Another 51 Chevy Styleline Chop Top Question

[Rattyhotrod51]

Well, I finally got around to chopping the top on my car...... well I`ve cut the roof off, anyway[cl. Sorry, no pictures yet, forgot to take the Digi`s Memory card to Wally World, computer doesn`t have the right port for downloading pics.
Anyway, My question is about the the inner structure in especially the B pillar. How do I get the strength back? I was thinking about maybe trying to cut the outer structure off about an inch or so, welding the inner structure up, putting the outer "skin" back on and welding it up. Yes?, No? Maybe? Is there some other of doing it. Thanks for any help.

 

[Sam_Fear]

Must be a different design on the B-pillar than my 48? I just welded all the way around it. I take it 51's had a inner support for strength too like the A-pillar?

Next time you're at Wally World, get a muti-card reader that plugs into your USB port.

 

[Rattyhotrod51]

Yeah, that was my idea too,just weld all the way around the outside. I guessed there might have be something else on the inside of the pillar. but I wasn`t sure
But it`s about twice as thick as the "skin" Some of it runs right up next to the "skin". But it`s a completely different shape than the outer skin in other places. And some of it is about a 1/8 of an inch or a little more away from the outer skin of the pillar so there`s no way the weld could penetrate all the way in. And I`m think where the inner structure touches the outer "skin" it may be spot welded so that would make it more of a pain to do it the way I was talking about.

But anyway, thanks for mentioning that multi card reader, I never even thought about trying to find somethin like that. That would be a lot easy than going to town everytime.

 

[bowatjr6969]

What I have done in the past is to form a piece of metal to the shape of the inner structure that I would be able to burn a spot weld back into after welding the top back together. It is almost impossible in some cases to get everything back like it was before being cut. Thats why it's so important to measure 80 times and cut once!! LOL

If you have a good fit you could always cut a small window out on the inside of the pillar after fitting your chop together and weld in a piece to bridge across the cut line and then weld your small window back in on the inside of the pillar.

Hope this helps!!

 

[Sam_Fear]

Pics would help.