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My 1978 f150 has a cab visor and a bad windshield seal. The result was a bunch of rot behind the windshield. Any recommendations on how to go about this? It will be fixed as I don’t have another cab, just a Bronco with the same section that is not rusted out
Wow you got your hands full there. It would be nice to have a donor but if not, you will have to cut it all out and grafted in a fab piece. How are the rain gutters and the door jams pillars ?
The parts which definitely need replaced/patched are the roof panel and the interior metal header panel. It's possible that the rot got into the interior A-pillars where the visors bolt up.
If you can fabricate and weld, you can fix that. Others have fixed rust in that spot. There are a few threads on that here.
You could also replace the roof chop-top style, just without shortening the pillars.
My truck was rusted like that, but I was lucky enough to find a cab the same color.
And if you're near Ohio, I have an extra roof from when I though I was going to repair my old cab.
I had to replace spots in mine. I cut out the rusted sections, cut sheet metal and once tacked I welded the 90 degree corner shut. Since it is curved you really cant bend a 90 degree corner and get to far. Good thing is that it doesnt have to be pretty since the gasket will cover it all.
If you have a metal shop in your area that has a sheet metal brake machine , you could feasible get a long enough piece an have them bend it and then cut out the rot and work in the new piece as it will mold into position with some massaging and do a small overlap weld to roof skin and depending on how good the lower edge is after you remove the top layer you should be able to tack it back in place like it was originally done , its a job but I would attempt that , unless you have a donor to cut it out of
If you are adventurous you can buy an English wheel at Harbor Freight for under $300 and roll your own. Start with something easy and bendy like roof flashing and work your way up. A shop with the correct bending brake will probably charge at least $300 for the job anyway.
If you are adventurous you can buy an English wheel at Harbor Freight for under $300 and roll your own. Start with something easy and bendy like roof flashing and work your way up. A shop with the correct bending brake will probably charge at least $300 for the job anyway.
I had to replace spots in mine. I cut out the rusted sections, cut sheet metal and once tacked I welded the 90 degree corner shut. Since it is curved you really cant bend a 90 degree corner and get to far. Good thing is that it doesnt have to be pretty since the gasket will cover it all.
Originally Posted by 72rtchallenger
If you have a metal shop in your area that has a sheet metal brake machine , you could feasible get a long enough piece an have them bend it and then cut out the rot and work in the new piece as it will mold into position with some massaging and do a small overlap weld to roof skin and depending on how good the lower edge is after you remove the top layer you should be able to tack it back in place like it was originally done , its a job but I would attempt that , unless you have a donor to cut it out of
Originally Posted by HoustonDave
If you are adventurous you can buy an English wheel at Harbor Freight for under $300 and roll your own. Start with something easy and bendy like roof flashing and work your way up. A shop with the correct bending brake will probably charge at least $300 for the job anyway.
You don't need the wheel you need Shrinker/Stretcher to work a 90* sheet metal that was bent with a brake.
I did just that on another project I bent the sheet metal on a home made brake.
Then put it thru the Shrinker/Stretcher to fit the bottom of the glass opening.
What is hard to see in the pictures is it is a compound bend. It sweeps back and down so both sides of the metal strip had to be worked.
I did it in 2 pieces for ease to work the parts. I would do the same for that roof fix.
It also was not rust, I am flush mounting the front & back glass and this is a filler panel so I have a 1/8" gap all the way around the glass.
The A pillars were easy as they are straight pieces cut & filed to fit.
Dave ----
ps: that was the first time I ever used a Shrinker/Stretcher was not hard.
Sheet metal work isn’t as bad as it may appear. Watch a few videos on spotwelding techniques. Cut out the rot; no more than necessary though. Drill out the old spot welds. Shape some fresh metal (you can do most of it in a vise). If you have to do 6 - 8 inches at a time to accommodate the curve. get some blending wheels for your grinder. and spray some weld thru primer where the metal overlaps to prevent it from happening again. Even a novice can make an effective functional repair for that. Body fill any dimples or pits but that should be light.
