Hard top with dent in middle, should I pass?

[briancave]

I'm looking for a hard top and found one at a really good price but it has a sloppy welded patch 3"x3" in the middle of the roof where someone removed an antennae. There was definitely some warpage and distortion from the welding heat to where that area is concave 12"x 12". I'm not afraid of some body work and paint but I've never dealt with fixing distortion in a large, somewhat unsupported panel like this. I know it can be done the right way with heat, shrinking hammers etc (skils I don't have btw). Is fixing this with body filler just a nightmare that will never be quite right and I should pass on this? My goal is a nice, not concours top. Thanks for any advice.

 

[Bronco Junkie]

To me, it would depend on how good of deal the top was.

 

[00gyrhed]

hell i tried to give one away a few years ago and no one wanted it. All you had to do was come pick it up. It had a few issues but wouldnt hve been any harder to fix than what you decribe.

If its free go for it, but ifhe wants real money for it find another one. That big expanse of sheet metalk will be hard to fix and have it look good, but hten again how good do you have to have it. Its like mys sons F250. One of his friends jumped up on top of it and dented the roof. He is dieing to get it fixed for the last 6 years, but the only way you can see it it to get in the bed or be 8' tall.

 

[Steve83]

Take it to a local dent doctor for an opinion.

 

[briancave]

They want $175 for it. I hear all these stories of free tops and rust free ones for $200 on this forum, but where I live, people want $500 for junk rusty tops. I've been looking for a while and the only nice one I've seen, the guy wanted $950 for it.

 

[Airmapper]

Attention, paging shamu! This thread is calling your name! I'm sure he has something to contribute.

 

[half cab]

Attention, paging shamu! This thread is calling your name! I'm sure he has something to contribute.

Plez not that again!

 

[gray gables]

you can't give hard tops away imo,

 

[thegreatjustino]

A 12" x 12" warpage will oilcan like crazy. Any body filler you use in an area like that which oil cans is going to pop and crack in pretty short time.

I wouldn't pay $175 for a top with an issue like you describe.

 

[joshnjulie1]

Cut it out and put a sunroof in it...

 

[alexasgaudet87]

A 12" x 12" warpage will oilcan like crazy.Denver Broncos Jersey

 

[AZ73]

Put another brace on the underside. My top is fine and I'm still putting more braces in it. Normal tops oil can at speed.

Or do a Foose and replace the entire top sheet metal with a new piece.

 

[casadejohnson]

Or do a Foose and replace the entire top sheet metal with a new piece.

Yea, where do you buy that? I have never seen that before. I'll bet shipping is a killer on that.

 

[briancave]

I've seen that panel at Tom's. It's like $600 and the shipping has to be brutal. Hard to make economic sense of those type of rebuilds. I decided to pass on the top. I've got enough frustrating projects as is. I'll keep looking.

 

[thegreatjustino]

Yea, where do you buy that? I have never seen that before. I'll bet shipping is a killer on that.

http://www.tomsbroncoparts.com/prod...-roof-panel-steel-66-77-early-ford-bronco-new

 

[Wyflyer]

Maybe you could cut it out and use a patch with panel adhesive instead of welding it. Those tops can't take the weight of much body filler or then want to collapse under their own weight.

 

[farmerjohn]

if you get it, turn it up side down w the rain gutters supporting the weight, cut out the warped up patch w a saw or plasma, cut your own patch, pre drill for spot welds, lay it over the hole , place some weight on the patch and area around it, say like 5lbs bags of sand, then srew it down w self tappers and slowly spot it in. A little bondo and you are all good. A new /extra brace would help as-well.