How to replace car body panels??

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MudSling3r42069@reddit

One thing my friend did with his Volvo was ripp off the roof of one with a sunroof and welt on a new one look pretty good tbh ,.

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MEINSHNAKE@reddit

Think we are going to need some pictures on this one…

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

Trust me, I wanted to include the videos I took of the damage but this community wouldn't let me. I'm absolutely baffled myself over this

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

here since its all anyone cares about here.

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chibicascade2@reddit

That's impressive. Did you go back and get the rest of it? It could probably be reattached with a fiberglass repair kit. Probably still want a buddy so to do it.

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Unfortunately it flew off on the highway and I don't know where it landed/ dont know if its even intact. It happened so fast I didn't even think to try and go back for it. I feel safer just replacing the entire panel, and so far Ive found a shop near me that specializes in repairing trans ams and he might be able to help me

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SailingSpark@reddit

the Camaro roof might be the same piece too. The body of the Camaro and trans am are the same, just the bolt on pieces that are different.

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

I did consider getting a camero roof, but I'm gonna wait and see what I can find at a trans am service shop I found. If it doesn't work out, there are like 40 Cameron's on Facebook marketplace that are just waiting for my grabby little hands to rip them off and smack them on my drivable trashcan

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thatvhstapeguy@reddit

It’s a very safe bet the Camaro roof is the same panel.

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chibicascade2@reddit

If you don't have the panel you'll have to cut one off a car in a junkyard. Unless they have aftermarket.

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durrtyurr@reddit

Of course it is all we care about, because I've never even heard of this happening to a car with a fixed roof before.

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thatvhstapeguy@reddit

GM, uh, finds a way.

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

I'm actually now realising how freakish this whole thing is, so I apologise for being hostile about it. I'm so baffled and so stressed about it I don't even know what to think about it besides "good thing no one was driving behind me" because it was some miracle that no one was behind me

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DudeWhereIsMyDuduk@reddit

That is incredible. Like, 1970s-airliners-disintegrating terrifying.

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

It seems my roof took the term "take off" a bit too literally

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KittiesRule1968@reddit

WTAF??? Ive never seen anything like it!

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

Will do, gimme a few minutes

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Equana@reddit

Do you have metal cutting tools? Do you own a mig or tig welder and know how to weld?

The metal cutting tools remove the roof and the welding attaches the roof.

I supect this WAY, WAY beyond your skill set.

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

Unfortunately yes, it's beyond my skill set because I only just started teaching myself how to work on my car, and I wasn't expecting that I'd be doing bodywork like this so soon into my journey, but my roof decided it wanted to become a projectile weapon today and force me to add body work and welding to my skill set early

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KittiesRule1968@reddit

Is that metal or fiberglass? I can't tell from your video

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

It's fiberglass.

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KittiesRule1968@reddit

OK....that's not quite as difficult as metal. See what the roof panel looks like that you get, and use it as a template to cut the old stuff out. There's an adhesive specially made to glue it down.

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

I found a guy near my that specializes in repaying trans ams and he said he has some part cars I can come look at. If I can just replace the whole thing, I feel safer going that route than just reattaching what came off (if the roof is even still intact, I suspect it's been run over by now)

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JCDU@reddit

Here's a how-to guide in case you need it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqtb2fQHhgQ - part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjnJAR-MBiQ - part 2

Xyla Foxlin also has some good videos on making fibre glass parts.

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Bi_DL_chiburbs@reddit

I had no idea f body roof panels were fiberglass. The good news is t it's not a structural component of your car, so panel bond glue and a new panel should get the job done. If you can locate a replacement panel installing it shouldn't be a big deal

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

So far I have found a guy that owns a trans am repair shop and he said he'll get me what I need. I'm mostly just worried about how to get the panel to stay attatched and not fly off again. I never expected I would do body work like this on this car so I never took the time to learn about it

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JCDU@reddit

Find someone who repairs boats, they are more used to dealing with glass fibre repairs and will have all the good stuff, hell they could probably make you a new roof easy enough if you can borrow a reference car / panel.

