Roof Replacement

5/2016 – 11/2016 While washing the car one day I felt bumps on the Black Vinyl top and I knew what it was. I was very hesitant but I finally pulled off the vinyl to discover underneath the metal was rusting.  It wasn’t until I had the top media blasted did the real damage show.  The top could be repaired, however, the best way to repair this was to get a donor top and replace the entire top with factory metal, so that’s what we did.

Once the entire roof section and quarter panels were removed the inner structure was found to be in good shape.  The inner structure was cleaned and coated with primer and rust inhibitor prior to the new roof being attached.  

The various pictures show the inner roof structure that was cleaned and protective coating applied to ensure long lasting and rust-free replacement. Metal work and welding was required at locations where the upper roof cap and upper side sections of the quarter panels were originally welded.  The roof cap and quarter sections were welded at the seam.  The center roof cap was fitted and welded to the main structure and windshield pillars.  Once the metal was in place many days of body work and prep have resulted in a perfect surface that will not rust even after the application of the new black vinyl top. 

This process took weeks and required different products that resulted in a nice black painted top that is now hidden under the Black Vinyl.  The products used included:  PPG DP74LF Epoxy Primer; Blue Lightning Metal Prep and Rust Inhibitor; POR-15 Rust Preventive Coating; 3M Platinum Plus filler; and LizardSkin Sound Control and Ceramic Insulation.