I thought getting the roof on the car was the easy bit. I spent the first 3 hours of today adjusting the fit, grinding off metal on the C posts, and bits of the windscreen pillars. Then I still couldn't get the gutter rails to sit at the correct heights on the A, B and C posts, Nothing in the way, it was all about 10mm proud, with gaps between the cant rails and the rain channels, so the problem was how to pull or push the roof down, you could do it by hand, proving it would fit, but there was no way to weld it and hold it down at the same time. Weights on the roof would probably have dented it, and I didn't have any mole grips that would fit. So a trip to my local ironmonger, where I purchased 6 turnbuckles, the hooks on these fitted into the gutter, and the other end was attached via rope to the lower part of the birdcage. Rotate the buckles, and pull the roof down. Simples!
Good fit too
So started to tack weld it in place, not easy upside down! - and then a continuous seam weld
And when its ground back it looks like this (A pillar)
Plug welded the windscreen surround - I didn't use my spot welder because there are 3 layers of metal here, and there was no way of cleaning the existing layers before welding the top part on, which could have left weak welds.
And good penetration on the welds too
With the rest of the welding and grinding to be done on the roof I think it will take 2 more days to complete, before I move on to anything else.
I will be able to remove the birdcage soon, once I finish the roof and complete some of the seam welding on the sills. I need to get the cage out, so that I can weld up the joint in the cant rails, and also the roof reinforcing bars. With the extra bits of cage that I have added as the project has gone on, I can barely get in the car now.
I will be making a trip to the powder coating firm tomorrow to drop more parts off.
Hours worked now 403
costs £8331 - turnbuckles and some shackles £20
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