Roof/Gutter Repair section ALSO Fixings?...

[davegsm82]

Been looking at options for repairing my roof and found these sections on Schofields...

http://www.alanhschofield.com/ourparts/ ... 7310A.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Since I've never seen a T25 gutter without a high-top in it in the flesh then I need to figure out how these repair panels are attached.

I can only imagine that the large flat section in the middle is spotted down to the body, and obviously the slightly curved section to the right meets the curved profile of the roof (all of this is gone on mine). Does this sound right?

[boatbuilder]

Yes that sounds right, and run a bead of sealant under the outside lip afterwards. I made mine out of a flat sheet when I did it a few years ago!
Clamp a bit of copper to the lip as a backing piece at the edge while welding so it doesn't blow though.

[davegsm82]

Yes that sounds right, and run a bead of sealant under the outside lip afterwards. I made mine out of a flat sheet when I did it a few years ago!
Clamp a bit of copper to the lip as a backing piece at the edge while welding so it doesn't blow though.

Right, that's good to hear. I presume that the roof was a complete section which was spotted down the body along this gutter piece, so by using this repair section I guess that it's like rebuilding it as it originally was.

Unfortunately the height of the bit going up to the roof, away from the gutter is not going to be big enough, there's a lot of metal gone

I'm going to have to patch in strips all the way along to make up the excess that's missing.

Dave.

[davegsm82]

I'll be getting to grips with the roof soon and have a dastardly plan to work on the roof metalwork without needing to take the hardtop off completely.

I have a steel roll-bar going across the top of the C-pillars, up and over, I can still stand up straight in the back and I am considering using some bolts and washers to bolt through the fibreglass into this to make it secure, especially since there is only about 2M of sikaflex currently holding it on and that itself isn't even that secure.

I'm thinking 2 bolts into the roll bar and then 2 more brackets welded to the roof above the cab to bolt through at the front.

I know usually the roofs are just bonded on, this is more of a temporary thing in case I have to drive it anyway (the van is my/our) backup vehicle and I will be bonding the roof once the repairs are complete and verified watertight.

Your thoughts are welcomed.

Dave.

[boatbuilder]

Well as I said, I made up patches for mine. I had about 15 different roof patches to make along that little curved swage line. I recreated the curve by hammering the metal over a one inch metal bar. It helps to make sure that your patch is very slightly lower than the surrounding metal so that you can add a skim of filler to make it perfect. Fillering along the curved swage line waspretty tough as its hard to recreate the line in filler!

[davegsm82]

Well as I said, I made up patches for mine.

I should reiterate that I have NOTHING left of the original gutter to roof area. It's gone, completely, I can run my hand inside the cavity from front to back. I sucked the bits of roof out with my dyson.

When I re-make it, it's going to be completely new from the gutter to about 3-4" up the roof, and as such I'm going to use artistic licence to recreate it. since it's not actually visible when I put the roof back down.

The main thing I'm concerning myself with is whether a handful of bolts will hold the fibreglass roof down for a short while during the restoration process, should I need to drive it.

Dave.

[bluebus1987]

I've seen full roof cuts on ebay for less than £100. Do it all in one go for a much better result.

[davegsm82]

I've not seen any up for sale to be honest, and our resident metal wizard said that a full roof cut would need some serious un-picking to get it attached properly with full strength as there are structures inside of the pillars which need to be attached.

I'm going to try and get the roof un-attached this week to get a peek underneath and see what sort of mess is under there. And see if my Dastardly plan for lifting the roof actually works...

Dave.

[davegsm82]

Scratch that, I've just found 3 roof cuts on ebay that I've not seen previously.

Decisions and money....

Dave.

[bluebus1987]

Not that I've done this but it seems the trickiest bits are front and rear. The rest is just lots and lots of spot welds to drill. I don't think there is any structure in the pillars to worry about. As far as I know the roof cross memberes are not welded to the roof and remain in place. Google Westy roof swap for lots of images of people swapping roofs.