Heya folks, Got what I thought was nice deal on a 72 Grabber...that was until I pulled the vinyl top off. Long story short the roof has more rust than one would think a piece of metal could have without disintegrating and will need to be replaced. Makes me worried about rest of car but my question is will I be able to use any yr model as a donor for the 72 or are there specific yrs I need to look for. Any suggestions much appreciated at this point. Thanks Jay
Any 2 dr roof will be the same. Make sure you support the car well all the way down both sides before you cut a roof off. If not the car will sag and you will have major problems. I would also remove the doors and weld a temporary brace between the front & back post as well as a X brace from side to side.
Oh, and start with the car on jack stands under the frame. Dont put jackstands under the suspended parts because if you do, when you remove the roof the car will be lighter and the springs will lift it up some. That will lift it right off your side braces. So remove the wheels and put all your supports under the frame.
I hate vinyl tops! My 75 did the same thing. The good thing is that the rest of the car is fine. I would check the rest of the car very well, but you very well could be okay with just a roof swap. Just a roof swap?!? I made that sound aweful simple... Good luck Dave
Yeah, just toss another roof on there one weekend and you'll be fine Seriously though, good luck with your project. Make sure you brace the car WELL as others have said, or you will end up with an origami Maverick.
Thanks for all the replies guys the help is much appreciated. Unfortunately a new twist has been added to the mix and I have orders to get stationed in Korea. Adding in a school I have to attend before going my time to work on the car has just become nil. Anyone with experience doing or paying to have a roof swap done give me a WAG on how much it could run? It could wait until I return in a yr but I would really love to make some progress on this project whether I have to shell out some cash or not.
I was quoted 500 bux by a shop with a decent reputation. I bring a braced up donor roof and my car... along with any other parts. They take glass in and out, brace the body, swap roofs, and prime the seams. I thought it was a pretty good price. I have yet to take him up on it though. He quoted it almost a year ago. I hope it is still in the ball park. Dave Edit: They will not gaurantee the glass... It will not survive remove/replace about half the time. Nature of the beast.
Not that I have doen it but I have seen it done. Blown76 was spot on. It takes about a day. Good advice from mavaholic too Wow Lonnie I have to say I am impressed I never realized you started with such a rough car.
Why dont you just skin it?Drill out the spot welds on the doner car and remove the outer skin.Do the same on the other and weld her up.You will see the welds on the front and rear window channels and in the drip rails.Its not that hard,You wont have to brace the car as NO supports are cut/removed,And it will be the quickest/easiest way. I have done this a lot and with great results
I had the exact same thing happen on my '72! I am in the process of "skining" it as we speak. I will let you know how it works. Good Luck!!
I cut my donor roof off recently. I was surprised at how light it was. Needed no bracing at all. Light as a feather. The car is in storage, and the 'new' roof is too now. I won't have the swap done any time soon though... I am interested in how a 'skinning' goes though! Let us know. Dave
I've got a "parts" car '76 2 door.Reason is the roof is rusty.Car drove great,good brakes,decent car other than the roof.Good seats,new gas tank too.Hmmmm....
Dave-its not the roof that needs bracing, its the rest of the car so it wont flex or move on you while the original is off awaitng the donor roof. wasnt sure by reading that if you were on the same page?(just trying to save someone from making a mess)
