This is my Model A, when I built it I did not fill the roof and now I'm rethinking my decision. At the Roundup this weekend I saw a car with a sheet of aluminum over his and I thought it would tie in well with the aluminum on the inside of my car. I will be fabricating two more bows to go on each side of the one that is there. I want it thick enough to be sturdy but thin enough to work with. So my question is: how thick should the sheet be???? Bless me with your knowledge guys!
I have steel bows and a steel jeep grand Cherokee roof panel I was going to use. The panel fits that car very well and you are welcome to it for free if you can pick it up. Message me if interested.
I still need to come up with one for my 31' It's on my to-do list along with 80% of the rest of my car ! Are you gents using just the skin and creating your own inner roof structure? Or are you using some of the original donor car roof structure? ....
You can also do a stay fast convertible top material removable roof insert. I have done this with great success. One thing it does is cut down on the heat from above.. You can actually snap it all around, this one on this A has an awning rail up front, it worked ok, but the shop that did it didn't quite do what I wanted at the leading edge, but It was waterproof, and worked flawless. Best part is on the nice days, you can pull it off for the almost roadster feel! My 34 I did a 1/4" plywood with elevator bolts and wrapped in vinyl. This was a temp roof insert that is removable also. Its not perfect just to keep the rain and sun out. I think the alum bare will get old for your roof unless you have it all Louvered up. Plain it just is too much aluminum.
to answer your question I would use .050 2024T3 aluminum, this should be thick enough to not oil can do you plan to roll it a bit? if so .040 may work for you
I'm planning to roll a little to match the existing bow that's there, plus add two more bows and the sheet will be on top of those.
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