Hey guys i was looking at our diy for roof replacement but no where in there they said how to properly support the car before cutting the roof off. If any one has any input on this subject it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance
Did you see this thread? http://www.mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=47615&highlight=roof+replacement I would imagine you could brace it from the top door hinge area to the door latch striker pillar and cross brace between that.
I would remove the interior panels and doors and tack weld a bar from the front to rear of the top of the door jambs, x-brace it from side to side, level and support the frame in the rear in four locations at the leaf spring mounts, and the front the same way in four places, rear of the subframe extentions, and front frame rails. You have to keep or force the car square before cutting anything or nothing will line up when you're done. There is a thread on a convertible, he might be the guy to talk to. edit: according to the thread that rmiller provided, leaving the doors in place is a good idea to aid in realignment, but I would still add a brace across the door opening in some way because the door itself will not hold the body in alignment. We run into that with the old Fox Mustang convertibles. you raise those on a lift and then you can't get the door open. Also adding a little metal inside of the joints (maybe small tubing opened up and shaped to fit inside) would prevent the joint from failing due to butt welding the metal.
Thanks for the info this was what i was looking for, i will try looking up the info on the convertible
They showed how to do this on Muscle Car TV and it adds a lot of strength to the repair. you can find the video on the power block site.
That's the way I would do it, much safer in the event of a collision. I've seen poorly grafted roofs (from body shops) pop off, in collisions.
If you were planning on tying the subframes together now would be the best time, but before you remove the roof and still add the interior cross bracing rt to lft (front and back) and between the doors
SO if i am understanding this right weld brace supports in each door creating a x. And is it best to just do a x brace right behind the doors connecting the drivers side to the passenger side. Is this the bestway or is there some where else i should brace. Thanks for all the great input i might try getting some subframe connectors on order this weekend
