Roof patch causing warp / oil canning

[ItWillBeSlow]

Originally Posted by MP&C

Are those holes more accessible from the inside of the cab (underside) any better than the topside? If you find yourself blowing holes try more wire feed speed and less time on trigger pull..

Another option would be to get a small piece of copper pipe and trim/bend to fit snugly to the area of the pin holes. Then weld to fill the holes using copper as a backer.

Another option would be to cut out the area and weld in a new piece. While you are at this stage it would be a shame to not get all of it fixed with metal/weld while it's accessible (before the roof skin goes on).

Thanks Robert. I was able to do this from the bottom/inside. I hadn't thought of the pipe idea, that probably would have saved some headache. I was able to get it done finally.

The two pinholes to the right I was able to weld from the top side, with some copper as a backer on the interior. They filled very nicely.

I put this aside for a week due to work and am getting back to it this week. I hope to primer the new skin and top of the cab this week and get to the skin install by the next week or so.

[mongocanfly]

Well..the spot blaster didnt "create" the holes...it just uncovered them....
It's looking good ..!!!

[ItWillBeSlow]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Well..the spot blaster didnt "create" the holes...it just uncovered them....
It's looking good ..!!!

I agree with this assessment

[ItWillBeSlow]

Today I shot some SPI epoxy primer on the inside of my new skin, and the top of my cab.

I had some fisheye/solvent pop/??? in the thicker spots on my first coat. Was this due to me laying it on too thick? See pictures. Overall it looks very nice. This was my first time shooting actual paint materials through an HVLP gun (Devilbiss FLG4). This was a good practice run for future primer-ing.

I hope to get the new skin installed within the next week.

[theastronaut]

That's normal, SPI doesn't like to go on very wet on the first coat. I still forget and do that from time to time

[ItWillBeSlow]

Got my new skin installed last week. About 50 spot welds on the front and sides, and 3M panel bond on the rear seam. Install and fitment went well.

I tested the panel bond on a couple pieces of scrap, about 1 square inch bonded together. I could not separate the pieces without risking an injury. I was able to get it started, and about half way through the separation stopped. After the small test patch I feel pretty confident in the quality of the bond on the rear seam.

Thanks to Lorne for some additional tips and tricks for using the panel bond. I have about 40-50 hours of work from start to finish in this whole project. Technically speaking, this was no harder than some rocker panels. I appreciate all the comments and feedback in this thread.

[MP&C]

Looks good!!

[nsb29]

That panel bond is tuff stuff I was totally amazed when I did my test trying to separate the two pieces and could only rip the metal. looks good it also sealed your seem I think if I ever did a roof I would consider panel bond all the way around especially on the earlier models like my 65 that way you wouldn’t be relying strictly on seam sealer

[Mike_The_Grad]

3 years to the day and almost same hour as the last post in this amazing thread. Sorry it took so long for someone to come along and share their experience with patching the outer roof skin vs. Replacing the entire panel. I had bad rusted pitted holes along both side outer roof skin on my 72 c10. I didn't have the money for a full replacement panel. And I was able to connect with another member here that only used part of a complete roof skin. I was able to get both sides above the door about 6 inches wide from front to back of cab sent to me for only the cost of shipping. It isn't an easy way to repair or even a good looking way to repair the roof skin. Which is probably why you won't or don't see very many people attempt this repair by patching into the existing roof skin. I may have to bite the bullet and rip the entire roof skin off if I'm not able to get a acceptable finish with body filler and body work. But whatever, it's my truck. Ha ha. Just as with my engine work, if the truck runs great, it's because of me. If it runs like crap, it's because of me. No one else to point the finger at. That's my attitude with my truck. If it looks great, that's me. If it doesn't, that's me. Anyways. Here are some pictures that only confirm everything Robert has been saying throughout this entire thread. The man knows what he is talking about. I'm really glad there are people like him on this website that contribute concise, truthful experiences.

[Mike_The_Grad]

Some more pictures of the roof skin patch on my 72 c10