Thread: Factory roof rail removal, plugging holes

I found a place called Chev Parts in NSW who supplies Steele Products. They do not have the exact plug i need (part number 35-0517-45) but can order it in for cheaper than i could get from the US. He quoted me $5.25AUD per plug plus $6 for postage.

From the US i was quoted $3.40USD per plug but postage was 8% of total cost plus $26, so it would have ended up being very expensive.

Ian is the name of the guy at Chev Parts he was very helpful.

In the end i decided to get some sheet metal and plug the holes up for good. I will be doing the work this weekend and will take pics and do a thread on it when im done.

for anyone wanting to plug up the holes though with rubber i suggest calling Ian at Chev Parts. after a lot of searching he was the cheapest and almost the only stockist with the right size plug.

Just wondering how you went with the sheet metal do you have any pic's?

Originally Posted by Disco dancer

Just wondering how you went with the sheet metal do you have any pic's?

yea mate ive got a running blog going. not sure how up to date it is. but basically ive also got another thread which shows some pics.

while i was up there i decided to spray the whole roof because there was rust under the windscreen seal and one of the alpine windows so i removed them. then thought it was a good time to just do the whole roof.

this is the windscreen thread:

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/discovery-...n-seals-3.html

and ive attached pics of some of the holes patched up. the ones close up of the holes were before i decided to stip the roof right back, so just shows a bit of feathering, which wouldve been ok if i just decided to patch over the holes. it is all stipped back now though so have to give it an etch.

still havnt sprayed the roof. planning to do that this weekend, fingers crossed.

Originally Posted by Fausto79

yea mate ive got a running blog going. not sure how up to date it is. but basically ive also got another thread which shows some pics.

while i was up there i decided to spray the whole roof because there was rust under the windscreen seal and one of the alpine windows so i removed them. then thought it was a good time to just do the whole roof.

this is the windscreen thread:

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/discovery-...n-seals-3.html

and ive attached pics of some of the holes patched up. the ones close up of the holes were before i decided to stip the roof right back, so just shows a bit of feathering, which wouldve been ok if i just decided to patch over the holes. it is all stipped back now though so have to give it an etch.

still havnt sprayed the roof. planning to do that this weekend, fingers crossed.

Thanks the photo's are great and help a lot. It looks like a good job and well sealed up.

I'm keen to do this without destroying the roof (a real possibility for me!) so before destroying a perfectly good vehicle any help with the questions below would help.

Where would be the best place to get the sheet metal patches you used?
What thickness are they?
What did you use to adhere them to the roof?

Sorry for all the questions, in fact I don't even know if they are the right questions!!

Originally Posted by Disco dancer

Thanks the photo's are great and help a lot. It looks like a good job and well sealed up.

I'm keen to do this without destroying the roof (a real possibility for me!) so before destroying a perfectly good vehicle any help with the questions below would help.

Where would be the best place to get the sheet metal patches you used?
What thickness are they?
What did you use to adhere them to the roof?

Sorry for all the questions, in fact I don't even know if they are the right questions!!

hey mate,

to be honest i just guessed as well. it's only 4 small holes so there is no structural requirement. i guessed the thinner the metal the easier to blend in when painting. i used 0.3mm galv sheet. just bought from bunnings.

for the glue i used a specific steel to steel glue. there's plenty around. just dont use silicon or if you do make sure it is without ?acetone? or acetic acid (not sure if the same thing). basically the vinegar smelling one. as this reacts with the steel and causes rust.

i filled the holes up with a non acetone sealer and then used the steel glue to glue the 50mm x 50mm patches i cut. make sure you clean them with grease n wax remover. I put a heavy weight on top to hold them down. you will also have to mold the front ones a bit as the roof is slightly curved. pretty easy though, i just used pliers.

make sure the weights hold in place as it can slide down your roof.

after that i bogged them and smoothed them down and now im painting the whole roof. i added a pic of the progress. ive etched it. tonight i will prime it with high fill primer. sunday when its nice and warm and have the whole day i will paint it.

you can go the easy road as I was going to do and just buy rubber plugs. if you go back on this thread i think i put down some details. it is much easier but you can see the plugs. this option is good if you ever want to put the rails back. my option is a no return one.

after discovering rust at the windscreen and one of the alpines i decided to respray the whole roof. as you can see from one pic i glued some steel plate which i bent with hammer and vice to match the curve of the panes and glued it to the back of the alpine window where the rust had eaten though. that way i could bog the front up and make it flush for the seal to sit on. hopefully making it water tight. so was much bigger job than i started out.

hope this helps

Thanks for the advice its a big help.

Your roof is coming along really well. It'll look smart when resprayed

primed it yesterday. had a few issues with gun blockages but sorted it out. still need to lightly sand back the primer.

sunday i will attempt to paint. thats the scary part. then next week after a few days of curing the windscreen guy is coming back. after that i can finally drive the blooming thing again.

good effort on the roof, makes me even happier about the rubber blanks i used.