Replace coe roof – where to cut

I need to replace the roof on a 48 ford coe. also need to replace the upper portion of the driver door. I could use some input on where to cut and weld. My initial thought was to cut the door where I could get behind to hammer and dolly (dashed line) but also thought it might work good if I cut at the body line below the window opening (pointer). Samething on cab back. Where should I make the seam? Also any thoughts on how to make sure it goes back together straight? Thanks for the help. Frank

 

This what I would do,I understand the cab is bent under my line but nothing that cant be straighted with some hammer and dolling, the way I have marked is alot less bodywork and less chance of distortion from welding.Just an apinion

 

Wouldn't it be simpler to cut it as though you were chopping it? Including the driver door? Or, since you qbviously have another door, don't cut the upper part ar all-make the same mods to the lower rear corner that the factory did to convert it into a C.OE. door.

 

brace it before you cut - fore shore!!! criss cross some stiched in angle, conduit, whatever you have laying around in stick form and has a little structure to it... I second Dale, in transplanting the jamb and wheel radius to a clean conventional door... I also like Noland's lines. I'd cut it somewhere midway thru the windows. Oh, and I'd do the truck a favor and leave out an inch or few...

 

like everyone ese said go through the big window holes that means less welding grinding and the overall pain in the ass of more metal work

 

it would be harder to make the bottom of the door then to cut as you have shown. ..
I would cut the back panel right where your arrow is on the back ... the door I would cut higher in the window , can I come down to help.. its cold and ice here

 

Hey,

Are F-1s double walled through the cab, between the B-post and
the back light? If so your rear cut, to the cab back panel ,should
probably be lower down the panel in the single walled area. If they
are not double paneled, I'd make my back cut through the middle
of the frame. The time you would loose straightening the old dam-
age, there, will be spent with a longer seam and more welding if
you deside to cut below the belt line. I'd cut your door frames first,
and cut the frames at right angles, middle of the openings, no angle
cuts necessary. Once the door frames are cut and rewelded, I'd cut
eight pieces of EMT X1/2" o.d.. The first four will be cut the height of
the windshield, pinchweld to pinchweld, each side of the centerline of
the cab. Now do the same for the backlight frame. These eight metal
tubes will be the standard to which you will fit your new roof clip, so
cut and fit these with care. They are not welded into the window open
ings, they are just fitment standards. It's a given that the doors had
good fitment prior to cutting the frames, no? You can now brace the
A & B posts, but doubtful that X bracing will be necessary, just watch
your welding. Make your cuts through the middle of the A & B posts
, with clean right algle cuts. On your doner roof, be sure to make your
cuts clean and square as well. Don't look to welding rod and plastic
filler to do the job the metalman should have done. Now test fit the
roof clip to the cab, and use the EMT tubes to check your gaps, If
you did a good job of layout, cutting and fitting, your gaps should be
good. Tack weld each post around the cab and recheck the EMT
tubes for any movement. If you continue to tack weld each post,
again, around the cab, heat build up shouldn't be an issue.
If you continue to check those tubes for alignment as you weld out
the job, fitment of the front and back glass, as well as the door gaps
shouldn't be an issue.

Swankey Devils C.C.

"Meanwhile, back aboard The Tainted Pork"

 

Where the "?" is, is a factory seam. If you can get a whole roof just separate it at the seam and reattach from there.


jerry

 

Have you thought of extending the cab while you are at it? just a thought

 

thanks for the input, all good points.

Noland- the door chop makes sense. But the cab is pushed down in the back where the body line is. I don’t have much metal working experience and don’t know how to pull that back up. That is why I thought below the body line or right on it. What hammer dolly technique could I use to pull the cab back up if I cut at mid window?

Dale – the donor door is no in as nice shape at the coe door especially towards the bottom so a chop mid window is a good idea.

Vintage 56 – If I screw it up it might be a couple inches shorter. Haha

Flop- My only concern with the chopping the back mid window is that I don’t know how to pull out the buckled cab below that. But I hear what you are saying about the amount of additional metal work.

Egg man=Tommy – I will be cutting it this week end (Sat, Sun, Mon) if you can make it down here. Weather mid 70s some rain.

Pimpin- great detail thanks. cab is double walled only at frames. I thought that if the cut was on the outer curve (convex?) then I could hammer and dolly easily and if I cut along the bodyline it would be easier to hide any distortion but I couldn’t easily hammer and dolly it – if it mattered. I don’t know how much shrinking if any there would be. I rigged a window spacer from wood. I will x brace as and you and other suggest.

Jerry – actually if I knew shrinkage wasn’t an issue I cut at the body line as you suggest.

53hauler – I have thought about extending the cab… have enough spare cabs to do it but decided to keep as close to original as possible. The cab is going on a chevy c30 with flat bed rollbackbed. In the space between the cab and bed I want to put a engine hoist. . . working truck and all that
frank

 

Hey Frank,

"If" your doner cab has clean sheetmetal below the beltline, and
the C.O.E. has no damage below the beltline, than I'd pick a flat,
smooth area of back panel, say jus' below or above the striker
post on the B post. One clean cut where there is no inner stretcher/
reinforcment panel to get in the way. A clean cut, mid way through
the A post for the front. Use alot of clamps and screws to hold it
into alignment and not much hammer/dolly work "should" be necessary.

Swankey Devils C.C.

"Meanwhile, back aboard The Tainted Pork"