Roof Swap

[Holden6GodsMotor]

Currently got 2 VKs. One is pretty rusty in quite a few spots the other not so much just has a bit of rust in the usual spots however the roof is rusted quite bad. Has anyone cut up and swapped a roof over and if so how much stuffing around is required?

 

[losh1971]

Definitely doable. You want to be good at welding and will likely need jigs to ensure the cuts are in the same spot and welded in the exact spot. I know a bloke 30 years ago who lived up the road in Myponga SA who cut two EH's in half and made one good ute from the two.

 

[Skylarking]

Luckily “cut and shut“ repairs were made illegal because to many were breaking in half.

The roof and roof pillars add considerably to the vehicles rigidity so it’s not just that you need to be able to weld, you need to know how to replace these components so the structural integrity is preserved. Best way to achieve that is to follow Holdens defined repair methodology which I’d assume requires that each pillar is cut in a staggered way and welded accordingly.

Without the manufacturers repair procedures, you’re running blind and you may end up with a substandard and potentially unsafe repair. Holden has produced the following document so you may (or may not) be able to get the repair procedure gratis (unless you pay or are a trade member)...

https://i-car.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Aftersales-2019-R4043-Holden-Repair-Procedures-Collision-Mechanical-Industry.pdf

an update of the above doc with more detail

http://i-car.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Aftersales-2019-R4097-Genuine-Holden-Repair-Procedures-Update.pdf

Basically, don’t cut corners as it will be in your interest to do i5 correctly, so get the required repair procedures and associated information from the manufacturer via the number in gne doc above…

 

[Commo64]

I know a bloke 30 years ago who lived up the road in Myponga SA who cut two EH's in half and made one good ute from the two.

Isn't that just a cut and shut repair?

 

[losh1971]

Isn't that just a cut and shut repair?

Not sure what you mean? IIRC the front half was a wagon and the tub section came from the ute. I was there working on my car when he had it in his shed partially done.

 

[losh1971]

If I see him in a few weeks time I can ask about it again.

 

[losh1971]

My VR had a new roof fitted before I bought it. I discovered that when I replace the headlining when the sticker was on the roof and it was a different colour to the rest of the car.

Same bloke who built the EH owns The Shark. The Shark is an FJ that had two inches cut from the whole girth of the body. Pretty incredible what they were able to do back then. Apparently it was raced at Mallala when it was a dirt track.

 

[lmoengnr]

Not sure with the VK's, but the VL's had expanded foam fill in the A + B pillars, which made welding very 'interesting'...

 

[Commo64]

Not sure what you mean? IIRC the front half was a wagon and the tub section came from the ute. I was there working on my car when he had it in his shed partially done.

The front half was a wagon and the back half was a ute, therefore this car doesn't have the same structural rigidity as a car which came from the factory as a ute...

 

[vc commodore]

Can be done....As for the procedure....Would be interesting if their is a government document relating to the procedure for the replacement for the car, considering the age the car is and when it was produced if it was even considered way back in 1984....