[jkalgren]

If you are looking at the dates of these posts... you may think I am time warping and doing this all at once. This has been over the past 4 weeks, and I am just finally posting it all now. I'll be posting more "real time" after today.

So... in the last post, I had ordered a new roof panel and picked it up in Connecticut. I had to grind 2 tabs off it (I understand those are there for the e-coat process during manufacturing) but then the panel practically fit right in. I had to "massage" the drip rail a bit in the one corner...but then popped right in with a couple taps with a rubber mallet.

It was a bit disconcerting to take this brand new panel and immediately drill holes in it... but I do REALLY like my cab lights!



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I took some measurements from the old panel... hopefully it looks good when all back together. I also ran all new wire from the back corner of the cab and used solderstick connectors to run pigtails for each light.

I ran through 3 different options for fastening the roof panel on weighing them against each other based on cost, ease and feasibility. All 3 are valid options and there are YouTube videos teaching each method.

#1 - Panel Bond Adhesive
Would require bare metal on both the inner roof and new roof panel, cost about $100 for the PBA, another $50 for the applicator gun, and then a large investment in vise grips or c-clamps to securely clamp all the way around... probably around 25 clamps.

#2 - Plug Weld with MIG Welder
I have a welder, but no bottle of gas, so I would need to invest in that (which I want to do eventually). It would require weld-thru primer on both surfaces, about 100 holes drilled in the new panel lip for the plug welds, and at least 6 clamps (4 around the corners to hold it generally in place, and another 2 to move around to firmly clamp down where I would be welding.

#3 - Pinch Weld with a Spot Welder
My neighbor has a Harbor Freight 220volt Spot Welder and cord he would lend me... and I have my air compressor set up with a 220volt outlet so I can easily unplug and plug in the Spot Welder. This requires weld-thru primer on both surfaces as well and similar clamps as option #2.

So in the end, I bought a $15 can of weld-thru primer, and 6 $2 c-clamps from Harbor Freight. This roof panel is only the second body panel I've ever replaced on a vehicle. The first was a fender on a 1974 Mustang II which simply bolted on! This is the perfect panel for my first weld-on panel... with it just fitting down in the drip rail and being spot-welded from the factory... I did the same thing! I did have to bare the metal on the top of the flange and the underside of the drip rail for the spot welder to conduct current through.



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That spot welder is a beast to man-handle all the way around that roof... but it made short work of the job!



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Once it was welded, I primed the entire roof, and then seam-sealed the panel in the drip rail.



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Once it cures (24-48 hours) I will put in another coat of primer over everything to prep it for bodywork and paint.

The seam sealer just went on tonight...and now we are all caught up!