Roof Work

Well, I think of all the damage to Green, the roof is probably the worst to have to work on. I don't know anything about the accident that got this car to the salvage auction, but the way the roof was damaged, I wonder if a deer or something was hit and then bounced off the roof. Regardless, there was some nasty denting that took place. A pro would have cut the top off the car and welded a clean one in its place. I'm not a pro (no welding skills whatsoever), and the project would have quickly left the "budget project" zone had I paid someone to cut and weld a new top on it.

So--the first issue to address was the couple of bigger dents in the roof. BURMP--just pop 'em out and the dents are gone, right? Nope. Once dented like that, the damage has a memory effect, and before you know it the dents would return to their inward status. So, I pushed out the dents, and then reinforced the roof by using the support beams from the parts Impreza.

I cut the beams into pieces that fit the strip that needed reinforced, then flattened the ends to help them fit into place between the roof beams in Project Green. Then, I wedged them in place and positioned them where needed. The first beam and the windshield support beam had been gapped a little from the roof structure, and there didn't seem to be a way to bring the two together. Besides, this method offered the strucural rigidity under the damaged area that I wanted.

I was rather pleased with the finished product. It has a LOT of strength/support, and I thinkI could sit on that portion of the roof and not worry about those dents falling back in.

Finally, I hit the beams that were cut and installed with a seam sealer. This should seal things together and be similar to the factory stuff that's squirted in there at assembly.