Quote:
Originally Posted by HAULIN' IT
Im thinking you misunderstood what I have suggested. What I was referring to is to use a metal bonding adhesive & glue the piece in...not doing any welding at all. That way you can't/won't have any warping issues. The backer is to sit the patch on so it fits flush with the original Roof
I look at it this way, years ago someone made a mess by drilling the hole & then tightening down the antenna, raising up the area around it with the little bar/foot (Im guessing was the reason for you to cut the bigger hole?)...you didnt help matters by welding in the square cornered patch. Without cutting some inner cab away to properly work the weld area, the whole thing is going to be a compromise at best. The middle of a Roof (or Hood) is NOT the place to learn/practice...get something stuck in there to keep the water out & move on.
You may see a "ghost line" around you patch under certain light being the sun heat will be beating on it some, but the outcome for the situation (no access, somewhat limited tools & knowledge) I feel its the best answer. Like I said earlier, Ive done several antenna holes (Roof & Trunks) just like what you had starting out without a problem. A couple I just tapped down a bit & glued a piece on top. NOT Robert-like, but for a 6 or 8 year old ex-police car...it works real well
If its something you have interest in, I can go into detail of how to prep the parts, ect for the best results. My intentions are not to be-little your efforts or ability, just being a realist with the situation. Lorne
|
Thanks, I did misunderstand your initial post about using the metal bond, I was thinking this was for backer-only and not the actual install of the patch. you are also correct that I cut a larger square (d'oh!) due to the dimple around the original antenna hole. I could have gotten away with a 1.5"circle if I hadn't stacked mistakes to this point.
I have not looked into the metal adhesive up to this point, and havent heard of it to be honest (did I say I was ignorant yet?). I must say I am a bit skeptical of a product like this but do like the idea of avoiding this issue altogether. Is there a drawback to the metal adhesive? is there a risk this bond will break in 10 years and I will have a major issue? I do need to look into this in more detail.
One additional option I thought about was to take hybrid approach to the recommendations so far: I could cut this circular patch as precise as possible and weld in as clean and slow as possible and cross fingers/hope/pray there is no warping. If there is warping, I could cut a square out of the inside roof liner to get a dolly behind it if needed and properly correct the warping. I could then metal adhesive the roof patch back in place, and put a headliner in the truck to cover the patch since there are some grooves in this metal here I could never clean up to look 100%.
I'm still mulling this over and thinking through the advice so far before taking any action - please keep comments and advice coming, thanks everyone for the help.