I don't know how that was supposed to be attached to your car, depends if it's supposed to be removable or not really - if not, you need a good polyurethane adhesive like sikaflex or sabatack.

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Bi_DL_chiburbs@reddit

This is closer to putting Legos together then body work. Cleaning and prep are the most important part of the job. The only thing I wonder about is what kind of damage caused the roof panel to fail in the first place. Maybe something happened when your windshield was replaced

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

Thats all I can think of. From all I could tell (and you can kinda see it in the video) near the center of the top of the windshield, you can see some white stuff on the lining of the windshield, and thats also where my frame was starting to rust. Thats ALSO where the wind started coming in (it was pushing down my headliner inside the car) so my only guess is that they didn't seal that spot correctly and the wind got under and somehow pushed it off. I was suspicious of my roof panel anyway because it looked like shit when I bought the car but I didn't ever think itd just fly off on the road. Ive looked the rest of the car over and everything else seems genuinely solid at least

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Bi_DL_chiburbs@reddit

Once wind got under it, it was doomed. From what your saying, the roof was compromised before you bought the car. This should be a job you can handle as a beginner. Since you already have a connection to a shop that specializes in firebird's see if they can walk you through the specifics of the job.

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Far-Plastic-4171@reddit

We are absolutely baffled also. No pics did not happen

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

I posted a link in the comments to where I uploaded the videos I took once I got home. Yes pics did happen

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Far-Plastic-4171@reddit

Saw the link. Amazed GM did not make the roof out of steel.

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

Trust me I wanted to post the pics but the community wouldn't let me. I'm literally so confused as to how it happened

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Wild_Ad4599@reddit

I’m assuming you’re talking about the panel flying off.

Anyway, you just pry the panels off, clean all the old adhesive off, apply a primer, apply adhesive, and press new panels on (top and sides for hardtop.) and that’s it. Paint before installing if you need to.

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Bubbly_Stress_7117@reddit

The only post with relevant and accurate information and it’s voted down.

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miwi81@reddit

That’s how Matthew and Marcia Seebachan almost died but OK, go off

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Wild_Ad4599@reddit

Talking about the fiberglass panel. Not the frame. I dunno about you but I have no idea how a roof can fly away and detach from a car frame while you’re driving it.

Seebachan case is not relevant at all to what I said and involved the actual vehicle frame.

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miwi81@reddit

You’re right, it’s fiberglass. I forgot to use both my brain cells 🤦🏻‍♂️

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

Thank you for saying this because I just looked it up. I absolutely not doing that. This happened already because of cheap repairs on my car that I didn't notice until it was too llat

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Wild_Ad4599@reddit

It’s the only way to replace “panels”. If you’re are talking about the actual frame of the roof, which I don’t know how that would detach and fly away, then you would need to cut and weld which is obviously completely different.

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TheStig827@reddit

The video defintely helped clear some things up.
apparently that's called a "sail panel" and it's made of fiberglass. It's bound through adhesive.

So, in this case, you're not looking for cutting and welding, but some gluing.
The Part: https://maggperformance.com/product/1993-2002-sail-roof-panel-for-t-top-fiberglass/

that being said, you still need to do it straight, and prep/paint/etc.. so bodyshop is def best idea.

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

It seems my roof took the name sail panel way too literally because what the hell.

But thank you for the info, that really helps! Whatever route is taken to replace the panel, I'm making absolutely sure it's never coming off ever again

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arkutek-em@reddit

Are the panels plastic or steel?

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

Good old fiberglass unfortunately

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Dangerous_Echidna229@reddit

I could be wrong but those roof and quarter panels should be steel, not fiberglass.

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

Many people have been mentioning that, so you could be right. Body work is not my specialty with my cars, I mostly work in my engine and interior. I found a trans am repair shop so I plan to talk to him about the proper material that should be on my roof

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Dangerous_Echidna229@reddit

Hope you can find the parts you need! I despise T-Tops.

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

So does my husband. He had them on his old camero and he made me promise that if I got a Firebird, it had to be a solid top (yet look where that got me lmao)

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Dangerous_Echidna229@reddit

Sorry but I am not familiar with your car but I think something way above and beyond normal has happened with your car, totally unrelated to a normal Firebird. I have never heard of a factory installed steel roof flying off of ANY brand of car in my 60+ years in the business and that includes 33 years with General Motors Product Service Engineering. Good luck!

