In detail: do-it-yourself car roof repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.
The restoration of the roof can be attributed to a complex body repair, requiring high qualifications and experience from the master. Of course, the complexity depends on the degree of damage, but, nevertheless, it is not easy to straighten damage located on a part with a large area. So, let's consider the approximate damage that the roof of a car body can receive and how they can be repaired.
Something can fall on the roof of the car, someone can hit the roof with something, or precipitation can fall in the form of large hail and damage the surface. Usually, in this situation, the roof gets light or medium damage. And, finally, the most severe damage to the roof of a vehicle is caused by an accident or overturning of the vehicle.
Not severe damage in the form of shallow pits hail can be removed even without subsequent painting of the panel using PDR (Painless Dent Repair) straightening techniques.
If the damage is more serious and there is damage to the paintwork, then most likely you will need to remove the roof sheathing and squeeze out the dents and then straighten it using a special straightening hammer with support, trying not to pull out the metal. For straightening large surfaces, a straightening trowel is a good tool. It will not stretch the metal, as it affects a large area, unlike a hammer. You can do it yourself (see article). The technology of straightening with a hammer, trowel and support can be studied here. Before editing, you will have to remove the noise insulation glued to the back of the roof, unless, of course, it interferes with the repair. Then, apply and grind the putty according to the usual scheme, primer, prepare for painting and paint.
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Video (click to play). |
The situation is more complicated when the roof was damaged in a coup... Here you already need to look at what deformations and what complexity were obtained, whether the geometry of the openings of the front and rear windows has changed, whether the side struts are in place. It is necessary to assess the profitability of the repair and possibly make a decision to replace the panel. If you still decided to restore, then let's look at the methods and techniques for repairing a deformed roof.
Before carrying out repairs, you need to remove the trim, remove all pads from the racks, unscrew and remove the seats. In general, you need to dismantle everything that will interfere with the upcoming repair. The dashboard must be covered to protect it from dust and sparks.
When the struts are extended, the diagonals of the openings coincide and deep dents are squeezed out, you can proceed to repair the remaining damage. When straightening the roof, a hammer is used - a trowel and a support made of soft metal. The ironer is made by many craftsmen from a file with a large notch. The notch contributes to the contraction of the metal, which is good for straightening pulled metal and large areas. Use steel hammers to a minimum, or better not to use them at all.
The spotter is very useful for fine straightening.On a large roof area, in some places it is difficult to use the trowel and support at the same time, and there are also places behind the wide amplifier that you cannot put the tool under at all. In these cases, the spotter is irreplaceable. When serious damage is restored, elongated metal may also remain here, again, you can use a special mode of metal deposition on the spotter.
When the surface is smoothed, you can proceed to preparing the panel for applying putty and putty... The roof of the car is subject to vibrations during operation, therefore the filler must be applied elastic and resistant to vibrations. For these purposes, a putty reinforced with carbon fiber or containing aluminum dust is suitable. Carbon fiber putty tends to further strengthen unstable surface areas. It is better to apply and level the putty with a large trowel. For sanding, use a planer with a long sole. You can read more about the correct filling of the car roof here.
Now on sale there are planers for sanding paper with varying degrees of flexibility of the sole (see photo). This type of planer will be useful when sanding the roof panel.
When finalizing the roof plane, you can use a liquid putty applied with an air gun. It is convenient to use in large areas.
If all the restoration operations are done correctly, then it will be difficult to determine that the roof has been repaired as a result.
You say you never held a straightening hammer in your hands, but you don't have money for a car repair shop? So, it's time to learn how to do body repairs yourself and save your family budget. We will tell you how to align the roof or replace this part of the machine, what tools need to be prepared, in what sequence to work.
The roof of the car is damaged much less often than other parts of the body, but it cannot avoid body repair during operation. What kind of damage is the roof surface exposed to?
First of all, troubles are caused by natural phenomena - hail, squall wind. The top of the body can also be damaged during movement by flying off crushed stone from under the wheels of a truck driving in front or by small stones, tree branches. As a result, dents, scratches, paint chips appear. Often in the event of an accident, the car rolls over onto the roof, then damage is definitely inevitable.
