I have a few questions on my Pontiac. I'm still working on the engine-has a few stuck valves-flathead. But before I get too far I need to think about what i'm going to do with the roof. This car suffered some roof damage back in the 70's when part of a building collapsed and fell on the roof. I'm not real good or have any experiance with a hammer and dolly or metal shrinking or just about any kind of sheetmetal work. I've found a similar car close by - a 1941-42 Buick. I can either cut the roof off and replace mine (probably have a body shop do that) or I was thinking just swap all the Pontiac stuff over including front clip, rear fenders, decklid, trim, interior etc. Basically make the Buick look like a Pontiac. And either swap in the flathead 6 or just keep the Buick 8 cylinder. Any thoughts? Some of the roof structure on the rh side has been damaged along with the rain channnel. I was thinking if I had this roof fixed the rain channels may have to be removed as well.
why not take stab at fixing the roof yourself, from the looks of the car it appears body work is def gonna be needed
Id say give the hammer and dolly a shot. There is only one way you are gonna learn. A stud gun may work good for you depending on how the dent in the roof is
What do you have to lose if you learn and do it yourself, not much right? Take a stab at it, you never know.
cant really see how bad the damage is from the pics but its would be a helluva lot more work to replace it than fix it, have at it
Buy the Buick, clean it up and make it a roller, throw it on eBay, sell it for enough profit to pay someone to hammer out the dents in the roof of the Pontiac. Or sell the Pontiac and build the Buick. Pontiac and Buick use different frames, it will be a lot of work to try to swap body parts around. I'm not sure the shell is quite the same either.
roof does not look to bad. i would fix it. you could always do this if it is that bad. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38974&showall=1
the roof looks fixable to me, I would believe it would cost you more to have somebody replace your roof than it would cost to pound out the dents. The Buick roof might look similar but it is not the same and you would have to go through a lot of work just to make it fit right.
Here's some better pics of the roof, what would be the best approach to start? Should I invest in one of those stud welders, this metal was pretty hard to move, you can see some fresh rust were I was working a little bit. Thanks for the help. And what about removing the drip rail? I was told I could grind a little off at a time and spot weld, I think the drip rail would be pretty hard to fix let alone the rest of the roof. This was my late uncles car, so I won't be looking for another 41 to spend time and money on besides this one considering how bad the roof is , he had it for over 20 years and I would like to get it going so it's drivable and make it look nicer.
Put a engine and trans in and drive both of em the way they are then do a crash coarse on body work...
I don't own the Buick, it was close and available. Looks like I would need to find another Pontiac. I don't have anything too lose by trying to fix this one either. Should I try to rig up a jack from the inside of the car to push the real bad spot out? I don't know if a spot weld puller would be enough to knock it out?
i dont think the roof swap is a good idea.. I believe the buick roof will have a slightly different shape. as I THINK that buick and pontiac had different "series" and as such were stamped differently.. if you can open and close the door NOW.. DONT EVEN fix it.. get it the car running and driving and start to enjoy it.. save that small dent for another day..
No offense, but if you can't fix that roof, you've got no business attempting to graft a new one on. As mentioned, what do you have to lose? Hammer, heat, pry, & push. Cut access panels if you have to. Collision repair is a blank sheet, ever case is different.
\ Hey, Given that 99% of that damage is accessable once the headliner is removed, I'd say straightening it was a no-brainer. The damage looks, from the pictures, like something that a guy with medium experance could tackle. If you're not up to it at this point, job out the portion of the build. I wouldn't suggest that a guy who's never worked metal start on a roof panel, even a highly crowned one! Yes, it could be done, but count on a steep learning curve. Channel your time and skill in areas you know you can complete, than look for other challenges. Swankey Devils C.C. "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge" -Charles Darwin-
If you take into consideration how much body work costs,i'd take a shot at it yourself first. Maybe you can get it to a point that a good body man can finish it for much less. Worth a try.
that a 47-8 Buick super shares it's body with big Olds and Cads. a better car unless you love the poncho
from looking at the photos I would use a porta-power and put some pressure on the inside of the roof, then hammer the outside working with the body contour. if you can weld, tack a piece of metal to the driprail and slide-hammer it up, just take your time moving back & forth, body hammers , dollies and patenience, and maybe a torch with a rosebud tip to shrink it if necessery.
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