Restretching Roof Material

[COOTER]

The roof material and moulding has pulled loose above the rear window on my '29 Tudor. Is it possible to restretch it or am I stuck with having to redo the whole roof? There's not much to grab on to back there.

[Mitch//pa]

if the material is not dried out and still pliable you should be able to untack it,, leave it in the sun stretch out further / retack/ trim

[Tacoma Bob]

I'm with Mitch...a hot day is your friend. I have no idea as to your mechanical ability but BE SAFE. Use a proper tack removing too or staple removal tool ( if someone else stapled). When warm and pliable start in the center and "massage" the material toward you. You should soon see that you are gaining. Place a tack. Go back and at an angle keep massaging and tacking. You may want to go back and forth to keep to keep everything even.

[COOTER]

I can see that staples were used. Is tacking a better option?
Once the weather warms up, I'll give it a try. Thanks.

[Jwilli]

I expect that the moulding nails have pulled out of the wood. What about the roofing tacks? Can you check for decayed wood? Hopefully longer longer tacks and nails will reach good wood. Good luck with your repair.

[Mitch//pa]

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Originally Posted by COOTER

I can see that staples were used. Is tacking a better option?
Once the weather warms up, I'll give it a try. Thanks.

my method is to use longer temp nails as a preliminary stretch // tack and just drive them in enough to hold the top secure.
then after some time in the warmth i pull the temps out and stretch further section by section then nail with the little brads.... good wood is a must or if the wood is weak maybe the longer nails may grip better

i wouldn't use staples at all

[C26Pinelake]

New material is very reasonable. I would buy new material and start over !
Wayne

[Tom Endy]

Several of us re-roofed a 30 town sedan a couple years ago. The owner made a wood 2X4 frame that would clear the roof of the car. He staple the roof material to the frame and let it sit out in the sun (it was in the summer) for a few days. Every few hours he would pull the material tighter and re-staple it.

When it was time to install, four of us lifted the frame over the car and allowed the weight of the frame hold it in place while we tacked it to the car. The end result was a very tight roof material.

Tom Endy

[Mike V. Florida]

Need to look for why it pulled out. Was it just trimmed too close to the edge, did the tacks pull loose. Need to find the reason before you go to all the effort only to have it happen again or maybe even worse.