Rampant frustration rant - warning, bodywork content

So Lemons might happen in May,but only if I and my garage can be made available. So I get to work on the truck restoration. I figure I have a few weeks to make solid progress, and my youngest is sleeping now, maybe I can get some work done. All that is left is the rockers, the lower behind-the-tire area of one side of the bed, the cab corners and that's it. Then it can be painted and put back together. So I get to work on the roof, making sure it was ready, since that's where I left off - shaving the drip rails and all. So I sand for a few hours, and it looks perfect. Really really nice, especially since this is my first bodywork job. So I go on.. wait, what's this? Hmm...

A little crack, about 3-5" long near a transition area where the roof got smaller due to the shaved drip rail in the front. So I get out the mig and stitch it up. It eats away a lot of metal - very thin here. No biggie, I cut out a 5" long by 1" wide patch, and stitch it in. ::THUNK:: Wha?

That's right, I made a tin can. I got a big divot about 6 " north of where I was. OK, what now? My retarded brain decides that it tin canned because it's got too much metal there, and nowhere else to go (mostly correct) so I should cut an X in it to shrink it up and then stitch the thing closed.

Time to go inside.

Bad day at work - wife doesn't like me that much, to the garage!

So, about 5 X's later, I am looking for a new roof panel and wondering how I got here with a simple little crack. I shaved the whole drip rail and reshaped the roof for it, no problem, but this stupid little crack has me licked, and it's going to mean no Lemons in May because of my stupid inability to control scope creep and thin, three dimensionally curved sheet metal.

Sorry - had to vent. On the other hand, if anyone knows Chip Foose personally and feels like sending him over, I'll make dinner.

-Brian

Couple of spot welds, hammer and dolly, couple of spots, hammer and dolly............

I can't even get under it because of the double roof panel - it has sheet steel panels, inner and outer, with between 1" and 1/8" of air and insulation between them!

Time for a convertible truck?

Joey

Trans_Maro wrote:

It's a start

your best bet at this point may be to make new panels to replace the damaged ones. Depending on the curves involved it may be easier to weld up multiple pieces to replace the edges. .

I am sourcing a new outer roof panel from a rotten cab as we speak. This time, I'll flange the edges of my cab and glue the new panel in, rather than heat it at all. I did a ton of work removing the drip rail and getting rid of the cab seam, so I'd rather not chop it all off now. Besides, the actual work to reshape the section of roof directly over the windshield to fit the new profile with no drip rail worked out perfectly - just this darn crack near the middle boogered everything up.

That's an even better idea. We used some glue from 3M that worked great for sticking panels together.

Wally, got a link?

I think this is the stuff we used, I was pretty much just an extra set of hands while my friend glued some patch panels tp his father's van. He flanged them like you said and stuck them on. He lined up all the seams with the vans trim so it looked like new with some paint

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/3MAutomotive/Aftermarket/Products/Product-Catalog/?PC_7_RJH9U5230GE3E02LECFTDQCEK3_nid=GSNCT3JT87gsNGQGZXQ0C5glQ4QF5QHMX1bl"

bad link? It ends in a "..."

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/3MAutomotive/Aftermarket/Products/Product-Catalog/?PC_7_RJH9U5230GE3E02LECFTDQCEK3_nid=GSNCT3JT87gsNGQGZXQ0C5glQ4QF5QHMX1bl

f-ing brilliant - thanks man

Get a copper backing spoon behind it and you won't blow through so easily.

In reply to motomoron:

"I can't even get under it because of the double roof panel - it has sheet steel panels, inner and outer, with between 1" and 1/8" of air and insulation between them! "

Oh, dude. Well in that case you're berkeleyed.

the Eastwood flange pliers make a sorta-flange. It's a good piece, but I don't think the flange is quite deep enough for the 19 gauge steel. I may have to persuade it a bit with a body hammer...