1946 Ford Roadster Pickup - Roadster Refinement

I left some excess at each end of the rear section too, and hammered them round the edge of the frame, before Kiwi Steve tack-welded the ends, as well as welding the lower edge of this section to the framework across the back of the cab.

I determined the centerline of the roof (arrow), then marked every 2 inches to drill and screw the panels to the tubing. Marking a length of straight aluminum as a guide made things simpler and kept the holes in a straight line a lot easier than a tape measure would have.

I decided to form the front section in three pieces, not only because it was an awkward shape, but also because I'd used up the sheet of aluminum I'd bought! I made these front corner pieces with what I had left, then bought a small section to fill in the center, the joint between them being stepped then seam-welded.

Again using a gas bottle, I shaped the next roof section and then clamped it in place to be marked for trimming.

Plenty of C-clamps and a lot of tedious drilling and screwing saw the next two roof sections in place.

It must be eight years since I bought this old convertible rear window, which has a chrome outer surround and glass, at the California Hot Rod Reunion, knowing I'd one day use it on my pickup! I taped it in a few positions before I was happy with its placement.

With another steel plate for protection, Jimmy seam-welded across the front of the roof, skipping about and using compressed air to cool the aluminum, which warps very easily when heated.

A hole saw made short work of the corners, with an airsaw used to cut the remainder.

A ratchet strap and some scrap steel sheet held the roof skin in position.