Hard Top Restoration - removing stringers

[rbarchi]

As Winter approaches, the indoor garage hobbies line up. One is restoring the bronco top. Mine had something press the top down and bend the stringers a bit. The top seems to have popped back up, but now its an oil can at high speeds, even with some material to fill the gap. I purchased 2 stingers from TBP and was hoping to remove the old ones, bend them back, and put 2 additional ones in as well. Worst case I just replace the two if that plan does not work out. Anyone know the trick in removing the stringers? Are they welded into place or ? Tough to see what is going on up there. Any advice appreciated.

 

[Wyflyer]

each stringer can be removed by drilling out 2 spot welds on each side. If you use a spot weld cutter and don't drill clean through you can easily reinstall them. they are spotted to a flange that stays on the top

 

[Hopstr]

If you can't salvage the two old stringers, I'd order 2 or 3 more from Tom's to put in a total of 4 or 5 while you are at it. It won't take that much longer and you'll be glad you did in the end. The new ones that come from TBP have 5 in them.

 

[rbarchi]

thanks. saw the spot welds, but was hoping the brace mount would also be removable. will invest in a spot weld removal bit... as for the stringers. TBP sells them each for about 79 bucks. They are backordered. I did receive one. Its quite wider than stock ones.

 

[rbarchi]

looking at the TBP stringer closer, the stringer will have to be put in first on an angle the put into place. Seems that I need to remove the stock stringer to do that, since its in the way. The TGP stringer with 2 brackets of the same width. When you installed yours, did did you weld the brackets in place after everything was fitted, or just spot weld them to the stringer?

 

[Wyflyer]

I drilled the spot welds out, all the way through. When it came time to put them back together I forgot what I had done, and put a 1/4" in bolt through the original holes.
My first instinct was to raise them up tight against the roof skin and spot weld them. Then I remembered someone mentioning the top expands and shrinks with the seasons. They came with a cardboard shim between the skin and the stringer for movement and sound dampening.
I put a plastic sheet between the stringer and roof then squirted some flexible expanding foam between the plastic and the stringer. The plastic is so the foam won't weld them together.

 

[rbarchi]

The foam is interesting, but I can see be messy if not done right. Curious, did you use TBP stingers or stock? Wondering how best to put the stinger braces in on each side of the top. weld or bolt seems to be the choices. Any info on installing those aftermarket braces would be good. FYI: seems to be that TBP outsources that from musclecargt.com for this part.

 

[Steve83]

...the top expands and shrinks with the seasons.

Everything does. The only time it's a problem is when 2 materials do so at different rates (like a thermostat). But the steel skin and the steel roof bows are the same material, so they'll expand at the same rate, whether they're joined or not. But they're stronger when joined, so they should be. On later vehicles, they're glued together because welding would distort the outer skin.

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