67 Mustang Restoration Roof Epoxy Repair

Restoration of a 1967 Mustang Coupe. Holes in the roof are repaired by using epoxy adhesive to attach patch panels.

[@uggamugga99]

Glad to see someone in the same boat. I've got a 68 Cougar with the exact same problem. Mine is a little bit worse than yours but I'm probably going to do a similar repair. One thing I might do differently is put a few spot welds around the edges to give that support piece a little extra strength. A lot of people complain about how this isn't doing the job right and while they are correct to a degree, it can be all but impossible to find a donor car with a good enough roof to skin. Most cars with a good enough roof are too good to part out and to hire a body man to fix a roof like this would be an enormous expense. For a sub $20,000 car, it's just not worth it. With a new vinyl top, no one will know the difference. I say fix it the best you can and have fun with it.

[@MustangResto]

Be careful welding the stiffeners. The roof is a big, gently curved piece of sheet metal. if you put too much heat in one area it can easily warp it. Also be careful of weld shrinkage. Let the stiffeners and roof cool between welds so that you don't lock in any shrinkage forces. I tried to cut out one of these rust holes and weld in a patch. I wound up creating a low spot in the roof that i had to fill with body filler. The weld shrinkage pulled the adjacent roof flat which took the curve out of it and created a low spot.

[@fomoco1454]

Good idea! Once you shoot that with primer and paint that epoxy will be protected from the elements. I believe it will even hold up to contraction and expansion of the metal which won't be very much.

[@clarebutterfield6927]

Now I can repair my roof on my old Dodge! Thank you very much!

[@MustangResto]

You bet!

[@saabtech3510]

Great idea. The original JBWeld stuff is incredible. For those knocking this repair, why? It will actually be the strongest part of the roof. The Mustang roof is thin and flexible sheet metal. Trying to do real welding of patches would be extremely difficult, and you would be fighting roof distortion from the heat, the whole way. Keeping it cool with the JBWeld is the easiest way to maintain the original shape of the roof, and the repair will last at least as long as the rest of the car.

[@MustangResto]

Thanks for the comment. It's holding up well so far.

[@aamantium1]

I own a body shop. I can tell you guys from years of experience that this repair will work for all intended purposes. With that said, (and I think you guys know this), it's not a replacement for a correct repair. The main reason that I can give you is, corrosion resistance. After that, it comes down to how long the jb will last ( which I completely admit, is a long time----i even used it inside my Harley motor where it gets subjected to heat and oil. There's a deflection shield that was recommended post production that has to be glued in and Harley wants 50 bucks for the small dab you need). I personally have absolutely nothing against how this repair was done, but there really are reasons why we do it differently in the body shop. If you're inclined to do this type of repair in the future, look in to 3m panel bonding adhesive. Prep and clean your steel (all of it!) with, acetone, grease and wax remover, alcohol etc... And use a product like por-15 to apply over the underside to prevent corrosion down the road. Other than that, do what your budget and time allows. No hate from me.

[@aamantium1]

BTW, try to find a replacement panel for a non-fastback 71 mustang... I found this video while digging around videos to see if anyone else had come across one. If you guys want to see a roof replacement on a tight budget from a ..."pro".... I'll give you my email and I can take you along this ridiculous process...

[@RANGERSERVICES]

clean underside of roof then sand or grind out top of roof. put dynomat not a substitute on the whole inside of roof then do your jbweld on the outside. dynomat will stay their forever as sound deadner as well.

[@TheLuxuriousBastard]

RANGERSERVICES I’m goona do that too

[@donameci7]

I’m definitely going to do that

[@kahelek7639]

Bottom line is people can fix their problems any way they want to because ITS THEIR PROBLEMS and if you can live with it and sleep at night then it's all good

[@tomster70]

My thought is if you are not doing this for a restore to resell have at it. The costs to "totally" restore a car are astronomical for most of us. I watched a guy fix a roof similar to this with welded in patches. Finished beautiful if you're a welder. And a ton of time consuming work. A roof skin replacement is not for the novice. A roof would not be a best first go of that in my opinion. I have seen JB weld used as a repair in a dirt track race engine back in the day and work! I'm sure it can handle this. All said and done, this repair will work and with proper finish and paint with vinyl top install will need repair no sooner than welding a patch in place.

[@jeromeumali2163]

Nice idea sir...

[@coollasice4175]

Looks like a good repair that should hold up. I'm thinking about buying that same B&D belt sander. The reviews of it hasn't been great. Do you think it is worth buying? Thanks.

[@MustangResto]

+Cooll Asice The only complaint i have about the belt sander is that the forward handle is supposed to ratchet to different positions, but the ratchet broke. You can still use the handle, but when you push it forward, it won't stay there to support the sander. I've learned how to use it the way it is. As far as the motor goes, it works fine.

[@coollasice4175]

+MustangResto OK Thanks.

[@chevybox9]

I'm in the same boat as you. Same problem with my 72 cutlass. I think this was a great idea.. How has this repair held up over time?

[@MustangResto]

So far so good. It's getting a vinyl top, so I wasn't as concerned as if it was exposed. I painted it recently and it looks really good.

[@jdubb200]

Did you ever do your 72 Cutlass roof? I have one too same problem.

[@andylutz4089]

Did you look into "All Metal" filler brand I have a GTO with a vinyl top that has the same issue and that's why im here. Thanks.

[@MustangResto]

No, I'm not familiar with it.

[@rudyjaramillo2337]

I have a few questions

[@davebrittain9216]

Your video is entertaining but this would be a video how not to do a repair. I say that because quality work is always the best work. You are going to put a new vinyl roof on you said so why not just put on a new roof? They are not that expensive and you would have a good solid clean roof to work with.

[@MustangResto]

+Dave Brittain i looked into replacing the roof, but the only roof that is reproduced is for the fastback car, not the coupe. I agree that this isn't the best way to fix this kind of problem in all cases, but given the issues with this car in other places and where I am with it, I think it's acceptable.

[@ksteen8424]

Dave Brittain please share where to find a new roof for a 67-68 coupe. Thanks

[@servencounter9721]

@@ksteen8424 at any of the local 60's roof shops in your area.

[@SurviventheOnslaught]

that's what they call a saturdaynight special resto.........good for three years

[@mikehunt783]

I dought you could do it much better you no how hard it is to patch a roof with sheet metal? Bet you don't