Club 80-90 Forums

Happily my roof wasn't as bad as the one in the previous post - still pretty bad though, but as it was only the outer roof 'skin' that had holes in it (lower sides only just above the gutters) and the actual structural crossmembers were as good as new I didnt weld I patched. Looked a bit like the hull of the Titanic, hundreds of little holes along the length. There was one big one though which is how I found the problem in the first place.

Mocki wrote: ↑23 Dec 2020, 10:27 Bren , if you send me those pictures I will upload them ?
I’ve searched but in can’t find the post you put up when you did yours - I assume it got culled by photobuckets mess up the other year .
Mocki@club80-90.co.uk

Not surprised you can't find it Steve, I did the job way back in 2012ish. Back then Dwayne (remember him?) asked how I did it as he needed to so I put all the pictures and an explanation in Word documents which I emailed him. Took four Word document files so I could email it all. Bit much for on here. Plus the way I got the roof off may not be quite to everybodys taste. I couldn't get a knife or blade under the fibreglass to cut the sealent from the outside, the gutters prevented access.

You have to cut from the inside - if you force the top outwards with wedges inside you put the sealant under tension and it cuts a lot easier. I wouldn't have thought that anyone could cut it from the outside with any degree of ease.

In days gone by I removed a roof from a Citroen DS (they were glass fibre and bonded on to a metal frame). The trick I was taught was to organise plenty of jacks and bits of wood inside to exert continuous firm pressure upwards from the inside, then warm the bonding with a hot air gun and increase pressure further, do this a few times then cut the bonding with a sharpened hacksaw blade. 

It works.

Wow.....
Those photos look horrific....
I guess it's the right thing to do to check the extent.....
Thanks very much for loading them up....
What would you say to me lifting the roof to find the extent, then lower it again to drive to the welding shop ?
Maybe use some ratchet straps to make sure it doesn't slip off ?
It's about a 2 mile drive....
Thanks
Dave

Thanks for the other peoples input....
Sounds straight forward
So..... Cut away the lining, put it under tension, Warm the edges up, Cut from the inside, Have different sized timber ready & Hey presto....
Thanks for the advice.....

Oldiebut goodie wrote: ↑23 Dec 2020, 22:10 You have to cut from the inside - if you force the top outwards with wedges inside you put the sealant under tension and it cuts a lot easier. I wouldn't have thought that anyone could cut it from the outside with any degree of ease.

That's not possible with an Autohomes high top. The interior woodwork prevents access from the inside and since the woodwork is constructed from the outside prior to the fibreglass roof being fitted on top of it the only way to dismantle the woodwork (without completely wrecking it) is to remove the high top first. Catch 22

Dave Mason wrote: ↑23 Dec 2020, 23:33 Wow.....
Those photos look horrific....
I guess it's the right thing to do to check the extent.....
Thanks very much for loading them up....
What would you say to me lifting the roof to find the extent, then lower it again to drive to the welding shop ?
Maybe use some ratchet straps to make sure it doesn't slip off ?
It's about a 2 mile drive....
Thanks
Dave

I would honestly say that’s a long way from horrific, I would say it’s not to bad, if you pull your roof off and it’s only rust rusty you’ve done pretty well, you could strap it down, or maybe stick the roof inside the van hanging out the tailgate