Roof repair
 

I have a '76 F100 with rust/holes above the door along the rain gutter and forward towards the windshield. I haven't taken the windshield out yet to see how bad things are under the rubber.
I want to replace this section of roof but to be honest, welding the roof scares me. I think it would buckle way to easy and any body filler used might also lift if I ever lean on the roof for whatever reason.
Does anyone have any tips on doing this? Would it be easier to replace the whole roof?
I'll try and get some pic's loaded to show the extent of the rust.
Thanx

I would just about bet your cab under the upper windshield gasket on the driver side is bad too. A person handy with a mig welder could weld in good metal to replace the holy metal. Metal donated from another 70's ford cab in the same area would work best, because the natural contour/bend of it would fit yours. That would be a lot easier than replacing a whole roof. If is so badly rusted that the roof needs replaced, I would think the cab corners are probaly rusty too, and then a total cab replacement might just be easier than all the patching. good luck to you, all jmo

Thanks Greg, I have a mig welder and I am getting better at welding but I am not a proffessional. Just self taught.
I managed to take a few pics. As you can see things don't look so good and I think I'll find a couple more holes under the windshield rubber. My cab corners are ok put if I don't stop the leaks I will lose my floors soon.
My initial intention was just to replace the drip rail section from the drip rail up to the contour crease where the roof goes horizontal. I managed to find a decent roof at wreckers. It was the best one I could find and when I removed the windshield I found holes that weren't visible when I first looked at it.

Now I'm thinking, it may be easier to patch up and prep the donor roof in the garage and then put the whole skin on. This way I could hide most of the welds. How easy is it to "peel" the skin off? I don't want to completely hack off my roof at the A pillars like I did to the donor truck.
Any suggestions or tips would be appreciated.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...oid=83914&.jpg
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...oid=83915&.jpg

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...oid=83916&.jpg

NEW Roof. I'm not too thrilled about the lights but I might grow to like the look since you don't see too many on an F100.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...oid=83917&.jpg

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...oid=83918&.jpg

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...oid=83922&.jpg

Wow Fp, that is more rust than I thought, I wish I had better news to tell you. It looks like your donor roof skin is not too solid either, and would need good metal put in above the windshield too. This project is way above my skill level to try to talk you through. A person does have to be careful when dealing with weakened door and windsheild pillars, because in accidents or on rough terrain, they take a lot of stress from twisting...


If that donor roof had GOOD metal on the whole top, I would say it would be worth trying to graft in on your cab ( and at that ,it would be a MAJOR job to keep all of your pillars and door headers in alignment) . It also looks like your truck has some weakened windshield pillars from the leaking too. Sorry guy, it looks like from the pics that you will be putting rusty metal on to rusty metal, a tuff job. If you have the patience and time, you may make it work out though. If it were my truck and I did not want to part with it, I would keep looking for a good cab to drop on to my engine /chassis. good luck to you , all jmo

On edit: Regarding the drop on a another cab type advice. If I recall correctly, I think in a lot of states the cab has a VIN that needs to match the frame stamp. So that law complicates swapping cabs, and a person would not want to do that and build a illegal truck. Even if it is not a issue in the owners state at the time of the swap, it may get sold later to another state. Check on the legal issues of that to be safer than sorry .


ps. Like I said, if you have the welding skills, time and patience, go for it. It will be a learning experience not soon forgotten. And if you get good at it, you might fill a void in the truck body restore industry , and end up a millionaire ! Have fun :)

Last time I saw a good cab for sale, it wasn't cheaphttp://campaigns.ford-trucks.net/for...cons/icon9.gif. They are hard to come by here in he rust belt so they are imported from the southern states.

Maybe I should start importing rust free parts, become a millionare and PAY someone to fix my truck! Hmmm......http://campaigns.ford-trucks.net/for...ons/icon12.gif

I'll make a couple of calls and find out what a cab costs but it sure seems like a lot of work. Don't think it's a job that can be done in a weekend unless I get a lot of help and more than a few beers. Could make for interesting results!

This was a bud's of mine.. ended up with a new roof from a donor truck.. needed a new cab, floor damage and major structural rust..

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...oid=84205&.jpg
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...oid=84208&.jpg
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...oid=84209&.jpg
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...oid=84212&.jpg
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...oid=84214&.jpg

It can be done with the right measurements, and taking ur time, thou this isnt something id suggest somebody with minimal welding ability do..