'68 roof swap help.

[K9COP]

Hi again guys, I keep getting excellent answers, so keep coming back..

The roof panel on my (vinyl top) '68 is hsot, shot , shot!

I've found a new roof, but the understructure on mine is good.

QUESTION IS: Do I just cut through the pillars, or do I unpick the sheet metal and weld it to the existing under structure?

Thanks

Cayman Sublime

[tan top]

if it were me doing this i would carefully un pick you rotted existing roof & inspect the inner frame of the roof for rust , then carefully   un pick the new roof skin , i try to replace the panel as if it was a part from mopar .be carefull  handling the roof skin is very thin & will easily get out of shape plan on a few helpers 

got any more pictures so i can have a look 

[K9COP]

Tan top.. of the roof or the car as a whole?

[tan top]

any of the roof / out side & in side   just so i can have a look at how bad the roof is  ,           yeah  post a picture of   the whole car  also   

[daytonalo]

I did a roof swap on my daytona clone . The easiest way would have been to cut the a pillars and c-pillars and slide them into each other and weld it . The problem I had was my inner struc was not rusty , but the new roof had a rusty inner struc . I decided to cut one inch from all sides and flanged just the skin  in and welded it and did body work . Just my two cents . Larry

[K9COP]

Here we go..

[tan top]

looks a nice charger from the bottom  picture.  if it were me i would not start cutting the roof until you get the replacement one , as then you can see how much metal has been left on .

[K9COP]

Here's my replacement..

[bill440rt]

if it were me doing this i would carefully un pick you rotted existing roof & inspect the inner frame of the roof for rust , then carefully   un pick the new roof skin , i try to replace the panel as if it was a part from mopar .be carefull  handling the roof skin is very thin & will easily get out of shape plan on a few helpers 

got any more pictures so i can have a look 

I'm with tan top on this one. Cut out your old roof leaving the inner structure braces intact. Inspect them for any problem rust damage. If there is just minor surface rust, hit it with a wire brush & POR-15 them Be sure to leave any roof contact/weld areas clean bare metal for welding.
If your inner structure is good, proceed by separating the replacement roof skin at the factory spot welds. Clean up the weld areas with a grinder, & weld carefully.

If you're worried about warpage, you could always bond the roof on with 3M bonding adhesive. Super strong stuff, will be less tedious work vs welding. It will also prevent future rust-out, especially since you're going over it with a vinyl top. Auto manufacturers are using this stuff to bond roofs on full size vans, it should work fine on your Charger.

[K9COP]

Thank you, thank you , thank you guys.

What is POR-15?

Like the idea of bonding it on, maybe a combination of both?

I've had another look at the understructure today, and it's rock solid. I can't wait to get started on it. I'm sourcing parts to order up and my shipper in Miami is consolidating them into a crate for me. I'm after floor pans, trunk pans, rear 1/4's, rims, and various trim bits. I've found most parts I need, but the roof is the important part, which seemed to be most rare.

[K9COP]

Do I have to go vinyl again?

Here's my replacement..

[Charger-Bodie]

Do I have to go vinyl again?

no there is no reason you HAVE to put a vinyl top back on and i wouldnt but thats just my opinion

[hemi-hampton]

I just put a roof on a 69 Dart. Heres my Donor Roof. I'll post another Picture & explain. LEON.

[hemi-hampton]

Heres The Dart I did, I would suggest just removing the top skin, not the whole roof. To do this take a Cresent wrench & bend the Lip down flat on edge of roof where drip rail chrome used to be. Then you'll see this area is full of Factory Caulk. Remove/scrape away this Factory Caulk. Then you'll see all the Factory Spot Welds under this. Remove these spot welds using a Blair Spot weld cutter, or drill, or cut off wheel, ect, ect. Then remove spot welds along front & rear window Channels. Then pull out your Butane Torch & melt away the Factory Lead at rear Pillar. Heat & then scrape with a Putty Knife. Then remove these welds. Repeat method on other roof then switched the tops/skins. Use a Caulk under roof as factory did at the 2 support beams. Use 2 people to remove/switch as you dont want flimsy roof to bend. Glue or Weld down. Call it Done. Have fun, Good Luck. LEON.

[K9COP]

hemi-hampton, I'd appreciate any info you can pass on to help me.. how did you do yours?

Wasn't sure about the vinyl roof, but the Sublime colour (which I appreciate is a 1970 colour) is, I think, going to be vulnerable to the sun, so figured the vinyl would cut down on the horizontal surfaces in the sun..

[hemi-hampton]

Bend the lip/edge on Donor roof but do not repeat this on the non donor car as you dont want this bent. LEON.

[hemi-hampton]

Caymen sublime, Read my previous post on method I used. LEON.

[K9COP]

Hemi-hampton, guess we were typing at the same time. Nice job, thank you very much.

CaymanSublime

[hemi-hampton]

Yeah, looks like we were typing at same time. A Air Chisel will come in handy on some certain tough spots. I welded this Darts Particular roof on but Gluing would/could have been a possiblity & I considered it but Boss did not like that Idea. After All said & done cars roof looked Original & nobody would ever know it's been replaced. Dont forget to replace the Caulk on edge before painting. LEON.

[K9COP]

Tell me more about the caulk please. What is it, where to source it?

Thanks

[hemi-hampton]

Theres lots of different caulk & lots of different methods of applying. I use 3m body seam sealer in a caulk gun. Forgot the #. Many different #'s & colors. Best to ask your auto paint supplier whats best for your purpose. Your only caulking edge of roof on outside to cover up spot welds like factory did. Put Masking tape on drip rail, them masking tape on roof with a 3/4 " between the 2 tape lines. Then put in your caulk from Caulk gun. Then I like to brush it with a brush thats been dipped in Laquer thinner. This smooths the caulk out & gives a more factory look. If a big build up at tape line edge then brush once more after tape removed to smooth edges. As for support beams under roof best to ask Paint supply whats best as if you ask 10 different people you'll get 10 different answers. LEON.

[K9COP]

Cool, thanks Leon. Fancy a week in the Cayman Islands to do the sheet metal?

[bill440rt]

If you're not going to do a vinyl top, then I would weld it on & not use the bonding adhesive. They recommend that you do not use it on an exposed exterior seam. The glue has different expansion & contraction properties vs steel. It works great around wheelhouses, rockers, rear body panels, etc.
If you do go with a vinyl top, I'd recommend the glue over welding for the corrosion resistance properties.