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

The guy that owned the car before me did some janky crap with it, and I've been slowly repairing a lot of it (I've never seen someone install a scissor window regulator so incorrectly in my life) but he sold the car to one of many shady used car shops here in Texas after it was basically destroyed by a hailstorm last year. My car hood is still covered in dents, and my windshield is brand new because it was absolutely destroyed (my dashboard is still in pieces, I haven't been able to buy a replacement yet) so I'm pretty confident the roof panel was replaced as well with some cheap varient. When I went to buy the car, I commented on how it looked odd, but I figured it was because the paint job was shitty (the paint job on this car is a "my friend can do it cheaper" type of job) I know it's my fault for buying a cheap Firebird, but I at least expected the roof to stay on. I'm used to dealing with engine trouble, not the wind coming through my headliner lol

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Sketch2029@reddit

From your video it's definitely plastic or fiberglass (or a hybrid), not metal.

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

I'm going to try and see if the guy I found can replace my roof with a metal roof or be absolutely sure he seals the fiberglass down properly. When I pulled my car into the garage, my grandma actually commented that it looked more like cardboard, so I have a feeling it was extremely cheap fiberglass that was used to repair the roof from the hail damage it had before I bought the car

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Sketch2029@reddit

Some quick googling says they were all SMC, though there appears to have been an aftermarket fiberglass model made for the refresh.

https://www.hotrod.com/how-to/replace-plastic-body-panels-fourth-gen-f-bodies

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Longjumping-Trick-71@reddit

It was hard to visualize what was going on, without seeing photo or video. I'm at a loss for words... the roof skin tore off on a hard top.. is just not "normal".

At first, I was assuming.. t-top and not locked in... or sunroof that wasn't installed properly.

No.....your car basically acted like... I'm race car and the metal is from a beer can.

Might honestly be better to try to find another shell or daily driver and use your current for parts in your project

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

Ive been very lucky to find a Trans Am serivde and repair shop near me, and he had a car that will so kindly donate it's roof to mine. Hopefully I can get it done soon, because my trans am is like my baby, I love that car so much and I will go absolutely feral if I have to drive my grandma's Buick again (I was without a car for a few months before I got my trans am)

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Longjumping-Trick-71@reddit

Its not going to be easy to repair by any stretch of the imagination, but its not a completely unsavable situation.

If you decide that repairing is what you're doing.... clamp/fit the new roof skin and get your door fenders gapped and aligned/fitted perfectly before you do start welding it into place. Things have a tendency to shift move....so go slow and keep checking for fitment/movement.

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

My husband is decently confident that he can get it done, as his father and brother do body work, but we have some friends as well that work in body shops that we are going to talk to for either quotes or advice, as we aren't in a financial situation to spend thousands on the panel work. If I could've predicated this would happen, I definitely would have set aside money to replace the panel before it decided to become a missile on highway 121

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Longjumping-Trick-71@reddit

If the roof skin is all you "need" to do to fix it, then you should be able to keep costs down if your husband and father in law can do body work/weld and know people in that business too... its just takes a bit of time to get it prepped and keep things aligned while welding the roof back on.

Maybe... you can convert to T-top for the same price as repairing the hard top... its kinda half way there as is

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

While I do love the look of TTops, my husband made me promise to never get a car with them. He had a Camaro that had TTops awhile back and he said that the leaks just weren't worth dealing it. I already tried to talk him into TTops tonight lol but he's not having it; "either a solid top or you have a makeshift convertible"

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SailingSpark@reddit

damn, so the roof is plastic/ fiberglass on these cars? If that is the case, I would start hitting up junk yards. The camaro of the same year should have same roof and might be easier to find without T-tops. As the plastic is just bonded to the metal frame, it might be an easier fix than anticipated, but it might be pricey.

