Had a trail accident and need info/advice on replacing entire roof (1 Viewer)

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Update: got a couple quotes from body shops in the 2000-2500 range if I provide the donor roof. This includes fixing a couple other minor dents. I’d have much rather spent this on some rock sliders or a roof rack but all in all it’s not as bad as I thought.
 
Update: got a couple quotes from body shops in the 2000-2500 range if I provide the donor roof. This includes fixing a couple other minor dents. I’d have much rather spent this on some rock sliders or a roof rack but all in all it’s not as bad as I thought.
If you were on a certified trail, you may be able to claim with insurance to repair. Check the trail designation before contacting you rep.
 
Any update to this @culturedredneck?

Yes, a bit of an update but no progress pics yet.

I took it around to a few shops and got several quotes. Most of the larger shops didn't think it was going to be cost effective with what they charge. They were in the 5k range. They are mostly doing insurance jobs and weren't interested in it. I had a couple quotes for around 2500, but again not super interested in doing it, would take a couple months to get me in etc... I ended up going with a small mom and pop shop that I got a good vibe about. They were around 2600.00 but were also willing to fix a few other dents and dings for that amount as well as redo some places that the previous shop messed up in the paint job. They were willing to work with a used roof and spelled out the plan of attack to the point I felt confident. They were new and didn't have any reviews (which worried my millennial brain) but I was able to talk to some customers and see their work and it looked great. They opted not to do the full roof replacement, but instead wanted to cut out the bad section and weld in a good one. A couple other shops also advised this might work so I felt like it was a viable option.

Right now the plan is they are going to do all of the work but leave it un painted. I'm going to pick it up and bring it back to the house and install some sound deadening material to the roof while the headliner is off. I'm unsure if I will weld on a piece of metal to fill the sunroof hole, or actually design something that could be dropped in and clamped down. The current idea is to have a Molle panel CNC'd out of aluminum that would fill the sunroof hole in the headliner and give the option for some overhead storage. Right now it's just in the idea phase, trying to turn lemons into lemonade and all that...
 
Really sucks for you. I am no body expert at all but I would try to do as much as you can yourself. Set realistic expectations. If you want it to look good I would spend that 2500 on the repainting.

I would start by pulling the dented panels like fender, see if a new/used fender fits right or if the mounting points are bent. Then try to see if you can get the door and windshield areas right. If they are right you are really going to be good. Pull the head liner and sunroof yourself. Weld in a new sheet of metal filling the sunroof opening and maybe the bigger dented areas. Maybe you can slowly push some of the roof dents out enough using a high lift from the inside that the filler would not be too bad. Once it is all welded up and straight you have to decide how nice it will look. You could monsterline or paint the roof yourself for $100. The fenders and door I would have real paint put on them. Or just do all the body work and get it all painted at a real shop.

I would try to avoid cutting out the entire roof and structural stuff, really since it sounds so close to being right. But in the end, I have to admit that it would be a poor idea to do a huge amount of repair work and have a bad job in the end. If you cant get the doors, fender and windshield right with my direction then you should do it right.

The head liner with out the sunroof is another challenge for another day. When I was younger I recovered a few head liners with a friend. It worked GREAT. We dropped the headliner out. if you have the newer foam style head liner it should work. We removed the old liner and scraped off any loose rotten foam. Sprayed it with special glue from a paint style paint gun. Then carefully streched down foam backed fabric that had about 1/4 foam on it.

What I would do for the sun roof id take the striped and cleaned headliner section. try fitting a panel made of something light and stiffinto the hole as best you can. Then maybe use some type of fiberglass sheet laid over it on the top side. to hold it in place. This would be the side that was facing the metal roof when installed. then work on using glue or something to try to make it all smooth. But the foam backed fabric will hide some imperfections when you cover the entire head liner. I think it should work well.

Good luck
PS I would X100000 get rid of the sun roof, they suck. They leak like hell even on a truck with a good roof. I would love mine to be gone. Also I think getting the roof right in regard to the sun roof seal AND the track system would add a lot of work to the operation.
 
