I am almost ready to patch the roof however i had a question regaurding how i would go about bracing the structure of the roof so that when i weld a patch in it will match the contours and shape of the roof. can this be done by tac welding metal braces along the roof inside the cab to hold the shape while i weld? any input would be great thanks guys.

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The only one I saw getting repaired hada whole new top, cut at the windows front and rear, installed. It seems like a lot of work, but there were no 'warps'.
Jim

 

Yeah most body and shop guys would rather just replace the roof skin thando that because patch welding the sunroof takes bit of time which body fender shops do not have .. i however do

 

I take it that no one is really a body and fenderman on these forums?

 

so you're just trying to patch in that hole? that will be a heck of a job to get the bondo to flow with the roof, but it can be done. first cut out your piece to size, using a piece similar in thickness to the actual sheetmetal on the car. get yourself an air tool that can crimp a bevel into the roof making sure you bevel it DOWN. you should be able to drop your piece right into the bevel. now you will want to shape your piece to match the roof as best as possible. the better you shape it, the less bondo will be needed. once satisfied with the shape, you'll want to clamp it in place (good luck w/ that) and place tack welds pretty far apart. too much heat in one place will warp the metal. a good rule of thumb is to keep a cool rag surrounding the area you're welding. again, keep your tacks far apart and allow time for the metal to cool, and keep rewetting the rag. tack weld the entire piece in completely to ensure a good solid penetration. you will not be able to run a long weld, so dont even try it; just use tacks. when finished, grind down your welds (they wont be pretty at all, but that's ok) then do your bondo work on the entire roof to ensure a smooth flow. let me know if you have any questions.

take your time and do it right, dont rush it.

 

I do not think i will have a problem welding it in there. My problem is that when the sunroof was installed they had to use some kind of pressure tool to get the first incission into the roof as a result the hole it is warped on the side the incission was made i just would like to know how i can go about bracing the structure to getthe proper curve back so it doesnt look like sh#t.

 

I had the sunroof filled on a 66 I owned about 12 years ago. The body man cut a hole out of a junk mustang and welded the patch in place. He did a great job and I couldn't even tell he replaced it, even from the inside. I would not attempt it unless you are very capable though. He filled it for $400 bucks! I know that was a while back and in Idaho so I felt it was very reasonable. One more thing, you will need the headliner bows from a donor car as well.

 

Yeah i have a very skilled welder working with me he has ran all kinds mig tig stick oxy sodered with melted cheese ect... I will have no problem making it look good its just that when i took the sunroof glass out the shape of the hole is all fubared and warped and it looks like i will be (welding braces) to hold the shape while the welding gets done

 

im a body man its gonna be a very time consuming task just go very slowly and make sure to get some heat sink gel to help keep the surround metal cool id use metal 2 metal for the filler
technically the correct repair would be to replace the entire roof panel but i dont think thats the route your wanting to go.