Hacked the Top off my 40 Chevy and am making a Carson Top for it. Any Tips, Tricks, or Procedures for Reinforce Welding the Cab of the Car? Thank You.
You probably want to look at what GM did to reinforce the frames on factory convertible's. With no steel roof to tie the body together, it will leave you with a body that's very weak (you most likely already know that). Hopefully, the rockers and floors are real solid, to help hold things together. Maybe even "wedges" mounted to both the rear door and door jamb, similar to what the manufacturers did to t-top cars, etc., to restore stability and keep the top of the door edge from hitting the quarter pillar when going up a drive. Personally, I'd put some rectangular tube structure behind the rockers and maybe some 1/8" plate between the rear wheel housing and the B pillar. Good luck, as it may take some trial and error work to get it strong. Stu
Is this a permanent top or removable? If it is welded on and done with conduit tubing and steel strap it will be a strong as the stock top or stronger. If it is removable you will have to reinforce the body in the sills, cowl and door posts and possibly reinforce the frame. By the way you should have braced the body before you cut the top off.
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