shaving drip rails?

[quadfather]

i am considering shaving the drip rails or
(rain gutters) whatever you want to call them on a 69 camaro. has anyone done this ? how difficult is it . does the roof attach there or can i just cut them off and grind the lip? i don't want to open a can of worms, and have to weld the entire edge. any help or suggestions would be great. :bananna2:

[Camaro Zach]

you will have to weld the lip on the windshield pillar, but im unsure about the rest of the roof. Also i would like to know if anyone has problems with leaks or anything else, would it be ok for a daily driver? thanks,
sorry to whore your thread

[69 panel]

I shaved the drip rails on my '78 Malibu. There is no leak problem, however when it's raining and you open the door to either get in or out water pours into the cabin. As cool as it looks without them I wish I hadn't done it. I wish that mostly when it's raining. (Big Grin)

[kmracer]

I shaved the drip rails on my '78 Malibu. There is no leak problem, however when it's raining and you open the door to either get in or out water pours into the cabin. As cool as it looks without them I wish I hadn't done it. I wish that mostly when it's raining. (Big Grin)
did you have to weld the roof back up?

[MoeBawlz]

Im going to be doing that on my 68. you just have to drill out the spot welds that hold it in place and it should fall right out. maybe do a little weld over it if you go through the pillar or roof metal. but there is a tool i saw that you can get that drills only through the spot weld so you dont drill through everything and make a mess.

[derekf]

Erm.

Am I mistaken?

I was under the impression that the drip rails were where the roof panel attached to the rest of the body, and if you shaved them you would indeed have to weld the entire seam, with all the issues that would entail.

[Ralph LoGrasso]

Erm.

Am I mistaken?

I was under the impression that the drip rails were where the roof panel attached to the rest of the body, and if you shaved them you would indeed have to weld the entire seam, with all the issues that would entail.


Such is true per my info. From what I've been told, it's not an easy task to shave drip rails. If you mess up welding that seam, you're in for big problems, and you may not be able to ever get that roof 100% straight again. I've been planning shaving my drip rails for a long time, but I'm highly considering not doing it given the current time restraints.

[Flyboy]

This is also a subject i've been curious about as well. As far as having to weld up the seam and keep the roof straight... couldn't you simply cut a few inches, weld a few inches so that you never actually take the roof panel loose? I know this may sound a little tedious, but in theory shouldn't that work?

[Ralph LoGrasso]

This is also a subject i've been curious about as well. As far as having to weld up the seam and keep the roof straight... couldn't you simply cut a few inches, weld a few inches so that you never actually take the roof panel loose? I know this may sound a little tedious, but in theory shouldn't that work?

That is what most people do, but the possibility of warping is still there.

[Jim Nilsen]

I don't have any proof but, when I look at a Nextel Cup car these days you will find a piece on each side of the roof to keep the air more stable up above. So if you keep the air from falling off the roofline of any car , wouldn't it be better aerodynamically for us too?

I know they talk about less drag by removing them but is it that much ? Does it have the same effect that removing the roof pieces off of a cup car would have and actually make the car less stable at high speed?

We give up a lower cd. everytime we put a rear spoiler on a car for more down force because it helps traction.So giving up a little at the drip rail should be OK too, Right?

If you look at how the 2nd gen Camaros are done you can have the best of both worlds , since they are removeable. The roofdrip on my 73 was plastic and very easy to remove and reinstall.

It's a matter of personal taste and will be more noticeable on some cars than others because of color and model .

It's a compromise that the engineers had to put in to keep rain out of your car in the days when there weren't all of the the distractions from your game room installed inside somewhere so you would overlook something so convenient as a rain gutter on your car.


It's a tough decision if you do the work yourself since you can only blame yourself for a problem if it occurs and enough money can fix any problem if you need to get someone else to fix it, but that is not what we do this stuff for.

So if it feels good do it !!!!!!!!


And in the end , if you didn't go fast enough ? Maybe you just need more power ?

May the Horsepower Be With You !!!!


Jim Nilsen

[69 panel]

kmracer,

Sorry I haven't gotten back to you sooner. To answer your question. Yes you have to weld the roof back at the seam. The way I did it was to cut a few inches of the rail off with a 4" cutting disc and MIG tack the seam as I proceeded. Once the rails were off I just kept moving from one end to the other tacking until it was closed with out any great heat build up. Then using a 4" 60 grit flap grinder, so as to again not build up too much heat, I smoothed the welds down. It took quite a bit of time keeping the grinder moving without building heat. Then I'd inspect and check to make sure I had not ground through and re-spot any places that looked suspicious and re-grind. It took a long time, about a day and a half but I got no significant roof warpage and no leaks.

[68ls1wannabe]

anybody have some pics? Really interested in this

[parsonsj]

I did mine just like 69 panel. I measured 4" cuts, so I wouldn't get greedy and do too much at once. No warpage issues, though areas around the sail portion where the roof and quarter meet were tricky due to factory lead. Another tricky place was the radius on the back corner of the rear window.

The boys at Road Killer (who did my paint) said it was no big deal doing the bodywork around the welded up seams, and that bodywork was actually easier without the rail in the way.

Took me a weekend to do it.

jp

[boodlefoof]

I did this on my Datsun 240-Z recently. I put together a writeup of the whole process... it includes pics of what to do and what NOT to do... ;)

Forgive the ugly welds... the pics are of the first attempt. I got better as time went on, and I ended up going back and fixing the bad looking parts.

http://www.geocities.com/boodlefoof/Project_Racer-Zroof.html

John

[F70t/a]

John,


That is some great work on that body kit!!!! Way to go bro :headbang:

[TurboLark]

I had the rails shaved on my Skylark. They had to cut and weld to do it right. Looks alot smoother now.

[kman67rsss]

i am looking at doing this also as mine are shot, and cant emagine it would be easier to rebuild/repair the existing rails. looks like the majority of the advice says do a little at a time? any other hints.

[Rreemo]

I'm starting a new project myself, a 71' Chevy SWB Pickup....and I'm seriously considering this on the truck...they just look so much better w/o the rails.

However, on this truck, it appears that the sides are removed very easily, but the front portion above the windshield appears that it will open up a seem.

Nevertheless, would love to hear more war stories on this...and to see more pics of progress.

[Derek69SS]

I personally wouldn't do it... IMHO most cars look better WITH them, and if you do remove it, you can never put it back on. I don't like doing anything that can't be undone.

[mini69]

i just got done shaving the drip rails on my 69 camaro and it turned out great and looks good too. as long as you take your time and do it a little at a time you will be fine.