1964 Caliente roof swap
- ArkansasComet
- Posts: 97
- Joined: Wed Dec 14, 2016 4:50 pm
- Location: Arkansas
1964 Caliente roof swap
Here are some pics. of my 1964 Comet that I bought as a parts car a few years ago. I no longer own the car but I stay in contact with the current owner & he is nice enough to update me on its progress. I was forced to sell this car when I moved out of state (I could only haul so many projects!) & I regret letting this one go, but I am glad it went to a good home. This car was complete when I bought it, the owner had parked it for a few years after breaking some teeth off of the flywheel which kept him from starting it. Although it was in southern CA, he lived near the beach & parked it under a tree, which led to some major rust on the passenger side of the roof. Since the rust was so bad, he decided to sell the car as a parts car, but I decided to fix the rust & save this car from the scrap pile!
Here is the car on it's way home from the seller's house, this was the good side...
Here are some shots of the rust...
The driver side wasn't as bad, but it did have some rust:
I got really lucky one day & found a guy on craigslist who was selling a very nice condition roof only an hour away, so I picked it up!
I removed all of the interior & the glass from the car to prep it for the roof swap:
After a lot of measuring/marking, I cleaned the areas around where I was going to cut & marked where to make the cuts:
I used a few bottle jacks/jack stands to support the car as much as possible:
Next I braced the inside so it wouldn't move too much once I cut the roof off, the roof is a very important structural component so I wanted to try & keep the car straight once I cut it:
I used a 4 1/2" angle grinder to make the cuts since this is a tool I use a lot & am very good with, a sawzall or air saw would also have worked well. Here is the car as a convertible! I decided to keep the doors in place to help with supporting the body:
My twin brother helping with some of the welding (he is a better welder than I am ). The tie down was used to bring the car back where it was, the body did shift slightly despite my efforts to brace/support it, but the new roof lined up very well.
New roof in place!
No more rust!!!
My dog Odin checking my work:
Unfortunately after all of this work the car was put on the side burner while I got my house ready to sell:
And the sad day came when I had to let it go
Here is the car on it's way home from the seller's house, this was the good side...
Here are some shots of the rust...
The driver side wasn't as bad, but it did have some rust:
I got really lucky one day & found a guy on craigslist who was selling a very nice condition roof only an hour away, so I picked it up!
I removed all of the interior & the glass from the car to prep it for the roof swap:
After a lot of measuring/marking, I cleaned the areas around where I was going to cut & marked where to make the cuts:
I used a few bottle jacks/jack stands to support the car as much as possible:
Next I braced the inside so it wouldn't move too much once I cut the roof off, the roof is a very important structural component so I wanted to try & keep the car straight once I cut it:
I used a 4 1/2" angle grinder to make the cuts since this is a tool I use a lot & am very good with, a sawzall or air saw would also have worked well. Here is the car as a convertible! I decided to keep the doors in place to help with supporting the body:
My twin brother helping with some of the welding (he is a better welder than I am ). The tie down was used to bring the car back where it was, the body did shift slightly despite my efforts to brace/support it, but the new roof lined up very well.
New roof in place!
No more rust!!!
My dog Odin checking my work:
Unfortunately after all of this work the car was put on the side burner while I got my house ready to sell:
And the sad day came when I had to let it go
Last edited by ArkansasComet on Wed Jul 05, 2017 8:31 pm, edited 3 times in total.
"Auto racing began 5 minutes after the second car was built." - Henry Ford
- ArkansasComet
- Posts: 97
- Joined: Wed Dec 14, 2016 4:50 pm
- Location: Arkansas
Re: 1964 Caliente roof swap
Here are some pics. the new owner sent me of this car, it is looking very good now!
Last edited by ArkansasComet on Wed Jul 05, 2017 8:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.
"Auto racing began 5 minutes after the second car was built." - Henry Ford
Re: 1964 Caliente roof swap
Wow ! Great work! Too bad it had to go but it happens. There's always another one!
Joe
Joe
Re: 1964 Caliente roof swap
You saved that car!! It most likely would have gotten scrapped had you not give it a roof to live under!!
- Jims65cyclone
- Posts: 2772
- Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2014 10:29 pm
- Location: Lexington, SC
Re: 1964 Caliente roof swap
Great pics and story! Show us the same detail on your new build. We love to see the progress. It's the kind of stuff that inspires and encourages us all as we look down the long road of our projects.
Jim
Jim
- ArkansasComet
- Posts: 97
- Joined: Wed Dec 14, 2016 4:50 pm
- Location: Arkansas
Re: 1964 Caliente roof swap
Thanks everyone! I'll share some pics. tomorrow of my new 202 project, I think you guys will enjoy it!
"Auto racing began 5 minutes after the second car was built." - Henry Ford
Re: 1964 Caliente roof swap
I parted out a 64 Falcon HT 6 cyl for similar roof rot. Although it did have a big rotten hole in the A-pillar where the passenger side upper door hinge bolts.poboyjo65 wrote:You saved that car!! It most likely would have gotten scrapped had you not give it a roof to live under!!
The guy who bought the shell was gonna save it!
Joe
Re: 1964 Caliente roof swap
Those are cool picts and I am glad the car didn't become a parts car, it looks really great now, it is nice it went to a good home.
See Ya,
Mike
See Ya,
Mike
Re: 1964 Caliente roof swap
Really skillful and dedicated work by you and your brother. Thanks for saving another Comet!
Albert's 65 289, polar white, black buckets, 5 speed, Autolite 4100, ps, pb, factory tach, crites hood, headers, dual exhaust
Re: 1964 Caliente roof swap
Good job on the roof. Well done. Now mine doesn't look so bad.
Only use the brakes to stop and get gas.
Projects
65 Comet 421Stroker
93 Mark VIII Supercharged w/Fogger
70 Torino GT
Projects
65 Comet 421Stroker
93 Mark VIII Supercharged w/Fogger
70 Torino GT
Re: 1964 Caliente roof swap
I have some rust, mostly the rain gutter and the corner of the windshield. I have been debating take the roof skin off and rebuild the drip rail or replace the complete roof. I have at least two spots on the roof skin that need repair. It is always easier to metal finish a single layer panel when it is off the car. If you can’t find a southern roof you can look at you don't know if the edge at the drip rail is ready to rust through. I have seen several of these roofs that look great until you poke at it with a screwdriver or take the windshield chrome off and it is rotted through. I did find a good roof in AZ. He wanted a $1000.00 for It. I didn’t have that much cash on me and I had a flight home the next day. It won’t fit in my overnight bag.
Only use the brakes to stop and get gas.
Projects
65 Comet 421Stroker
93 Mark VIII Supercharged w/Fogger
70 Torino GT
Projects
65 Comet 421Stroker
93 Mark VIII Supercharged w/Fogger
70 Torino GT
- ArkansasComet
- Posts: 97
- Joined: Wed Dec 14, 2016 4:50 pm
- Location: Arkansas
Re: 1964 Caliente roof swap
I've never skinned a roof but doing the whole roof swap was a pretty easy job, the hard part would be finding a good roof. I got really lucky & found mine on craigslist for $100. Later I purchased this '64 shell on craigslist for $450 & split it with a friend who needed the roof & windshield from it (I got to keep the rest). This was all when I lived in southern CA. Just keep your eyes peeled & you'll eventually find a good roof to use.
"Auto racing began 5 minutes after the second car was built." - Henry Ford