With all the sections (all 5 inches in height in this case) removed, you're then almost ready to lift the roof section back into place onto the lower body section.
Here you can see a close-up of one of the B-pillars that have been prepped both inside and out for re-'glassing. For those unsure of what B-pillars are, they're the second vertical pillar rearward of the windshield or A-pillars. So, a two-door will have a pair of A-pillars (at the windshield), B-pillars (at the rear of the doors), and C-pillars (at the quarter-panel to the rear window).
The next step is to lower the roof section back onto the lower body. If you've made your cuts as precisely as Nate has here, the roof panel should fit the body as well as it does in this case, and everything should line up pretty darn closely. You'll then want to clamp the upper and lower sections in place. Nate used welding clamps and pieces of plate steel placed at all four corners and at the C-pillars to make sure the two pieces align precisely.
Before you do that though, you'll want to prepare the remaining sections of 'glass for reassembly by roughing up the edges to give the new resin and fiberglass a good mechanical bonding area (this should be done on both the inner and outer surfaces of both the upper and lower body sections).
Here's a shot of the righthand B-pillar. You can see just how well the upper and lower panels line up if you look closely at the cut line-this is what you want all the way around.
The ideal place to start the reattachment process is on the inside of the body at the largest contact area-this will make for the strongest bond (because of the large area covered). Also, once the resin and mat has set, it'll hold the top reliably in place for the balance of your work.
With the top initially tacked in place at the inside section of the C-pillars, you'll then want to hit the seams (on the exterior) with a grinding disc. You want to do this for two reasons: first, to roughen up the area to allow the new resin and matting to bond well to the existing surface; and second, to create a low spot at the ground area that will allow the new 'glass and matting to be built back up to the original surface (so the newly 'glassed area is of the same thickness as the original panel).
You can see what I'm talking about if you look closely at this B-pillar-the center of the ground portion, at the cut line, is narrower than it is at the top and bottom of the ground area. As I said before, this allows you to build up the area at the seam where it needs to be strongest while still ending up with a section that's the same thickness as the original.
The door assemblies are chopped while off the vehicle. They should have been marked with masking tape at the same time as the body so the cut lines match the rest.
The top section of the door should be cut first so you can cut off the stubs while they're still attached to the balance of the doors. That's a lot easier than trying to hold the smaller top sections while you're making the second cuts.
Here's one of the doors before the two sections have been reattached. You may have also noticed this is just the outer doorskin; this is because the inner and outer doorskins are shipped unmated in Bruiser's "Finish it Yourself" body package. I assume that's one of the ways Bruiser keeps them so affordable, and I'd rather expend elbow grease than cash any day.
The door assemblies are reattached in the same manner as the rest of the body, starting on the inner portions first.
With the initial reattachment complete and the resin/matting cured, it's time to start 'glassing the exterior surfaces.
With the actual bonding steps complete, the finish work on the exterior begins.
This is where you'll want to add the heaviest concentration of 'glass reinforcement since the interior sections will more than likely be hidden by the upholstery-remember the stronger the better.
This is accomplished by sanding the 'glass and matting mixture so it's flush with the original surface at all the reattachment points around the car.
The finish work on the body and doors is accomplished by not only sanding and feathering the new 'glass, but by using a bit of bodyman-in-a-can (Bondo) and a good filler primer.
And here you have it; quite a difference, wouldn't you say? As I said earlier, chopping a 'glass vehicle is a lot less stressful for the beginner than tackling a steel body would be. However, the experience gained with 'glass will go along way in boosting one's confidence to consider trying it on a steel body. So don't be afraid to give chopping a 'glass body a try-it's really not as hard as it may seem!
Bruiser Enterprises LLC
928-855-5616
www.bruiserbodies.com