And if the car is parked in an open parking lot, where there is not even a canopy, then snow and rain are the cause of rust.
Whatever the damage, you should not despair - you can fix everything with your own hands, despite the fact that you may have to cut and change the roof of the car.
Even if you are not an esthete and you are not very worried about the appearance of the car - the main thing is, if only it drives and performs its main functions, roof repair is necessary for several reasons:
- the roof is the connecting link of the structural parts of the car, its integrity affects the behavior of the car in motion, which is very important;
- chips and scratches will lead to the fact that the rust will eat up the metal and suffer from the rigidity of the fasteners;
- deformation of the roof disturbs the geometry of the entire structure, affects handling in general and can provoke an emergency.
Now you understand that it is impossible to operate a car even with minor damage for a long time, body repair is inevitable. So it is better to do it on time and not risk your own life and the lives of those people who will be in the salon with you.
The most risky type of body repair, so to speak, is the straightening process, because you can further spoil the place of damage.But if you succeed, the savings will be significant. Straightening means leveling, straightening. And since metal is a hard material and expands when heated or struck, it is extremely difficult to return it to its original state.
In auto repair shops there are special devices that level out the deformed places under pressure, and this is not always successful.
Can you get great straightening results in your home garage? Practice shows that if you have the desire, hands and tools, you can easily trim the car.
A set of essential tools:
- the main straightening hammer weighing three hundred grams with a smooth surface;
- soft hammers made of wood, plastic or rubber, which are used to make the initial rough dressing;
- chasing - complete the straightening;
- tinsmith spoons to squeeze out the metal.
It can be called preparatory, since it is necessary to free up the field of activity, which means dismantle the steering wheel, seats, dashboard, door, if necessary, cover all other parts of the car with a film from accidental damage.
We knock out the sheet metal. With a volumetric dent, we install a pushing jack on the support, and since all the impact force will fall on the floor, we also jack the bottom. Place a shaped wedge between the jack and the roof. Begin to apply light blows with a wooden mallet to avoid the formation of a bubble on a large surface. Then, after completing the main work, we correct it with a straightening hammer.
Gently and slowly squeeze out the metal near the dent with a spoon, straightening it.
Correct the rounded sections by hitting parallel to the sides.
In the event that body repair of the roof with the help of straightening is useless, we proceed to at least - replacing the roof. We remove glass, upholstery and everything that can be damaged during welding.
We mark the line along which we will remove the roof, and drill the points for welding at the frame panel, windshield, drainage grooves and cross member.
Carefully remove the roof, remove the remnants of unnecessary metal, straighten the places of the cuts, clean with a grinder.
We degrease the joints, install nine gaskets 200x60x2 mm on the reinforcements of the top of the body, we sew 5 mm holes every 50 mm along the edges.
We install a new roof, adjust it to the size and grip it with gas welding, then finally weld it pointwise according to the previously prepared firmware to the windshield frame, rear cross member and drain grooves.
Such roofs are attached to the body with special rivets, and the joints are filled with sealant. In this case, body repair with a roof replacement will not be difficult. Rivets should be drilled out, removed, replaced with a new roof, fastened and sealed again.
After the roof is aligned or a new one is installed, it remains to prepare it for painting and paint it.
But you want it to look like new, which means you need to polish the surface. Let's consider how to do this at home. You can watch the video "How to polish the car body yourself" or "How best to polish the surface of a car" - a visual master class for car enthusiasts.
Any body repair ends with the process of polishing the car. To do this, you need to know only two things:
- what tools are best to choose and apply;
- how to properly polish at home.
Protective non-abrasive polishing pastes
These are the ones that suit us, since abrasives have a different purpose - they remove a layer of paint for renewal.
- Wax-based polish. It will be enough for a couple of washes, but the cheapness is very attractive.
- Teflon polish. Very popular. It is synthetic, repels water, creates good protection against ultraviolet rays, rust, makes the color more saturated, is enough for eight washes.
- Epoxy is the most durable and expensive, based on epoxy resin.It protects the car for almost a year, but you will have to tinker with the application.
- Polishing varnish. It is very resistant to an aggressive environment, will provide excellent protection for a couple of years, but the price matches the quality - it is the most expensive of all means.
