1946 Ford Roadster Pickup - Roadster Refinement

Four Nutserts, or Rivnuts, across the top of the windshield, and a similar number around the back of the cab, mean eight 3/8-inch bolts secure the roof in place.

Careful trimming and numerous trial fitments eventually saw the rear section match the shape of the lower rear framework.

In profile, the masking tape stretched over the bows shows the final shape. Sitting in the truck at this stage proved I would have enough headroom with this design.

With the frame complete, I could skin it in four sections. I made a paper pattern for the rear section first. Working from the rear forward meant the sections would overlap "front to back" and therefore not allow the ingress of water, as I knew I'd end up driving the truck for a while before the roof would be covered. Over a year later, and it's still in bare metal!

With everything marked, the bows were removed, and the truck driven over to Kiwi Steve's Hot Rod Shop, where the framework was re-assembled so it could be welded. Steve is the head tech inspector for SCTA as well as the original builder of the Thacker & Shine lakes roadster, so I know the roof will last!

The ultra high-tech method of wrapping the aluminum sheet around a gas bottle took care of forming the bends! Not wanting the roof to oil can or resonate in use, I'd selected 14-gauge aluminum, which proved tough to bend by hand.

I trimmed the top edge with enough excess to enable me to hammer it over the tubing, which provided a nice radius to the bend. It also meant a single screw would hold overlapped sections in place. If I hadn't been relying on others to weld the aluminum for me, I'd likely have trimmed each section to form a butt joint here and welded the sections together, and to the tubing. As it was, I used sheetmetal screws, which will be covered once the roof is finished anyway.

The shape of the roof bow was transferred to the sheetmetal with a Sharpie, then trimmed a 1/2 inch outside the line to put the edge of the panel just over the center of the 3/4-inch tubing.

Looking up you can see how I once again hammered the edge of the panel over the framework and tubing, and how it was trimmed to allow for as little overlap as possible. This will eliminate any lumps or bumps when it comes to the trimming stage, though it'll receive a thin layer of foam first.