Complete roof and piller replacement .

[shadetree]

Has anyone done this ? I know it will destroy the structural integrity of the car ,but that's already Damaged . I have seen it done on other vehicles ,but not on a festiva .
I've been looking through maxtiva's build and wondering how exactly he fixed his .
I will have to replace the rear posts as well ,I have an unlimited supply of parts so that's not the issue .

[pyrothehitman]

If your talking about a roof swap, all you have to do is remove all the glass, cut the bottom of the pillars. being careful incase any wiring runs through the pillars. then weld the new one in and grind and body filler. replace the glass. That is just the lamens version. There are probably wires for the antenna and dome light for sure.

[shadetree]

I have done at least three of every swap there is (except the v6 ,and Damkid can have the glory there ) from complete harness replacement engine swap to the ,engine blew on the way home from work drove the car the next morning with a new engine . It's not the know how its the should I ?
The car held up great in a roll over ,I wanted to keep it as close to original is I can , but don't want to sacrifice strength .
I can not stand body work so that will be favored out . The way things look I will be changing the shell ....

[lanemeyer14]

Hope you can get something worked out. Post pics when you can! Wanna see the carnage

[shadetree]

Sorry man but you don't want to see it . It's like seeing a fallen great warrior . It's been two days and I'm just now able to look at it .

[WmWatt]

I'd put inserts inside the pillar welds for strength.

[rockin86ranger]

Do it all the time in Body shops, the biggest thing is getting the cuts exactly where they need to be, then put a piece of metal inside the pillars (gives you a surface to weld to and helps prevent blowing through) and weld completely. Then a little bondo (unless youre an awesome metal finisher) primer and paint.

If done right strength is not an issue (the repair should be the strongest part of the car) but fitment is tricky (windows and doors all have to fit perfect). but i can be done and is done frequently.

[shadetree]

Now that is good information. Thanks

[Flyin4stroke]

i want to see some pics.... ill show you mine you show me yours.. There like baseball cards.

[Safety Guy]

After the new roof and pillars are done, the crucial fit would be at the windshield. They not only have to fit well, but are a stressed part of the car and contribute to body rigidity. Mess up here and you might crack the windshield, I imagine. The door area and the rear side windows aren't as critical for fit. A few millimeters off probably wouldn't hurt too much.

If that happened to me I'd think about a "golf cart" or off road "buggy" conversion. That would be a lot easier to manage and less work.

Karl

[shadetree]

Do it all the time in Body shops, the biggest thing is getting the cuts exactly where they need to be, then put a piece of metal inside the pillars (gives you a surface to weld to and helps prevent blowing through) and weld completely. Then a little bondo (unless youre an awesome metal finisher) primer and paint.

If done right strength is not an issue (the repair should be the strongest part of the car) but fitment is tricky (windows and doors all have to fit perfect). but i can be done and is done frequently.

i want to see some pics.... ill show you mine you show me yours.. There like baseball cards.

I really didn't want to show my falling hero ,but it did save my life .

[Team Lightning]

Glad you are OK! Hulk can be saved. What caused the accident?

[shadetree]

Glad you are OK! Hulk can be saved. What caused the accident?

I really hope you are correct .
Cause. ??? Ice. God. Gravitational flow ?????? I truly dont know ????

[lanemeyer14]

Man, that is rough to see. Glad it stayed strong and held up for your safety!

[shadetree]

That's a good picture lanemeyer .... HULk. That's all I need to say .........