The polishing process is very simple: we apply the agent and rub to a shine with a soft cloth or a polishing attachment for a drill.
How often should the surface be polished? Usually, the products are applied when body repairs are done, and on average - every season, wax - as needed.
Welcome dear blog reader. Today's video will continue the theme of body repair - "Preparing a car for a complete repainting from A to Z". In this series, we will continue to consider the repair of the roof of the car. In the previous video, the wizard told how to remove pits and small irregularities in the transition from the roof to the windshield frame.
Today we will start repairing directly from the roof of the car, where there are also various drops, bumps and other irregularities. All this will need to be putty and prepared under the ground.
And also on the video Vlad SchCh will tell in detail what tools and materials will be required for the repair of body elements. And we will also learn how to detect irregularities, how to putty them correctly, and prepare them if such defects are on the roof of your car.
So, let's get down to an overview of the body elements. As mentioned earlier, today's video will focus on working with the roof plane. In the previous video review, we eliminated shortcomings in a separate area when moving the roof to the windshield frame.
There are several pits and other irregularities on the roof plane that we need to eliminate. Now let's talk about how to correctly detect them at the preparatory stage so that in the future you do not have to redo the work again.
If the roof surface is not matte, but glossy, then damage is very clearly visible on the glossy surface. Refractions of the reflection are noticeable, as in a curved mirror, which is evidence of differences in the plane.
In cases where the roof surface is primed, as in the video version, the damage is not noticeable in the light. You just need to run your hand over the surface and the irregularities will be felt.
And also in this case, a bar can help us. Take a hard block and emery cloth P150. If any unevenness is detected by the hand, then it must be indicated, for which a block is required
.Emery paper can be taken in gradations from P600 to P120. It all depends on the unevenness and confidence that there is a drop in this place. If you take coarse sandpaper at once, it will fill up a large risk, and the body element will definitely need to be putty and primed, since you can no longer simply apply paint at this risk.
If we take fine sandpaper, P600, then at this risk, in the event that there are no irregularities on the plane, it will be possible to simply paint it without applying primer, that is, it will be a formal check.
As you can see, in our case, after grouting with a bar, a dark patch was formed. On closer examination, the bar "showed" two bumps on the plane, and where it did not reach its surface, there is no risk and therefore there is a hole.
After working with a bar, the unevenness is clearly outlined and clearly visible, plus it is well felt by the hand. When checking with your hand, you can not determine, say, the depth of the pit itself, but you can understand that it is.
Several small pits were found on the plane of the roof, which will need to be filled.
The author of the video master Vlad SchCh:
So friend, we figured out how to find irregularities and now we will start preparing these pits for puttying. To do this, we will need, again, a hard block and P150 sandpaper to process the contour of the unevenness, and directly the hole itself needs to be rubbed without using the bar.
The hole is processed by hand with sandpaper, where the inner section of the unevenness, untouched by the bar, is cleaned in order to knock down the gloss and put it at risk. The putty keeps well at risk.
Within the unevenness, it is necessary to knock down the gloss very well using sandpaper from P120 to P180.
So, let's continue with the repair. The pits have already been marked, processed and you can start applying the putty. The irregularities were additionally highlighted for clarity using a simple pencil.
The graphite of a pencil does not react as, for example, from a ballpoint pen or marker, with which you can, out of inexperience, make a selection of the contour. After using them, they will subsequently react with the working material, and will show up well after priming or painting.
First, prepare a small amount of putty. As mentioned in the previous video, the roof surface has its own characteristics that must be taken into account when applying putty. It is better to apply small thin layers with a spatula, because the putty tends to sag.
And also in the last video, it was said that when working with horizontal planes, such as the roof of a car, the trunk lid and the hood, it is best to work with a putty with an aluminum filler.
In this case, Vlad SchCh uses a universal putty, since the car is light and will not warm up as much in the sun as painted in dark colors. In addition, here the pits are not large and you can get by with a universal putty.
Still, it would be more correct to try to use a putty with aluminum powder, especially if the car is darker and subject to strong heat in the sun.
To work on applying the putty, you can use both small and large spatulas, everyone chooses at his own discretion.