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

I somehow struck the jackpot and found a guy that owns a Trans Ams repair and service center about 30 minutes away from me, and he said he has the exact car panels I need and can install for me. But I am becoming concerned at the fact many people are surprised that my roof is fiberglass, so I'm probably going to talk to the guy and see what other options he has material wise

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SailingSpark@reddit

If properly bonded on, it should be fine. It lasted on many cars for many years. As you surmised, it was probably your windshield replacement that broke the bond between the 'glass the underlying structure. If this guy stands by his work, I would trust him.

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

He has some pretty good reviews from what I can find, so I'm gonna try to trust him. If not, my husband does have friends of a friend that do body work, but we're trying to not spend thousands on repair

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

Since all anyone cares about is just seeing the damage and not actually helping me, here.

Next time I have to work on my car, I will not be coming to Reddit.

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Flenke@reddit

This damage is far away from what most people can fix, no way you're going to diy it, sorry

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

While I don't really know much about body work, it really seems like the easiest thing for me to do is just find a replacement panel from a scrap car and attatch it to mine. While I like a good DIY, I will not mess around with something like body panels unless I know what I'm actually doing, which in this case I don't

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

I'm trying my best to stay upbeat about this but so far I feel like many comments I'm getting are passive aggressive. I'm sorry I dont know how to do body work, or weld. I literally got this car a month ago and just started learning how to work on it myself. I'm sorry my roof panel decided to blow off and I can't post pictures of it because it isn't allowed in this community. I'm doing my best with what I know and I just want some help. I'm a broke 21 year old with no skill sets and no car roof.

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wickedcold@reddit

Hey dude. That really sucks. I think a lot of people just even had trouble wrapping their head around what happened because this is such a freak occurrence. I've never heard of anything like this happening, other that the issue with the early Ford Mustang Mach-E which were losing roof panels but that was right out of the factory (not sure if that's better or worse). In any case I hope you can figure something out. Definitely not an easy thing to repair, most would probably say it's not worth it at all, probably far easier (crazy as it sounds) to find a donor body and swap the drivetrain over, assuming it's all in good enough shape to be worth it. In any case, good luck and I hope your week gets better.

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

Thank you, and yes, I'm realising how freakish this whole thing is. I mean I cant even believe it myself. I wish I had a dash cam that could've caught the whole thing. I'm just so stressed since I only bought the car July 3rd and it's my genuine dream car and I don't want something so stupid as a broken panel to take the car away from me. My 99 Grand Prix was taken away from me by engine problems that no one can fix and I can't bear to lose another car that I love with all my heart. Ive found a guy that owns a Trans Am repair and service yard and he said he'll do his best to help me, so maybe it'll turn out okay

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SailingSpark@reddit

How does a roof fly off? Unless you have a convertible?

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

So I bought the car with major hail damage, and the windshield was replaced. The damage was old, but today while I was driving down the highway, I heard a loud crack, and I looked in the rear view mirror and witnessed my car roof become a projectile weapon. All I can think of is that when they replaced the windshield, they didn't seal it properly and the air finally got in there and blew it off

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FreidasBoss@reddit

That wouldn’t cause the roof to blow off. This car would like it’s beyond repair. If the roof can just fly off then you’ve likely got a ton of other serious issues.

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

As likely as it may be, I am a stubborn, broke 21 year old that will not let go of this car until we are wrapped around a tree together or something of the sort. Due to whatever this was, I'm probably going to overhaul the car with repair, it's a project car anyway 😞

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FreidasBoss@reddit

That’s a pretty stupid take, just remember there’s other lives on the road.

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rebatzz@reddit (OP)

I'm sorry for trying to have a sense of humor during a stressful situation that I have no idea how to navigate. I just spent all my money on this car that I would expect to be safe for the road, and it wasnt. I didn't wake up this morning and decide to let my roof fly off. I'm not a moron that would drive a car I know is dangerous, and I do not drive with the intent to harm others. I'm here for advice on how to make this car safe for the road again. Next time something awful happens to my car, Ill be sure to avoid Reddit because so far, everyone is being passive aggressive or just plain rude when all I want is some damn help.

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FreidasBoss@reddit

Here’s your help and advice; sell the car. This car is a loss and from here forward you would only be throwing good money after bad trying to make any improvements. Not the answer you want, but the answer you need.

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