Just picked up a top for the 28 Tudor yesterday. Anybody out there used 62-63 Bel Air Wagon top on there A?? Just fishing for information, gotchas, and the like. Also, an application question....what is the best method of welding it in. Drop the top into the hole, cut to fit and weld. Or cut the donor edge long (on all sides and weld outside of the hole. I do know that you have to skip around to keep the heat down...1/2 or so welds before you move on..stitch it in. My wood kit is in so I wont have access underneath..so as far as relieving the stress along the weld (with no bottom side access) waddya do?
Hi, i used a 62 station wagon top on my 1934 chevy sedan. It worked perfect and looks great. They are getting hard to find and i had this one for 20+ years before i got to use it. Uncle andy
i used a 90s caravan roof because i wanted the ribs on it. unless your a seasoned metal fab guy with a tig and great hammer and dolly skills your better off cutting the roof bigger by a 1/4 in or so like i did, over lap it and spot welding it until its welded all the way around skipping around to keep heat down. it takes a loooooong time. i dont have a tig or any nice tools to make clean cuts so i did that and just filled the little step where the roof over laps in with dura glass then body filler. it looks great and takes forever haha. good luck
I saw one used from a Taurus wagon and it looked real good. So I concur with looking at later model wagons and mommy-vans, although they are not nearly as thick as older tin. Bob
I'm not a fan of overlaps on exterior joints, for many reasons. I'd butt weld it with O/A. If your not up for it, either practice til your ready, or get some help.
I would like to hunt down all the guys that did that to perfectly good 59-64 Chevy and Pontiac wagons.
The wagon was in rough shape... I just helped it into being a future convertable....or bbq grill, trash can, or ???
The wagon is up in Southern Illinois... If you want the name of the place I could get it to you via a PM. Let me know. We just got the top two days ago...it should be still be there...with luck. I also know a guy with a 62 Bel Air in Ky that is closing out a junkyard if your interested.
hey boxcar,i did one of these roofs on a 31 vicky and it turned out great. i laid the roof in place centered and proceeded to mark out the outside to cut to butt weld. when through the cut was on the wood structure so i went to a local roofing company and purchased some copper roof material, really thin, and put it between the wood and the roof for welding. worked out perfect. this would work to protect the wood even if you didn't butt weld and lap welded it. hope this helps........also i used my shrinker and shrunk the sides just a little bit and made the panel fit a little better.
i dont have a tig or any nice tools to make clean cuts so i did that and just filled the little step where the roof over laps in with dura glass then body filler.
I used an '86 Toyota minivan on my '28 Tudor. I doubt many restorers will be hunting me down... Here's the picture thread: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=636247
I haven't done it,but several friends have told me that you can buy a new roof skin for a Dodge magnum at the dealers,very reasonable when you consider the labor of cutting off a 50 year old roof,trimming it,removing surface rust and or dents. I know its not traditional,but sometimes it pays to be practical and use your time wisely.
I saw one of the HAMB that was donated from a 80s jeep cherokee. Plenty of them in the wrecking yard. Check out below http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=688133&highlight=jeep+roof
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