I have really enjoyed the threads put on the Hamb so I thought I would start a thread on replacing the rusty roof on my 56 F100. Where to post? Not a Hot Rod and not a Custom... Well I'll start it on here and see if it gets deleted or moved. Here is some pics of the truck.
Well that worked, I have a whole build thread of this truck on FTE and also have a couple threads on Cl***ic Olds but this site works different than those. The pics above were when I picked up the truck in about June of 2015.
My avatar shows the truck basically how it was last summer. I have used it as a fun work truck. I won't mention the engine of the front brakes but it basically is all old school though as I mentioned earlier not a Hot Rod or a Custom.
Those above pics were last summer. I replaced the floor and bed wood a couple years ago. I got truck running with a 300 6 (1965- of course) and a transmission that I shouldn't mention. Anyway 99% of the people think it is a original old truck that came out of a field. I actually got old bolts and nuts to put it back together so new steel didn't show... This is not a- dare I say it....?? ratrod.... It has no weird chains or toilet handles or axes, etc. It just looks like a old rusty truck. OK so now I will start on the thread and where I am at now...
Ok messed up those pics- learning... Anyway I went to Minnesota and picked up a roof that I bought off of ebay. It was taken off weird on the right side and I didn't know it when I got it... so heres some pics of slowly taking off the rusty roof a little at a time trying not to cut too far!!
See how the right side was removed? This pic shows it. On the left side it was cut off at the posts. That's the way I wish he had cut off all 4 corners. The other pics are of cutting off the rusty roof slowly. On the right side I had to leave the structure above the door which was pretty rusty. If the donor top was cut off the donor truck at the posts I could have gotten rid of all my rust and just **** welded the posts like you would do on a chop job.
I cut off that ripped up piece that he had separated from the spot welds and basically ruined. I made a template with making tape and transferred it to sheet metal and welded it on.
Now I have been trying to slowly cut the posts on the left side to match the posts on the truck. Taking lots of cuts- the first one was as long as I could make it then took about a inch off. Then when they were close enough I used 1/4" masking tape to follow the donor top post cut onto the truck post so the cuts were at the same angle. Got pretty close and the last 2 cuts were the width of the cut off wheel blade or fondly known as a RCH...
Got really luck as I borrowed 3 big magnets and used a old aluminum broom handle to tie them together. Mounted a cheap HF 12 volt winch and to the ceiling of my shop and can lift the top up easy peasy!! Well I think the top is set where it needs to be. I put the left door back on and checked the fit and it seems good. So I took the roof back off and am going to sand off the surface rust on the inside of the roof. Then I plan to epoxy primer the inside, then add seat belt mounts to the cab I got from Mid Fifty., then put the top on for good. Any help/ advice you guys can add I sure would appreciate it as I am not a body guy and am learning as I go along. Thanks for looking! Greg.
For a guy that's not a bodyman, it looks like you know what your after.... What have you got powering your non hotrod non custom?
It has a 300 6, oldiron. Went to a swap meet at Kalamazoo this weekend, bought some sandpaper,etc. I guess I am going to go over to a Napa store in Gladwin ( not too far from here) to get some advice and probably buy some epoxy 2k primer. You guys got any advice? I know nothing about body work/ filling/painting. I am to the point where I want to prime the inside of the truck. There is a bunch of surface rust. I plan to remove the rust and then prime the inside of the roof, masking off the edges. And when the roof is still off and it is easier to get in there and work, I want to prep and prime the whole inside of the cab, including around the window openings, door openings, dash- basically all but the floor, I also want to prep and prime the inside of the doors and lapping around the edges. After that is done I'm planning to weld roof on. In the future (yet this winter) I plan to paint the entire inside of cab with I believe single stage enamel (acrylic), lapping around the window openings and door jambs. Then plan is to put the hardware and vent windows,etc into doors- door seals- etc, etc. So the truck will still be old looking( dare I say patina?) at that point. Then I plan to use the truck over the summer, then do the second stage of paint which will be the back of cab- front of box and maybe inside of box, then drive again that summer. Then 3rd winter I plan to paint whole outside of truck. Well if you're still here, thanks for reading!! What do you think? Thanks Greg.
Watching Heres our old 56 f250 that I shortend and changed to 5 lug, It made a driver but this is as far as I got, I still like em
I hope you took measurements so the window areas are correct. Otherwise looks like you have it covered. Good job.
man i m loving this... wish my 56 f100 was in that good of shape...should be starting on it soon!! (fingers crossed!!)
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