Rusted out roof panel on 69 Continental

Paint, sheet metal, hood ornaments, trim, vinyl tops, emblems, seats, carpet, dashboards, etc. Paint cleaning and detailing messages should be posted in the Cleaning and Detailing sub-forum.

Moderator: Dan Szwarc

Post Reply
User avatar
69conti91
Newbie
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2021 5:20 pm
Location: San Diego, CA
Contact:

Rusted out roof panel on 69 Continental

Post by 69conti91 »

Hello everyone! I have just bought three 1969 Lincoln Continentals (4 Door Sedans) in REALLY rough shape. There is much more to the story but in short the previous owner has passed on an the family just wanted to get rid of them. Unfortunately they had been sitting uncovered in their backyard for a couple of years and the rust is starting to wreak a little havoc. They are all rusted in the regular spots but one of them had a vinyl top (literally just a few strands of it left) and the roof panel looks like a cheese grater. The car is definitely the most complete of the three as far as trim, interior, etc. (I even like the color on it). My question is, has anyone had to repair or replace a roof panel. I'm looking online and I don't see anything available. If I can't find one I will have a shop at least have a look so they can tell me that I can't afford it but I might take the roof off of one of the other two cars (though I would like to avoid that for obvious reasons). Any knowledge and advice is extremely appreciated. Thank you.

By the way, I have never owned one of these beasts (let alone three) so I am still learning a lot about them and I know I will have many questions. I realize that they are expensive to restore and parts can be made of un-obtainium but I am excited all the same.
papawayne
Addicted to Lincolns
Posts: 1936
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:57 pm
Location: St. George. Maine
Contact:

Re: Rusted out roof panel on 69 Continental

Post by papawayne »

Well, welcome to the world of Lincolns. Like a good mistress, they will charm you and break your heart. Most body shops will tell you that nothing is impossible. My shop here in Maine recreated my trunk lid, and I'm guessing that the shop nearest you that works with hot rods or antique cars or both can fix you up just dandy. Just keep your wallet wide open and they will become your friends. Welcome to the forum, Wayne
User avatar
action
LCOC Regional Director
Posts: 5221
Joined: Mon Jun 09, 2003 1:01 am
Location: Phoenix, Arizona 85008
Contact:

Re: Rusted out roof panel on 69 Continental

Post by action »

69conti91 wrote:
My question is, has anyone had to repair or replace a roof panel. I'm looking online and I don't see anything available. If I can't find one I will have a shop at least have a look so they can tell me that I can't afford it but I might take the roof off of one of the other two cars (though I would like to avoid that for obvious reasons). Any knowledge and advice is extremely appreciated. Thank you.
Welcome to the LF.

Finding the person that has replaced a roof is not too difficult.
Finding someone that has replaced a roof on a 61 to 69 Lincoln will prove a bit difficult.
Here is a site on a 1966 Galaxie https://66galaxieproject.com/body-work/
Part of the issue you are experiencing is what Ford did (or did not do) when installing a vinyl. Very little prep was done for a covered roof. When a vinyl roof was penetrated, there was little left to protect the steel. In addition the covering was now an aid to metal cancer not a barrier.

For parts, there are roof panels for some vehicles in the 1960s. Remanufacturers will only build what will sell in enough numbers to make a profit. Like Mustang. Unfortunately, the 1961 to 1969 Lincoln is NOT one of those and mostly because of sales volume for the car line. The slab side Lincoln is becoming rather popular. However unlike Mustang, there are just not that many that were made. 1969 Continental only had two body styles. And the roof will be different for each style. If you are going to replace the roof (versus repair) a suitable donor will be required. Likely there are a number of those. The issue is those donor vehicle are doing the same thing as the 3 you have found. They are sitting in someone's estate and no one is exactly sure how to sell the vehicles because it is outside their skill set. Good news is the roof, at least from 1966 to 1969 is the same for that body style. Likely before that as well however the parts book ends for that period. The work is not a quick or easy procedure. However it is not impossible either.

And as far as other replacement parts especially mechanical parts, most if not all should be available. A 1969 model with the 460 engine and C6 transmission are well supported with replacement parts. The parts that may be difficult will be trim and year unique body parts.

