhow does it look now?

[Dan]

Unclecooperman, you said you've changed your roof. What was I like to do? Do you have any pictures mid job? I assum it's spot welded?

The roof is roller welded, spotting on a replacement wouldn't be suitable as a repair because it's not to the same standard as original. And it would leak. It needs a continuous weld.

[surfblue]

I want to get rid of my sun roof, i am going to just put a plate on the outside of the car and rivet it on, but you could use the seal and put a sheet of metal in instead of the glass.

Classy! 

[Cooperman]

When I rolled my 'S' on a rally in Wales all it really needed was a new roof skin.

I bought a new skin. Then I removed the head lining fromm above the roll cage. It was not too difficult as it's a Mk.1.

 

Using an air chisel I cut the old roof panel around the gutter edge, but I left the thickness of the skin on the roof surround/mounting flange. Then I ground the old paint off the flange to allow for welding.

 

4 mm holes were drilled every 20 mm around the lip on the new roof panel. To fit the panel onto the flange I had to slightly bend the rear roof gutter back a bit.

 

Then I welded it up, a bit at a time, until all the holes were welded through.

 

A wide grinding disc ground back the welds, with a linisher being used underneath the gutter flange. I then brushed some GRP resin with hardener into the gutter channel and it actually looked just like the original roll-welding. Then primer & old English white top coat, followed by the tartan red under the gutter and just onto the body sides completed the job.

 

It took a day to do it all, plus a further day for paint to dry from the white so that the red could be painted.

[emale75]

When I rolled my 'S' on a rally in Wales all it really needed was a new roof skin.

I bought a new skin. Then I removed the head lining fromm above the roll cage. It was not too difficult as it's a Mk.1.

 

Using an air chisel I cut the old roof panel around the gutter edge, but I left the thickness of the skin on the roof surround/mounting flange. Then I ground the old paint off the flange to allow for welding.

 

4 mm holes were drilled every 20 mm around the lip on the new roof panel. To fit the panel onto the flange I had to slightly bend the rear roof gutter back a bit.

 

Then I welded it up, a bit at a time, until all the holes were welded through.

 

A wide grinding disc ground back the welds, with a linisher being used underneath the gutter flange. I then brushed some GRP resin with hardener into the gutter channel and it actually looked just like the original roll-welding. Then primer & old English white top coat, followed by the tartan red under the gutter and just onto the body sides completed the job.

 

It took a day to do it all, plus a further day for paint to dry from the white so that the red could be painted.

 

Other than the rear gutter, was there any other adjusting to do or does the panel just sit in place? Also take it that it was a heritage panel. Finally take it no other issues have you had to do anything to the GRP resin or is it still doing it job after a bit of weathering?