[lowROLLERchevy]

oh exactly .... i myself would actulay take ALL of the donor windsheild posts and use them whole ..... id actualy take part of the flat cowl section too so i could use that for alignment, and id also start off with the entire b pillar / sail panal all the waay down around the rear window and the 1/4 window

[adtkart]

Actually.... replacing the roof from a donor car is usually done by cutting thru the pillars, using sleeves inside and welding the donor to the original pillars. The sleeves are plug welded 1/2 way into one part of the pillar before being put together. It is then plug welded on the other end. the joint is then solid welded. This way there are less factory joints that are disturbed. Trying to completely disassemble a roof, with pillars and cross braces, to be reassembled is asking for trouble.

[69 chevelle SS]

I've just decided to replace the body with a donor car, chances are the body will be in better condition than mine is, mine is rusting everywhere, soI'm just gonna start over with another body.

[dinger]

Fix it. Get another windshield for alignment, pop the top out as gently as possible, a porta power should be able to align any of the posts that are out of align. A soft roll like that should be able to be fixed with a minimnum of work, replacing a roof is not for an amateur, another rollover could kill someone, it's also illegal in many places. Get another buddy and push the roof out in the middle as evenly as you can with your feet, try not to stretch the metal. A porta power with the base on the floor (interior will have to be removed) should line the pillars up enough to get proper door alignment and windshield alignment. Some dolly and hammer work on the roof, add some bondo, paint and you're done. Been there, done that. Dan

[adtkart]

I have never heard of it being illegal to replace a roof on an automobile. Have seen many done. Is that something about California? Repairing that roof can be as dangerous, or more, than replacing it. The bows(supports) are obviously damaged. They cannot be repaired without loosing the strength that they need to support the roof.

[dinger]

The car looks like it took a soft roll, the post doesn't need to be pushed very far. Welding tops is leaving yourself open for a lawsuit if another wreck happens and the roof tears free. Roofs have been welded on without going to the inner core of metal and working outward, just one layer has been welded. Just one more reason for salvage titles. Some states are talking of outlawing fixing a car if it's been totaled, if they haven't done that already. Dan

[55mole]

Sorry about your car . But the good thing is that you walked away .
According to your pic , if it is truly an "SS", w/matching numbers , by all means fix it . 55Mole

[adtkart]

Originally posted by dinger
Welding tops is leaving yourself open for a lawsuit if another wreck happens and the roof tears free. Roofs have been welded on without going to the inner core of metal and working outward, just one layer has been welded. Just one more reason for salvage titles. Some states are talking of outlawing fixing a car if it's been totaled, if they haven't done that already. Dan

Dinger is right to an extent. Anytime you do any type of repair to an automobile, if it isn't right, you are open for a lawsuit. Any repairs that are not done properly, can be dangerous. If the roof is replaced in one piece, by cutting in the pillars and sail panels, with good proper welds, the repair will be as strong as the original work. There has been an indication that a vehicle is a "total loss" if it was rolled over. That is not the case, atleast not in Virginia or North Carolina. Virginia does have a law that says that certain "total loss" vehicles cannot be repaired. The restriction is such that it really isn't financially feasible to repair one at that point anyway.

As an added note consider this. Cars are considered "total loss" by the insurance company that is handling the claim. It is not a choice of the vehicle owner. A 1967 Pontiac GTO that is original, meaning not in pristine condition, could be considered a total loss because a fender needs replacing. If the law says total loss vehicles cannot be repaired, that one is off the road forever. That would sure help the gov't get the old cars off the road, wouldn't it? The only way you might be able to protect yourself is to always carry a collector's car appraisal on all of your cars.

[FASTCHEVY]

Dateline or 20/20 did a story awhile back about that.
one lady got killed in some pos car that had the roof replaced.

but anyway if that car (it was old when fixed) was worth fixing,
then your car should be worth fixing too.

[adtkart]

Fastchevy.... It isn't unbelieveable that someone could get killed in an accident. That is also possible that it was because of a bad repair. I have seen numerous times when people have tried to repair vehicles when they didn't know how, or have the ability/equipment, to do the repair properly. I have seen unibody cars that have had parts of the front innerstructure replaced with extremely poor welds. They were involved in another accident and collapsed. That doesn't mean that it isn't safe to replace those parts. It is only unsafe if it is done improperly.

[jimk]

Sell parts off of it and get another one.It will probably cost you a few times more to fix it.

[Kevin45]

Lets see some pics of the rest of the body.

Kevin

[lowROLLERchevy]

if its rusting out already here and there and you can find a better body ... start over with a different car ... youll have enough left over parts to make a bunch of your $ back ..

i would probably ( as long as its not a real SS ... cause it looks like you maybe have a fiberglass hood?) just find a nice 6 cylinder car and piece the new one together real nice

[Hot Rod Hellion]

Originally posted by lowROLLERchevy
if its rusting out already here and there and you can find a better body ... start over with a different car ... youll have enough left over parts to make a bunch of your $ back ..

i would probably ( as long as its not a real SS ... cause it looks like you maybe have a fiberglass hood?) just find a nice 6 cylinder car and piece the new one together real nice

Thats also good advise. I'm doing just that with my camaro. ( I torque twisted the body into an unsalvagable status.) Just when I was about to part the car out, I got an awesome deal on a clean rust free bare bones body.

[bullheimer]

arnt the vin plates pop rivited on?