Hello,
I have been doing some research on the forum regarding cab roof repairs and I have not found much. I hate to ask a question that has already been answered but at the risk of doing so, here goes.
I just picked up a really nice 100% original 52 F3 from the original owner and truck has amazing patina but the cab roof is pushed in. The easy fix is to just simply replace the cab, but I am looking to maintain the patina and clear the truck so a different cab would look silly. Has anyone successfully fixed a pushed in roof? Any if so any tips?

 

It really depends on how caved in it is.

If it's just pushed down in the middle, it might pop back up. There would be some kinking around the edges, but it might not be that bad.

If it's really caved in with a lot of kinking and stretching of the metal shell, it would be difficult to push back up, and not look very good.

Some pictures would help tremendously in determining which end of the spectrum your truck is in.

 

Pictures would help.

 

I tried adding a picture not sure if it worked

 

That doesn't look bad.
Perhaps some sand bags, couple of pieces of plywood, a bottle jack and a good deal of patience can erase about 80% of that dent...maybe more?
Tom

 

That truck does have some nice patina.....

 

The other side has a nice fad to it

 

What I meant to say was fade...lol

 

I agree with Tom. That's not all that bad.

If you get it to pop back up it's going to leave a kink all the way around the "rim" of the "crater." But I think it can be repaired a whole lot easier than replacing the cab. Even in a worse case, if you have to do some body and paint work, you can artificially stress the paint and make it look better than trying to get a replacement cab to match the doors and the rest of the truck.

Nice find, by the way. And from the original owner.

 

Do you have to "clear" it? I always find those cleared patina trucks look funny. And it's a long bed too! Awesome truck.

 

I agree. Not too bad and definitely repairable. There are quite a few videos on YouTube about "paintless" hot and cold dent repair" that should minimize the damage to the patina. Here is one:
The process seems to work better on large dents.

 

I wonder if the size of the roof and gauge of the metal would make this a case a challenge for the technique.

Tom's approach would be worth a try. I would want to protect the floor of the cab with some stout wood and use a floor jack as my push. With a couple sets of hands -or enough wood cribbing, that dent should respond quickly to the pressure.

 

I think the results will depend a lot on how much work you put into the set up. I'm no expert but I think I'd try getting a long stiff bit of timber (length of the dent) and shaping it with the contour you want to achieve. Then use that as a die and jack it into shape. You may need more than one jack. My worry would be that trying to press that much metal would put too much strain on the floor section so be careful. The dent went in so it will come out. Be interested to see what happens with it. Good luck.

Edit - pineconeford's idea of using sandbags is a good shout.

 

I have repaired many roofs that were in far worse shape than that one with good results. What works for me is to work around the edges of the dent...reach in under the roof and push up on the dented area while gently tapping with a flat faced body hammer (or better a slap hammer if you have one) on the raised rim of the dented area. The gentle tapping down on the raised area will encourage the lower area to move upward and leave very little in the way of rippling in the metal. Some light hammer and dolly work later is all that is needed.
As for PDR (paintless dent repair)...this technique is designed to be used on high strength metals due to the way that this metal will return to its original state with the appropriate "coaxing". High strength metal was first used in automobiles in the early 70's...this was the point of time when we all saw the new cars get "cheaper", "thinner", "not as strong" because the sheet metal was now thinner and harder. Old timers had a tough time working this sheet metal because the old techniques didn't work as well on the HS steel. You could also say that this was the beginning of the age of bondo...if you can't work the metal back to straight then fill in the low spots and call it a day.

 

So, metal bumping works even for dents that deep, Charlie? Good to know.