Having a tree fall on a car normally means that there is some work that will need to be done to repair the damage. Roof and passenger door caved in, windshield shattered, etc. While this seems cosmetic, it is a tight fit when the roof is dented in 6 inches. We set out to see what could be found at our local junk yard.
We had an idea to completely remove the roof and to fabricate a roll bar with a canvas-style top. This would save weight and save time trying to get the large dent out of the roof. When we were drawing the plan on the board, we realized that it looks very similar to something that already commonly exists:
That’s right, a roll bar off a 1995 Jeep Wrangler YJ. We started with a drill to drill out a Torx security bits but after only making a dent in 15 minutes of drilling, we switched to the sawzall. You would think that 2 – 18V Ryobi batteries would get us through all 4 posts. We got through 2 and a half. Instead of going back to charge the batteries, we opted to go get hand saws (and a beer) to finish the job.
Hands down, the worst idea we had all day; but we got the job done.
And we forgot the trailer….
We made our way down the interstate to another scrapyard that had a MKIV Golf. We wanted the passenger door and the windshield to replace the damaged pieces on our racecar. We got the door off with a saw but, as we were taking the windshield out, it cracked all down the passenger side. Time to find a different solution for glass.
Also tested the light bar (because why would it not have one?). Hooked that thing up to my car just to see how bright it was and it made my headlights look like they were powered by a AAA battery.
We still have a long way to go but we are definitely getting close to having all the necessary parts.