97 T100 Roof Brace issue

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Jun 8, 2018 | 02:17 PM

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97 T100 Roof Brace issue

In this photo, I JB welded bolts to the roof skin and tried to thread nuts on to pull it back up. It just pulled the skin down.
Been building a 97 ext cab for a first “car” for my son.
While in the process of soundproofing the interior, I pulled the headliner and found the roof brace separated from the roof skin.
i tried a few things to pull it back up, but all it did was pull the skin down to the brace instead.

looking for some advice because even with the spot welds drilled out, I can’t seem to figure out how to get it out.

any advice is greatly appreciated.

Jun 9, 2018 | 08:51 AM

dropzone

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Hydraulic jack and a broom stick to push the roof brace towards the roof line?
you might need a couple of set ups like that.
might sound hokey but saw it done a couple of times

Jun 11, 2018 | 10:44 AM

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That’s a no-go.
again, I can push the arch upwards with my hand until it’s flush, but without pressure, it just saga back down, pulling the roof skin.

even if I jacked it up, there’s not enough space to affect any real amount of correction to make it form to the arch of the roof skin, so it would just sag back down when I took the jack away again.

Sooooooooooo, I have elected to cut it out, a slice just left of the dome light location, and pulled it out in two pieces.

i’ll welD it back together, bend it to match the roof skin, put it back up, and rivet it on the ends with some sealant in between.

I’ll post pics later.