Tin top roof repair/replacement

I'm after people's opinions and previous experience with the repair of a tin top roof that's had a rusty sun roof cassette. Mine had rotten out and I'm torn for how to go about the repair of the roof whether to replace with a second hand full roof which is hard to find now or to make a repair piece to remove the sunroof hole and the affected area.

Repair rather than replace if possible, just try and get a repair section from an old roof or get someone to roll you one out using an English Wheel.
All this being said though don’t undertake either unless you feel confident in your abilities, welding in the middle of your roof can cause some nasty distortion if you don’t know what you’re doing


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I had mine patched with a plate from underneath, although it was bonded in with a flexible panel adhesive and a few spot welds for good luck, it had plenty of overlap on it. the bodyshop then filled and shaped the recess.

I managed to find a spare cross member for the roof to help strengthen it.

I wasn't that sure it would work and was worried about cracking but wanted to try it before doing a full roof swap. It's now two years in and its still showing no signs of movement.







      

There are several ways of doing this, but ultimately the most involved, and best result is to replace the whole skin. This involves unpicking the donor roof down its drip rail, and then removing it from the pillars if they're still grazed to it. You'll get good at this as you'll need to do it again with your roof that's being replaced. Once the roof is in place then it'll need brazing (welding will crack) at the pillars, and then the two sides of the drip rail will have to be folded; that's the one on the bodyshell, and the one on the roof. It's a big job, but as far as integrity is concerned, it's the best, and almost undetectable when painted again.
I know this because I did it to remove a glass sunroof 13 years ago. If I was faced with the same job again, then I'd still choose this method. There is more cost involved, but greater long term pice of mind as I've seen a few 'plate patch' repairs crack after a few years.
Back when I did mine it was £500 labour without paint.

Someone mentioned to me in a group that the Mk2 roof skin is the same but I can't find any info on this to be true has anyone else heard of anyone using the Mk2 skin as a repair?

Restoshack in Exeter will take the tray out and repair it and refit.


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Or you can get it filled in properly by craftsmen so you don't have to rely on tons of filler

Yomp said

Or you can get it filled in properly by craftsmen so you don't have to rely on tons of filler

That's the point, I'm curious to ways people have had them repaired or replaced in the past

Colley27 said

That's the point, I'm curious to ways people have had them repaired or replaced in the past

The car in the image was a 964 Porsche with a lot more curve than a tintop golf. The infill panel is tig welded in flush with the original panel which is an art in itself and then 2 men working from each side with various tools, hammers and guages slowly lift the roof to give the curve. From memory It cost £2000 to do but I happened to see the car at Caffine and Machine last night and 7 years on the roof still looks spot on. There were some recent photos on FB of some so called Mk1 specialists that had filled a roof with filler and it had cracked within 2 years apparantly. This Porsche roof needed next to no filler.

Said Porsche…..

http://www.speedhunters.com/2017/11/meeting-hero-ocd-964/


 

That really is a work of art and pure craftmanship.

I'm still worried that my roof will crack further down the line but at the moment its held firm and is an invisible fix.

I have seen a few images of people using carbon fibre skins and overlapping/bonding to cut roof skins.

Friend had his done

Cut the pillars, drilled out the spot welds on the from
Front and rear windows.

The clever bit is to cut before the gutters as undoing these will mean the metal when folded back will never look 100% and can trap water in the future.

So instead of welding to the gutters you glue that section. BMW have been doing it for years with specific glue.