Before 195/2000 goes to Precision Chassis Works for the roll cage install, I need to finish preparing the shell. The way we’re doing things requires the roof skin to be removed which, in turn, requires the windscreen and back light to be removed. Next time you have your windshield replaced in the parking lot at work, show the technician some respect. It’s not easy.
Why does the roof have to come off?
For those who might not be too familiar with roll cage installation, all the various tubes are bent and cut to precise angles and lengths. The cage needs to fit as close to the interior surface of the shell as possible. Now, imagine you’ve just fit two sections of roll cage together up against the roof of the car on the inside. How do you weld all the way around the two pieces?
More than one way to skin a cat.
Some builders choose to cut holes in the floor of the car so the cage can be dropped down through the floor, providing access to the top. This method provides more room between roof and cage, but the amount of room is dependent upon the height of the vehicle. To get the most access, the car would be raised on jack stands or even on a lift. Now the fabricator has to climb into and out of a raised vehicle to practice his art. Not so with the roof removed, Kent (my fabricator at Precision Chassis Works) will simply stand up in the car and weld the cage in place.
Ok, but why does the windscreen and back light need to come out?
The roof skin is glued, then spot welded into place. Half the welds run down the sides of the panel, the other half are “conveniently” located under the top edges of the windscreen and back light. So the glass has to come out. The trick is removing them carefully so as not to break them and need to spend money replacing perfectly good glass.
How do you remove the roof skin on a car?
YMMV, but I started by removing the trim snapped into the drip rails on the top of the car. Those two plastic strips running front to back? They gotta come out. Then the little plastic clips holding them in place need removed. These were relatively simple – use one flat screwdriver to depress the detent, then another to slide it free and over the post.
Next, each spot weld was marked and center-punched, before I went through with a special, spot weld cutter drill bit. This process was made a bit easier due to the sunroof being removed, so I could stand up inside and reach over, but the bit wanted to pop out and walk left and right, so gloves, goggles, and focus were critical.
My buddy Mike Foster came over to lend a hand. We tried our damndest to carefully remove the windscreen without cracking it, but this is no easy task. I fudged up and instantly saw two cracks race from one corner to the center of the glass. At that point, there was nothing left to save. We broke out the pry bars and had at it.
After the windscreen was recycled, we marked and center punched the spot welds along the front edge of the roof and began drilling again. Now we were taking turns – one of us standing up in the sunroof, the other through the windshield. In the shot below, Mike is standing up through the windshield and steadying the drill motor as he cuts one of the welds.
We ended up calling it a day before the roof was off, but I did get a chance to go back through with a flat screwdriver to scrape away the adhesive used to glue the roof skin in place prior to being welded at the factory. With the adhesive gone, I was able to start separating the roof from the car in a number of places.
The roof skin is nearly free now, just need to get the back light out – hopefully without breaking it – and drill those spot welds across the top. From there, it’s a matter of stripping paint from any interior locations where the cage will be installed (a-pillars, base plate locations on the floor, etc.), pulling the cash out of the bank, and scheduling a time for Kent to come pick up the Galant. We’re getting closer!