The putty should extend beyond the edge of the fossa, taking into account further processing. In those places where the pits are deeper, you need to apply a little more putty. When applying the putty, you do not need to apply strong pressure, since the roof sags from the force of the hand and therefore you need to work carefully.
After applying the first layer of putty, it must be allowed time to dry for half an hour to an hour. Several layers are applied depending on the depth of the hole.
When all the necessary layers of putty are applied, it is necessary to let it dry well, which will take several hours. Only after that you can start grinding it.
So, the putty is completely dry and you can start sanding it. To do this, we need a small hard block and two types of sandpaper P80 and P150.
P80 emery cloth will be required for processing larger pits, where an additional layer of putty is likely to be required. Plus, such a skin is tougher and the work can be done faster when mashing the first layer.
In the same place where there were small pits and a minimum layer of putty was applied, you can work immediately with the use of P150 sandpaper. The size of the bar depends directly on the place of damage.
If the bar does not overlap the edges of the treated area with its surface, then it is better to use a larger bar to even out the plane.
It is convenient to work with a large block in the center of the roof, as it is smoother and does not have any radii. Where there are curves, it is more convenient to work with a small bar or a flexible one.
You must always ensure that you do not go beyond the filled area when working. The risk from P80 sanding paper is quite deep and you can damage the adjacent surface, which will then have to be further processed.
Check the flatness periodically with your hand while sanding. If you feel with your fingers that an additional layer of putty is required, then do not touch this area anymore and go on to other elements of the body.
After processing with P80 sandpaper, it will be necessary to knock down the risk with P150 paper and apply an additional layer of putty. Depending on which layer is required to be applied, you can use either a universal or immediately finishing putty.
Initially, all repair sites were treated with P80 sandpaper and now it is necessary to use P150 sandpaper in order to continue working on auto roof repair... If, when working with P80, we tried not to go beyond the contour of the processed plane, then when using P150 skin, we need to capture a larger area. With this method, we are guaranteed to bring down the risk, and the ends of the site are nullified.
After sanding with P150, it is also necessary to interrupt the risk before applying the primer, for which we are already using P220. To do this, it is best to use a large enough block and constantly check the plane with your hand.
When machining with a large bar, the surface is smoother and plus the work progresses faster. In this case, the entire roof will be primed and therefore it is more convenient to work with a large bar.
After processing with P220, you still need to walk along the surface with adhesive tape - bright for final processing under the ground. In the case when the windshield was not removed, then the windshield elastic band is retracted, as shown in previous videos, and the edge is also processed with adhesive tape - bright.
So, we believe that the very principle of preparatory work to detect irregularities in this case on the roof of the car was clear. We learned how to properly prepare a plane for applying primer and putty.
In further parts of the video, we will continue to study the topic of preparing car body elements for priming and painting.
Liked the video, like it, comment and ask questions, which will be answered in detail.
Finishing editing the article and goodbye!
You say you never held a straightening hammer in your hands, but you don't have money for a car repair shop? So, it's time to learn how to do body repairs yourself and save your family budget. We will tell you how to align the roof or replace this part of the machine, what tools need to be prepared, in what sequence to work.
Problems with the roof of the car
The roof of the car is damaged much less often than other parts of the body, but it cannot avoid body repair during operation. What kind of damage is the roof surface exposed to?
First of all, troubles are caused by natural phenomena - hail, squall wind. The top of the body can also be damaged during movement by flying debris from under the wheels of a truck driving in front or by small stones, tree branches. As a result, dents, scratches, paint chips appear. Often in the event of an accident, the car rolls over onto the roof, then damage is definitely inevitable.
And if the car is parked in an open parking lot, where there is not even a canopy, then snow and rain are the cause of rust.
Whatever the damage, you should not despair - you can fix everything with your own hands, despite the fact that you may have to cut and change the roof of the car.
Why it is imperative to repair the roof of the car
Even if you are not an esthete and you are not very worried about the appearance of the car - the main thing is, if only it drives and performs its main functions, roof repair is necessary for several reasons:
- the roof is the connecting link of the structural parts of the car, its integrity affects the behavior of the car in motion, which is very important;
- chips and scratches will lead to the fact that the rust will eat up the metal and the rigidity of the fasteners will suffer;
- deformation of the roof disturbs the geometry of the entire structure, affects handling in general and can provoke an emergency.