Action
Last edited by action on Tue Mar 30, 2021 10:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
Phoenix - Yeah, it's hot, however it's a dry heat
2006 Lincoln Navigator Limited 5.4l 3V
1996 Lincoln Mark VIII 2DR Coupe Diamond Anniversary 4.6l DOHC, 4R70W, 3.07
1970 Continental Mark III Triple Black 460 4v, C6, 2.80 (Used for Woodward Dream Cruise or just generally stored in Michigan)
1966 Lincoln Continental 4DR Convertible 462 4v, C6, 3.00
1966 Mercury Park Lane 4DR Breezeway 410 4v, C6, 2.80
User avatar
LithiumCobalt
Lincoln-ally Insane
Posts: 3843
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2011 4:16 pm
Location: Knoxville, TN
Contact:

Re: Rusted out roof panel on 69 Continental

Post by LithiumCobalt »

Welcome to the slabside world. If you're not concerned with having a show-quality car, have someone cut the roof off of one of the others cars and weld it in. I kind of question how nice the interior and floorboards are if there were holes in the roof like you describe. Seems to me the interior would be trashed and you'd have a Flintstone car to deal with because of massive water intrusion. Best advice that can be given is buy the best car you can afford. Most of these cars sound like parts cars, which would be helpful if you are restoring another candidate. There are a few things more expensive than a "cheap" Lincoln.
Nick
Image
Current: 1971 Mark III, 2012 MKZ AWD, 2016 F-150 Platinum
WANTED: 1969 Continental sedan, 77 Continental Town Car w/opera window delete, 76 Fleetwood Brougham
Mike
Dedicated Enthusiast
Posts: 612
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2020 2:50 pm
Location: Canada
Contact:

Re: Rusted out roof panel on 69 Continental

Post by Mike »

Instead of replacing the roof you'd be better off picking one of the others and putting all of the parts together in it.
1963 Continental
2007 Crown Victoria LX
and a couple Chryslers and Cadillacs
User avatar
69conti91
Newbie
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2021 5:20 pm
Location: San Diego, CA
Contact:

Re: Rusted out roof panel on 69 Continental

Post by 69conti91 »

Awesome. Thank you for all the replies. Getting a good manual is my next step (any suggestions?). I will also begin a search for a good body shop with classic experience. That site on the '66 Galaxie definitely gives me some perspective on the process. LithiumCobalt, the interior is all ripped up in that car and I hope to take it out later this week to see the state of the floorboards. Fingers Crossed. The interior of one of the other cars is passable so if this car is solid everywhere else then I will just transfer the seats and better parts. Here we go.
papawayne
Addicted to Lincolns
Posts: 1936
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:57 pm
Location: St. George. Maine
Contact:

Re: Rusted out roof panel on 69 Continental

Post by papawayne »

Have fun storming the castle! Manuals can be had most anywhere. I just gave a set away. Lots of us old guys trying to de-junk. Wayne
User avatar
TonyC
TLFer for Life
Posts: 10689
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 1:01 am
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Contact:

Re: Rusted out roof panel on 69 Continental

Post by TonyC »

I may be wrong about this, but I would think that sheet-metal stock could be a viable alternative as well; all you'd need to do is verify the thickness of the sheet metal on the roof. That's how fender panels would be fixed. There isn't that much sculpting to the roof panel, so I would think that to be the way to go.

For certain, after you replace the metal and treat it against future rusting accordingly, you don't want to put vinyl back on top of that repair unless you're rebuilding the car to be a museum piece. You'd be better just painting the roof section whatever color you like, and keep the chrome trim installed to act as a partition between the roof color and body color, if they end up being different. That was what I did with Frankenstein. He was originally fitted with a vinyl covering, but a prior owner had it removed, leaving only the chrome trim around the rear pillars. I took advantage of that and spray-painted the top black, to contrast with the hunter-green-metallic paint job on the body (which was also done by a prior owner, and the job is so piss-poor that it looks like it was applied over the original light-gold with a Brillo pad...but I like the green). It looks a whole lot better than the bleached rusty green splotches it had.

---Tony
"Don't believe everything you read on the Internet, just because there is a picture with a quote next to it." (Abraham Lincoln, 1866)
"Question Authority!"

