Hot Rods model a roof insert

i am about to weld in a walden speed roof insert in my 30 model a pickup do i remove the wood or leave it in thanks

 

I do not think it matters. Please, just weld slowly and carefully. Do not make excess heat, that will cause the metal to warp. Also, if you leave the wood in tack, watch out for fires (catching the wood structure parts on fire).

 

Leave it in, you may need it for headliner

 

Leave it in. Attach some thin asphalt base strips of padding to the tops of the wood to prevent noise from vibrations. Some 30 pound roofing tar paper will work well. Coat it with a thin layer of asphalt roof cement and leave the ends bare and uncoated a foot back from the metal. Give it a couple of days to dry. Place and align the insert panel. Weld using a series of well spaced spot welds between the wood ribs and fill in alternating sides a little at a time to prevent heat build up. Go slow and keep a fire extinguisher handy.

 

Can the wood in the weld area be removed while the welding is done? That's what I did in my 3w coupe (Im not sure of the structural difference to a Model A ).

Chris

 

thanks for the info guys will do what Glenn suggested

 

From welding an insert in the roof of my 48 after I took the sunroof out and brought it out of the 80's I say do not get in a hurry and try to do it in one afternoon. Do the small tack welds, stay with it until you know that it is cool and you didn't start a fire and leave it or repeat the process.
A few years back I helped my buddy replace the roof insert on a truck that the guys who were hired to work on it decided that they could weld the whole section in (filler for chopped roof) in one shot running long beads. That was a warped mess when we got to it.