Now you understand that it is impossible to operate a car even with minor damage for a long time, body repair is inevitable.So it is better to do it on time and not risk your own life and the lives of those people who will be in the salon with you.
Is it possible to align the top of the car at home
The most risky type of body repair, so to speak, is the straightening process, because you can further spoil the place of damage. But if you succeed, the savings will be significant. Straightening means leveling, straightening. And since metal is a hard material and expands when heated or struck, it is extremely difficult to return it to its original state.
In auto repair shops there are special devices that level out the deformed places under pressure, and this is not always successful.
Can you get great straightening results in your home garage? Practice shows that if you have the desire, hands and tools, you can easily trim the car.
A set of essential tools:
- the main straightening hammer weighing three hundred grams with a smooth surface;
- soft hammers made of wood, plastic or rubber, which are used to make the initial rough dressing;
- chasing - complete the straightening;
- tinsmith's spoons to squeeze out the metal.
Stages of straightening work
It can be called preparatory, since it is necessary to free up the field of activity, which means dismantle the steering wheel, seats, dashboard, door, if necessary, cover all other parts of the car with a film from accidental damage.
We knock out the sheet metal. With a volumetric dent, we install the pushing jack on the support, and since all the impact force will fall on the floor, we also jack the bottom. Place a shaped wedge between the jack and the roof. Begin to apply light blows with a wooden mallet to avoid the formation of a bubble on a large surface. Then, after completing the main work, we correct it with a straightening hammer.
Gently and slowly squeeze out the metal near the dent with a spoon, straightening it.
Correct the rounded sections by hitting parallel to the sides.
In the event that body repair of the roof with the help of straightening is useless, we proceed at least - to replace the roof. We remove glass, upholstery and everything that can be damaged during welding.
We mark the line along which we will remove the roof, and drill the points for welding at the frame panel, windshield, drainage grooves and crossbeam.
Carefully remove the roof, remove the remnants of unnecessary metal, straighten the cuts, clean with a grinder.
We degrease the joints, install nine gaskets 200x60x2 mm on the reinforcements of the top of the body, we sew 5 mm holes every 50 mm along the edges.
We install a new roof, adjust it to the dimensions and grip it with gas welding, then finally weld it pointwise according to the previously prepared firmware to the windshield frame, rear cross member and drain grooves.
If the roof is made of plastic
Such roofs are attached to the body with special rivets, and the joints are filled with sealant. In this case, body repair with a roof replacement will not be difficult. Rivets should be drilled out, removed, replaced with a new roof, fastened and sealed again.
After the roof is aligned or a new one is installed, it remains to prepare it for painting and paint it.
But you want it to look like new, which means you need to polish the surface. Let's consider how to do this at home. You can watch the video “How to polish the car body yourself” or “How best to polish the surface of a car” - a visual master class for car enthusiasts.
We polish the body
Any body repair ends with the process of polishing the car. To do this, you need to know only two things:
- what tools are best to select and apply;
- how to properly polish at home.
Protective non-abrasive polishing pastes
These are the ones that suit us, since abrasives have a different purpose - they remove a layer of paint for renewal.
1. Wax-based polish. It will be enough for a couple of washes, but the cheapness is very attractive.
2. Teflon polish. Very popular. It is synthetic, repels water, creates good protection against ultraviolet rays, rust, makes the color more saturated, is enough for eight washes.
3. Epoxy - the most durable and expensive, based on epoxy resin. It protects the car for almost a year, but you will have to tinker with the application.
4. Polishing varnish. It is very resistant to an aggressive environment, will provide excellent protection for a couple of years, but the price matches the quality - it is the most expensive of all means.
The polishing process is very simple: we apply the agent and rub to a shine with a soft cloth or a polishing attachment for a drill.
How often should the surface be polished? Usually, the products are applied when body repairs are done, and on average - every season, wax - as needed.
Please note that it is almost impossible to do everything the first time - you need to pull from different points. Try a few points, if it doesn't pull, try other points of hold.