1966 Continental Sedan, affectionately known as "Frankenstein" until body restoration is done (to be renamed "General Sherman" on that event)
dvdpsycho
Newbie
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2021 11:29 am
Contact:

Re: Rusted out roof panel on 69 Continental

Post by dvdpsycho »

I'm actually dealing with a rusted roof right now on my 69. I'm by no way a professional and do a lot of repairs myself because I cant afford to take stuff to a shop. Plus I like learning and doing things myself. That being said I just bought my 69 3 weeks ago. The vinyl top was half way off and was exposing the roof to the elements. So it had a lot of rust even a couple holes. I asked around and came up with a game plan. I removed the vinyl top and scraped the rust bubbles and crud off the roof. Then I put on a rust converter. After that I put on Por-15 and used fiberglass to fill the holes. I used the Por-15 as the epoxy for the fiberglass as well. Now after this is where I messed up and currently trying to correct. I read that Por-15 is not UV protected so you should put down something over it to protect it from the sun. I also read that you should put primer on or whatever you are using to cover the Por-15 while the Por-15 is tacky. I'm a very rush guy so I didn't wait long enough for the Por-15 to get tacky and put the primer down to early so I got a lot of bubbles in the primer. The Por-15 worked out great and so did using fiberglass with it. Currently I'm sanding off the primer and going to do another couple layers of POR-15 then cover it with Rondo, then sand that and put a new vinyl top back on. I've done a vinyl top before on my 68 cougar so putting on a new top doesn't faze me. Anyway I attached some pictures of my progress. Like I said I'm no professional and some people will tell me I'm doing it wrong but there are other ways of doing things, and I'm doing what I can.
Attachments
1.jpg
2.jpg
3 applied rust converter.jpg
4 rust converter dried.jpg
5 after POR15 and primer.jpg
User avatar
action
LCOC Regional Director
Posts: 5221
Joined: Mon Jun 09, 2003 1:01 am
Location: Phoenix, Arizona 85008
Contact:

Re: Rusted out roof panel on 69 Continental

Post by action »

It may be wrong. However if it is water tight and you are going to cover it with vinyl anyway, looks good enough to me!
Not sure how smooth the surface needs to be if it is going to be covered.

And I am the same. Not skilled in body and paint.

Action
Phoenix - Yeah, it's hot, however it's a dry heat
2006 Lincoln Navigator Limited 5.4l 3V
1996 Lincoln Mark VIII 2DR Coupe Diamond Anniversary 4.6l DOHC, 4R70W, 3.07
1970 Continental Mark III Triple Black 460 4v, C6, 2.80 (Used for Woodward Dream Cruise or just generally stored in Michigan)
1966 Lincoln Continental 4DR Convertible 462 4v, C6, 3.00
1966 Mercury Park Lane 4DR Breezeway 410 4v, C6, 2.80
dvdpsycho
Newbie
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2021 11:29 am
Contact:

Re: Rusted out roof panel on 69 Continental

Post by dvdpsycho »

I'm currently sanding it down then applying a couple more coats of POR-15. After that then apply something called rondo. I just found out about it last week . Its 50 50 mix of resin and bondo. You put it on with a brush and it will level out and fill in the dimples. Then more sanding to smooth it out more and then the vinyl top. That is if all goes well
User avatar
JimA
Dedicated Enthusiast
Posts: 594
Joined: Thu Jun 05, 2014 10:54 pm
Location: Raleigh, NC, USA
Contact:

Re: Rusted out roof panel on 69 Continental

Post by JimA »

Is Rondo a commercial product? I can't find anything on it. Got a link?
1978 Continental Coupe
521 Stroker -- SOLD :-(
dvdpsycho
Newbie
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2021 11:29 am
Contact:

Re: Rusted out roof panel on 69 Continental

Post by dvdpsycho »

Here is a link to a guy I watch a lot on youtube. He shows you how to make it. I just bought the supplies today and I'm going to try it this weekend on my roof to fill in the dimples.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK-CJnDg_yE
User avatar
JimA
Dedicated Enthusiast
Posts: 594
Joined: Thu Jun 05, 2014 10:54 pm
Location: Raleigh, NC, USA
Contact:

Re: Rusted out roof panel on 69 Continental

Post by JimA »

Thanks for the link. It also led me to some others. Here's one on a sprayable filler. Same idea, I think, but spayed rather than brushed on. Looks useful for smaller imperfections.

https://youtu.be/wM1S_Vn9xPg

I think you're on a good path for repairing that roof.
1978 Continental Coupe
521 Stroker -- SOLD :-(
Post Reply

Return to “Body, Trim, & Interiors”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests