Early Fords, and most other early cars, came from the factory with padded top inserts and wooden support bows. This was because a panel the size of a sedan roof was simply too large to manufacture, despite the complex shaped body panels produced in the huge presses at the time. Why coupes received inserts too is another matter.
However, hot rodders have long been filling the hole left when the insert is removed using a steel panel, often borrowed from the roof of some unsuspecting station wagon, or in the case of coupes, sometimes a hood skin of the correct curvature. In recent years, however, Walden Speed Shop has been producing brand-new roof panels, perfectly compound-curved to fit an ever-increasing range of body styles. We were going to show you the new roof panel being fitted to Bobby Walden's own '34 coupe, but magazine deadlines and Bobby's customer demands conspired against us.
All was not lost, however, as those necessary paying jobs that delayed his own coupe included a couple of roof insert replacements on early Ford sedans, namely Dale and Sandy Brooks' '34 and Wayne Wilson's Model A.
All the roof panels supplied by Walden Speed Shop are shaped by Bobby using a Yoder power hammer. The panels are available by mail order, too, and a perfect fit is ensured, thanks to the bucks Bobby has painstakingly made for each application. Here's how they come together.
Here's the stash of bucks...
Here's the stash of bucks Bobby uses to ensure every panel is exactly the same and will fit perfectly. The sedan roof panel bucks are at the rear against the wall, while various doorskin and coupe roof bucks are in the foreground.
The roof panels have a gentle...
The roof panels have a gentle curvature that makes it impossible to use a flat sheet of steel to replace the factory insert. Skill and experience enable Bobby to know just how to form the panels using a Yoder power hammer. Wanna know the secret? Then sign up for one of Bobby's sheetmetal-shaping seminars. Sedan roof panels are made in two halves owing to their physical size, as they're simply too large to form in one piece. Bobby trial-fit the second half of Dale Brooks' '34 sedan panel on the buck. It may take a few trial-fittings before Bobby is happy with the panel. You can see the curvature of the panel clearly here.
Of course, the reason each...
Of course, the reason each buck has curved sections running fore and aft, as well as side to side, is so the curvature can be checked for accuracy. Here, Bobby checked one last time, before the two halves of the roof panel were welded together.
The panels were first tack-welded...
The panels were first tack-welded and then run through the power hammer to straighten them. The weld was then finished and hammered on the power hammer. This is the most difficult part of the sedan roof panel. With the welded seam dressed while the panel was still on the buck, a final check could be made for accuracy before it was transferred to the car.
You can see how nicely the...
You can see how nicely the curvature flows with the original steel with the new insert laid on top of the sedan's roof. However, it doesn't just get welded over the top of the hole.
The recess that used to mount...
The recess that used to mount the original insert will have to be removed in order for the backside of the weld to be accessed once the new steel panel is in place.
Looking a little strange removed...
Looking a little strange removed from the car, along with its header brace panel, the recessed lip is probably desperately needed by a restorer somewhere with a rusted roof. Note how it was trimmed approximately 1 inch from the inside edge.
The red dye around the hole...
The red dye around the hole was applied before any trimming took place, and the outline of the new panel was marked on the dye. Wesley Kent carefully trimmed and dressed the steel back to that line in order for the new panel to sit flush with the original metal.
A monumental and careful session...
A monumental and careful session with the TIG welder later, followed by just as much effort with a hammer and dolly and metal finishing, and the roof looked like it came from the factory this way.
Wayne Wilson's Model A sedan...
Wayne Wilson's Model A sedan was at Walden Speed Shop for a new Jitney-built chassis-not to mention a substantial amount of metalwork that included a new floor and work on the firewall and lower panels-but it's the roof insert we are interested in.
The roof insert was fabricated...
The roof insert was fabricated in exactly the same way as the '34 roof, and Wesley straightened any slight imperfections once the insert was welded in place, flush with the original steel.
Model A sedans require the...
Model A sedans require the roof side panel above the door to be welded to the rear section, and Wesley used a hammer and dolly to work the metal to shape.
While the '34 roof will appear...
While the '34 roof will appear smooth when painted, the crew at Walden Speed Shop used a Pullmax to add an outside rib to the Model A roof panel before installation. This will give the appearance of an insert, and also gives the ribs on either side of the rear window somewhere to finish at the top. Those vertical ribs (actually trim pieces sandwiched between the two panels) will be extended up to meet the new insert's "outline" bead. Note the holes left from the Cleco fasteners, which will be welded when the insert is final-welded.
A stock visor was welded to...
A stock visor was welded to the front of the new insert, again, for that "almost but not quite stock" appearance.
Here's the bead extended and...
Here's the bead extended and the welds dressed. Now, doesn't that look "right"?
If you didn't know better,...
If you didn't know better, you'd swear this was stock, which is a compliment to those involved.