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If you are in the south east I would at least shoot a picture to ACC. I would not trust anyone more to fix it. Warning is that they are expensive doing real frame off jobs. but the owner wheels hard and will also understand taking other options to fixing it. I would bet he has rolled his share of trucks. His 80 has a full exo cage for that reason.
 
If you are in the south east I would at least shoot a picture to ACC. I would not trust anyone more to fix it. Warning is that they are expensive doing real frame off jobs. but the owner wheels hard and will also understand taking other options to fixing it. I would bet he has rolled his share of trucks. His 80 has a full exo cage for that reason.


Thanks for all the detailed info here, I think you definitely have the right idea on all of this.

I debated doing a good bit of the work myself, but ultimately decided that I didn't have the right tools and didn't want to get myself into more of a mess. The shop I am working with laid out a plan on how they would fix it and I feel comfortable with that. They are removing the windshield to straighten the A pillars and then cutting and welding the affected area on the roof. They are not messing with anything structural, which is ideal. I think the real work for them will be seeing how good they can hide their welds. I'm not opposed to a white roof though. The sunroof will definitely be deleted in one way or another.
 
Your truck looks much nicer than mine. But when I got my truck I had serious paint fade on my roof. I mixed up a warmer shade of white and monster lined my roof with it. I took a good bit of time taping off the lines I wanted and all in all I am very happy with it. It is not perfect but works well. But if you are going to repaint the roof and have the head liner out consider if you want to delete the oem roof rack as well.
 
To your question about whether a good roof rack could have prevented this: It depends. Mine prevented body damage on a trail where I had a bad spotter. It's clear from the picture I wasn't the first to take the bad line on this trail and scrape up the top of my truck. Looking at your pictures I think my roof rack in the same situation would have prevented me from getting hung up under the tree, but so would an extra 2 inches of lift on your truck. I imagine there are times the roof rack becomes a snag, as well. I love mine and consider it part of my armor.

As for fender flares, sometimes you just have to become a better driver. Other times, it doesn't matter how good you are, you're going to scrape or have the trail remove them. IMHO, When the first one comes off, they all come off, or you should add armor to protect them.

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Alright, the shop sent me some pics so I thought I'd share with you fine people. The main roof damage has been fixed and the roof rack will be completely removed and welded up. I'll take it home this weekend and Dynamat the roof while the headliner is off and we'll cut the panel to weld in. Then, back to the shop for all the final grinding, sanding and spraying. As far as I can tell in these pics it's looking great.

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Alright, the shop sent me some pics so I thought I'd share with you fine people. The main roof damage has been fixed and the roof rack will be completely removed and welded up. I'll take it home this weekend and Dynamat the roof while the headliner is off and we'll cut the panel to weld in. Then, back to the shop for all the final grinding, sanding and spraying. As far as I can tell in these pics it's looking great.

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Wow! Bodywork is like magic. So you're able to retain the sunroof then?

EDIT: Re-reading your post, I think you meant to say the Sunroof will be completely removed...alluding to the panel to weld in.
 
Wow! Bodywork is like magic. So you're able to retain the sunroof then?

Theoretically yes, but I don't think I will. Every body shop I talked to said deleting the sunroof would be the best way to go to avoid potential leaks down the road. I'm a sunroof kinda guy, so I will miss it, but I'd rather have something I know is structurally sound and will never leak.
 
The damage really doesn't look that bad. I had my headliner and sunroof out recently, to install sound deadening, and the roof metal is very accessible once those are out of the way. I don't see why a competent body shop wouldn't be able to fix what's there. You shouldn't need to swap the entire roof.

This is a picture I took of the mostly bare underside of the roof

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Cheers


How much did you pay for sound deadening?
 
Theoretically yes, but I don't think I will. Every body shop I talked to said deleting the sunroof would be the best way to go to avoid potential leaks down the road. I'm a sunroof kinda guy, so I will miss it, but I'd rather have something I know is structurally sound and will never leak.
Long term i think that's a good route. They are nice, but it's also nice not having water get into your rig :)
 
A professionally removed sunroof probably adds that $2500 back to resale value if its any consolation. Its almost like you broke even :cool:
 

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