Outer roof skin removal??

[El Campo]

Anyone know how to take the outer roof skin off of a 72 cab? How are the spot welds removed on the back seam? Would like to save the panel if I can as it has the clearance lights (fireman hats) and want to sell it. Any ideas? Thanks!

[Bert W]

Interesting!

[mr48chev]

Over on the AD truck side we depend on the assembly manuals to figure out where the spot welds are quite a bit and the manuals usually have the exact measurements you need when you are working on the body or chassis. Worth the 30 something bucks if you are going to do much panel removal/replacement.

This is just for example http://www.ebay.com/itm/1967-1972-CH...8e419c&vxp=mtr
There are a lot of them for sale by different vendors on Ebay and they can be bought through Amazon.

There it might make more sense now.

[biggestjohn]

Originally Posted by El Campo

Anyone know how to take the outer roof skin off of a 72 cab? How are the spot welds removed on the back seam? Would like to save the panel if I can as it has the clearance lights (fireman hats) and want to sell it. Any ideas? Thanks!

Pinch welds in the drip well, plus you have to remove the inner panels in the cab. You would have to cut the outer sheet metal to be able to drill the spot welds at the rear roof seam. The curvature at the rear makes it difficult to get access to the spot welds without cutting the sheet metal.

In other words, its a nightmare to remove it.

[turp mcspray]

If you want to sell the roof skin, I would recommend just cutting through the "A" and "B" pillars with a sawzall, and letting the buyer separate the parts to their liking. Honestly, it would be a lot easier to cut holes in a roof without lights, to add them, than it would be to replace the skin with another used skin.

[SS Tim]

If it has the raised pads for the lights I can see wanting to save it. Are you trying to save the panel, or the cab to put a markerless roof on? Either way here are a couple of pictures to ponder.

[srea76]

if you did not care about saving it I took one off in my project with an air hammer. Going to be hard to save unless its a cab you cutting apart and can cut pillars with it.

[El Campo]

I got a rust free cab that spent its entire life in Phoenix. Unfortunately for me it was a 1 ton cab and has the fireman hats. But it is original paint and 99.9 percent rust free so I would rather do the roof skin then rockers/cab corners/half the floor/cowl vent/drip rails/etc. If I HAVE to tear up the roof skin I will but since there is not an aftermarket roof skin with lights and since this one is immaculate I thought I would try to sell it. I am planning on buying a new aftermarket plain skin.

[too much stuff]

Not sure how much work is involved but they must have done it some back in the day. I have an NOS roof skin still in the package.

[SS Tim]

I'm guessing that marker lights don't work for you. They were an option pretty much across the board. On the reskin, are you doing it or having someone else do it? This is not a good place to learn. Either way I'd seek out someone who has used the brand panel of choice and see if they did a complete replacement or just trim and lap before commiting. Depending on skills involved it might be a lot easier replacing the front third only. That will take a very close fit and good butt welding.

[dragonwrecker]

Originally Posted by El Campo

I got a rust free cab that spent its entire life in Phoenix. Unfortunately for me it was a 1 ton cab and has the fireman hats.

being that i am a fireman i would like to see some pics.might even be interested in it.

[PHAT TONY]

There's gonna be something sacrificed; either the skin or cab back panel-no question. I've done it to fix sunroof/cab lights, good luck drilling the egg shaped 1/4"spot welds at the rear seam!

[rob32472]

Use a cut off wheel down the rear seam for removal, then the new owner can just weld it up the way it should have been from the factory....

[El Campo]

I have heard of people doing as rob32472 said and I suppose I will do it that way. Was hoping there would be a way to save roof skin better but I do have a wide selection of cutoff wheels and a mini air saw that should make it less difficult. This isn't my first rodeo but I am no pro either. Have had such poor luck with "professionals" though that I would rather do it myself than dump a ton of money into someone else's pocket who is not passionate about old trucks the way that I am and therefore cuts corners. No, I don't want the markers because this is a lowered single cab short bed truck.