My attempt at inner roof rust repair

[yfs200p]

Well, i dove in head first to the inner roof of my cab today, but i don't have enough time to finish it before the Super Bowl. So i figured i'd put up a couple pics and maybe get some constructive criticism or helpful ideas from guys who have done this before.
There were only 2 spots rusted through on either side, and one or 2 small pinholes, but i cut out way more than that to be safe. Rather than taking the outer roof skin off, (20,000 spot welds to drill out) i decided to POR-15 as much as i could, in hopes that it would drastically slow down or stop the rust inside.
I have never done any auto body and very little welding before this truck, so please if someone notices something obvious that im doing wrong, dont hesitate to say it!
Stay tuned for more pictures this week.

Heres what I started with, 2 small pieces cut out to get a better view inside.



Then cut out 2 larger sections, leaving the middle intact. I did this because i think splitting the patch in 2 will make it easier than trying to keep monkeying that long piece in and out for fitment. Also, the middle stays welded in so the roof doesn't get out of whack.



Here are the old pieces laid out on the new panel, getting ready to cut them out. That will be another day this week, it takes some courage to put the knife to a $100 piece. (I cut it three times and its still too short!!)



Then i taped a paint brush to a really long flathead screwdriver and POR'd as best i could inside the roof, taking extra care to really put alot on the seams to keep the rust from advancing. It looked pretty clean for the most part, but there was some scale building up inside. I also slopped some on the front, where the windshield seal covers.



\

Now the easy part is over, and one night this week i will work on patching it back up. Off to watch the NY Football Giants put a whooping on the Patriots!

[blkcorvair]

looks good. That was the one panel I am glad I didnt have to do. It scares me!

when you weld you new one in make small tack welds like 4"-6" apart along the seem and let it cool than make tack welds right next to all of those. Be patient. If you rush the welds it will warp.

[trev1]

Sometimes you just got to give it he$# and see what you end up with. Thats what I did and it turned out ok. never know until you do!!!!

Looks good so far.

Good luck!

[yfs200p]

Thanks guys... should be able to get back into it tonight after work

[Gobbles]

Is it safe to weld metal that has a backside covered in POR15? Just curious, im looking at a similar situation. Are there any weird fumes? I don'have a welding respirator so these things come to mind.

[yfs200p]

Originally Posted by Gobbles

Is it safe to weld metal that has a backside covered in POR15? Just curious, im looking at a similar situation. Are there any weird fumes? I don'have a welding respirator so these things come to mind.

Not too sure about that. I just use a 3M dust mask, i figure its better than nothing.

Well i got it half done today after work. i must have fitted that piece in there 900 times, but it came out pretty good in the end. It will be getting skimmed with filler anyway, so any imperfections should be hidden. Welding overhead is an absolute PITA, i caught my sweatshirt on fire and got some small burns but i guess just add it to the list of things this truck owes me. I ended up not using the center of the patch panel, as my truck is a '72, and it doesn't have the raised mount for the rear view mirror. Tomorrow will be more grinding and hopefully tightening up the passenger side.

Here is the custom made '72 non-mirror mount






Left over patch panel... For sale $50, thats half off!

[blkcorvair]

wow looks great so far!

[DanSan c 10]

good for you. I have some rust to deal with on mine.I have Never done it before.

[yfs200p]

Well i was out of town for the weekend, so i didnt get to work on the truck very much. But i did end up getting the passenger side welded in. I monkeyed with the piece for a long time before finally cutting it in 2 pieces. It worked out really well for getting it to fit nice in the corner. Just need to grind it smooth now. I have to say that overall, this job was no harder than any other panel replacement. I think people are scared off by the location of it, but it wasnt too bad at all, and half of it will be covered by the windshield seal.

Some Pictures, kinda crappy quality; i need better lighting in my garage.

[old Chevy guy]

I was looking for some advice on this very subject but didnt get any feedback. How was the quality of the repair panel? Did it fit up good overall? where did you buy it from and do you know who manafacterd it? Looks like you did a pretty good job,this is one of the last areas to fix on my replacement cab. Advice appreciated Thanks

[bcutt]

Nice job, it came out good!

[Achevytruck]

i was woundering if any one fix this and i have seen alot of trucks have the rust in that spot and dose tri plus make that part

[yfs200p]

The fitment was pretty good on this piece for me, but then again i didnt use very much of it. It definitely took some patience to get it to sit right up in the corner where it meets the top of the door jamb. I found it best to cut the corner piece off, and fit that in separately from the rest of it, hence the seam in the right hand patch. I could get the corner to fit nice, then the left side wouldnt fit great, then get the left to sit nice, and the corner was screwed up. And so on. So finally i just cut it and it really worked out well. Also, i wouldnt go crazy worrying about the lower seam, since the windshield rubber will hide most of that. Ill be ordering up some body filler and other stuff tomorrow through my shop at work, and hoping to make it look like it was never touched.... (Hopefully).

I got my piece from LMC a while back, but that was before i was privy to giving my business to board vendors. GMCPauls and any other place that sells patch panels will have it, i recommend going through one of them. Mine was made by KeyParts (triPlus); not sure how many suppliers are making them.

[Curt's_72]

Great job! Lot's of work there. I had similar rust and used the same panel. Mine was a Key Parts piece from TriPro. I think they're out of business, though.

We chose to laminate after grinding. My truck will spend it's life (as long as I own it) inside, so I wasn't too concerned with the rust coming back.

I figured the issues were brought from the seam sealer deteriorating and allowing moisture in.

I've attached pictures of our experience.

Good luck with you restoration, BTW. I'll be following!

[yfs200p]

Got the first coat of body filler on today. For the first coat, i'm using a product called duraglas, its a body filler with fiberglass in it. It was recommended to me by a friend in the auto body business. He said its good for covering up welds. Then the bondo i'll be using on top of that is made by evercoat. Its not an easy place to be spreading and sanding, your arms get tired holding the DA overhead.

[shawno72]

Lookin good man.
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