drip rail and roof rust out

[heavy71chevy]

well i just spent an hour or so chiseling out bondo on the drivers side of my cab and while i was up there i also noticed that the section where the roof meets the front drip rail is rusted out and packed with bondo and i also have two nice size holes rusted into the top windsheild frame...i know with the frame im gonna have to fab up two small patch panels but how should i repair the roof section? my other question would it look funny if i shave the drip rails off? whats the real purpose for them anyway? thanks,
HEAVY71CHEVY

[WORNBRAKES]

You could buy/get a patch panel and just replace the whole thing from piliar to piliar and back a few inches.
As for the drip rail, you dont need to have it. In fact it is a more custom look to shave them. There are a few folks on the board doing that. Do a search and you will find it.

[special-K]

You can replace the entire header panel.

[byrd]

you can get frip rail patches as well, but I can't remember where I have sen them at the moment.

[shifty]

a lot of people making custom trucks shave the drip rail - it actually looks great when done well. Make sure you only cut off 6", then weld, then cut 6" more, then weld, repeat, repeat.

[truknut]

I know Early Classic, and Brothers have those drip rail patchs.

[KFreddy]

My understanding is that the the roof is held to the cab, the drip rails being the seam. The removal of them does not require so much work it's the welding and rebuilding of this seam that is consuming.

[old Chevy guy]

I have a few trucks that are rotting above the windshield on the inside and have never seen any repair panels for this can any one tell me exactly what parts are made and who has em?

[heavy71chevy]

thats like mine..i actually have holes going thru mine up above the windsheild...does anyone have pics of what the drip rail looks like shaved?

[72highlander]

if you are good at fabbing, the bottom half of these cabs are more prone to rust, you could find someone with a bad cab with a good roof and do a clip.

[GREASEMONKEY72]

the drip rails also stop some water from running down from the roof

[rkarr]

Originally Posted by heavy71chevy

thats like mine..i actually have holes going thru mine up above the windsheild...does anyone have pics of what the drip rail looks like shaved?

Check out the copperhead pics... No real close-ups, but he shaved the rails... Looks sweet! I'm too chicken to try it myself...
http://www.gearztv.com/index.php?em2...jects&ek=96289

[GREASEMONKEY72]

never get tired of seeing copperhead

[sixtysevengmc]

"frip rail"

[sodak69c10]

i got a friend that i gave a spare cowl to and he is shaving the cowl vents off for my truck, so i took a pic of my truck and photoshoped the drip rails and vents off not a very good pic but basically the point is there (not all of the drip rail is edited out just above windshield)

[jhaymon]

yeah old news but im still reading all the forums...
they do look clean with the Frip rail removed , but i believe someone mentioned this before, it is a structural part of the roof. If you don't do the construction and fab work and plan on driving it everyday it will come apart. ive seen a couple with the roof skin peeled back like a sardine can just from the head wind on the highway.


but heres the bad part. if you live in a rainy area, they leak when get up to highway speeds(even if you have really tight gaps) and you must make sure water isn't leaking into you windshield rubber because it'll rust the frame out quick. this means the windshield frame must be completely metal finished at the top lap joints from a-pillar to windshield frame,the frame must be coated with something hard and moisture resistant like por before painting(no, paint is not moisture resistant its porous hence the need for a wash primer or etch primmer, a sealer under the color, and good clear coat over the color), and you must use some kind of sealer on the rubber before installing the windshield. i use 3m black weather stripping adhesive. most of the sealers are like tar and it creeps out in extreme hot conditions like windshield tar, but i haven't had any problems with the 3m. ive only been using for a couple of years though

[special-K]

I think they look best with the drip rail and,as mentioned,it performs a function.I like these trucks because they are styled so well that I liked them when they were new,through the '70s,'80s,'90s,'00s,and still do. I just don't understand why anyone would want to come along and change one to be like a truck from the modern world. When things are right,they are best left alone and time proves that time and time again.

[Detroit Iron]

I have a rust issue with my 69 Chevy as well. You can get the left and right side rails and roof panel. I have not seen the front rail as yet. The draw back to shaving is if it is an everyday truck and there is dew on the roof, if you have the windows down, you will get wet. The front rail can be fabricated if you have the right equipment to do it. If a metal fabricator was to make on fit our cabs a replicate it, he or she would probably have some good mail box money coming. Just saying......