Gooner

Hey all,

The previous owner of my 1971 cutlass shaved the drip rails on the roof. Looked nice at first but I think they did a poor job because now the roof is starting to separate at that seam which is obviously no good and has also compromised the paint in that area. Thoughts on what a body shop might charge to sand down the ruined paint and fix the rails to keep the roof together? No need to estimate paint as a full respray is to follow.

Thanks!

joe_padavano

The factory installed the roof panel by spot welding it to the drip rails, then brushing seam sealer over the joint. Since this was hidden down in the drip rail, esthetics were not a big concern. When you shave the drip rails, you need to weld that entire seam closed. Sounds like the previous shop did not do this. Correct repairs won't be cheap. The amount of pain depends on how half-fast the prior job really was. No way to tell without an in-person inspection.

stan 65 cutlass

welding the roof means alot of the interior needs to be removed or protected

joe_padavano

It also means the welder needs to have enough skill to not oil-can the roof from excess heat.

VI Cutty

...and you need to find a shop or side guy willing to take the job on...

If you take it for quotes, you might get some rather high ones which translate to "We don't really want to do this job but if you pay us enough we'll think about it..."

Gooner

After doing some more research, what is the thought on using some sort of panel bonding adhesive for the separating areas and then grinding smooth? Seems this is how they do modern cars (spot welds and panel adhesive)... so maybe an option? There is more than enough good weld still to keep everything mostly together, just about 6 inches separating at this point.

Anyone have any experience with anything like that?

61Bat

I would say that it needs to be welded, maybe tig welded and done in small increments to prevent warpage. Also remember there is a thin layer of insulation between the layers of metal that is flammable.

joe_padavano

Panel bonding adhesive works when the joint is designed for adhesive, the surfaces are completely clean, and the metal is properly primed with an epoxy primer. How much of that applies to your application?

61Bat

^ Agreed. You are not bonding two flat surfaces together but rather it is a "butt seam" which will be inherently week unless welded. There is very little surface area for an adhesive to bond together.

Gooner

Sounds like I need to learn to weld!

Process seems like a bunch of spot welds done slowly... instead of a line. How hard is it to do that type of spot welding without messing anything up?

Lonnies Performance

This is not a good place to learn welding technique. It is very easy to warp the roof & cause countless hours of body work to correct.

If the car is worth fixing, do your best to get a professional to fix it.