Hi i have a 1972 charger and it had a vunyl top. 4 years ago i took off what was left of the top and sanded it down and painted it with rust bullet....i guess it didnt work b/c a year later i could see rust bubbling up and now i have many holes in the roof and some around the rear window. I dont have the means to replace the entire roof, even if i could find one. What should i do, im going to put a vinyl top back on it when its done, so it doesnt have to look pretty, but i want it to hold up. I have a mig welder and a little bit of experience using it. What should i do, im up for anything.

The rust is coming UP from the inside.
The metal is probably so thin now it "breathes".
Either cut out and replace effected areas or seal from backside.

What should i seal it with?

more rust bullet

post some pix
some holes doesn't tell you much

by the sound of it, you have the typical 71+ charger roof rust in front & back ereas.

Low buck fix on those will take some time, but will have better results.

Strip out the seats, interior window trim and glass (if in the glass channels erea). If your headliner is toast, throw it out and start checking for rust layers in the lower inside. Might be good to line your interior with plastic so you don't get rust/chemicals on your panels/carpet.

Your going to need a rust neutrilizer that will keep it from spreading and becoming worse. Scrap as much scale off as possible with a scraper,wire brush. Cut out all the rust you can. Seal it with rust bullet or something equvilent. Get in as many seams and tight spots to have it work correctly. apply it as directed.

If you don't have a welder to replace metal, then fiberglass will be a great temporary fix. You can line the underside of the roof to seal holes and to reinfoce the thin metal. Lining the underside to seal the holes will be fine. Be sure to let it cure before you do more work on the glass. With everything seal up, you can then start working on the top side. Finish the holes with some more rust treat ment/fiberglass, then some filler skimmed on and sand to desired thickness (check drying times). After everything is check and sealed, paint it and get it ready for another vynle top. Several coats will help keep any extra moisture you don't need in there. If your car is an outdoor car, a well, insulated car cover will help keep more moisture out of your car.

I've done 4 charger roof and a challenger trunk pan and have held up pretty well (challenger is going on 15 years and no signs of rust. Check with some of the members here, they probably have some great ideas I might have missed a bit. It took me 3-4 days per roof as I let the material dry/cure for best results. Hope you get it finished before the rains get worse.

Here is some pics. I had it sanded down in spots but had to spray primer on it since the weekend was over and i wouldnt be able to work on it for a few days.


I like the idea of scraping off the rust and then applying a sealer (im thinking about trying POR 15 this time) and then doing fiberglass.

I do have a welder so i can try to weld in some small patches, but the hardest part will be around the window trim where it makes a 90 degree angle.

Here is the pics, tell me what u think

I have a file with 14 pics but i dont know how to post the while thing and it isnt showing upp the ones i do post?

download them one by one to your desk top and attach one by one.

Hmmm its not working, idk what my problem is

send me a few at jhunter163@msn.com i'll see what I can do.

ok i sent them, thanks

I think im gunna use my air die grinder with a brass brush head on it to sand the inside roof down a little, then use the electric grinder with a brush head on it to clean the top side, ill pokr out all the holes and then coat the whole thing with POR 15

Once it has dried i will do fiberglass from the inside and fill the top with bondo over the fiberglass

Hows that sound?

If it needs too much patching, i would just replace the whole roof skin, its time consumeing, you'll need a mig welder & a die grinder useing cut off disc., i did mine on my 71 dart, i even replaced the lower back strip between the trunk & glass, then i ryno lined it . The top pic is how i brought it home, but under that VT it was toast, bottom pic is after i install another skin.

How would i replace the whole roof skin? b/c i dont think anyone makes replacement ones for it and i looked on ebay and no one had one for sale. Should i just use raw sheet metal?

I like all your guys ideas, i just need to know what exactly to do to be most cost effective and with my skill level

I think last month's (recent anyhow) Mopar Muscle had a good article on replacing a RR roof gone to rust cancer. You might want to take a look at it before you decide what to do.

http://moparmuscle.automotive.com/140880...tion/index.html

Astrobuf

That is a good article, mine wasn't quit that bad but close, like was mentioned earlier, once the metal becomes too fatigued with rust, its best to just replace the whole skin, because even though it might look fine in areas thinking you can patch it, it really isn't, plus trying to patch "welding" peices in doesn't work too well, you'll need to use filler to make it nice, I will say this, working with this thinner metal is "boarderline" for a mig, but it still can be done, you really need a tig.

As for the adverage person doing a job like this, I say "YES" you can do it because I did!! & i'm not in any means a body man or welder, you just need to know the basics, have a good eye & a steady hand, If you work well with your hands you can get it done, Is it a PITA, yes it is, but in the end you'll be able to say "I" did it!! Everyone that looks at my car "NEVER" knows the roof was replaced unless i tell them. If you were close i would be more then happy to do it for you for a decent price .