03-09-2021, 08:53 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-09-2021, 08:56 AM by Malcolm Parker.)
I think you will find that there is actually no structural metal above the doors on the RL. There is a shaped piece of wood (ash) about 4" x 1" in section which forms the edge of the roof structure. The body sides rear of the doors are attached to this and at the front, where they meet the windscreen ('A' post), there is a steel angle bracket that has slotted holes. Presumably the bodies were adjusted at this point to ensure a decent door fit. The sides of the roof are fitted with light steel panels to provide the curved shape but these are not structural.
The underside of the roof side timbers are covered with a light metal sheet. I can't remember whether this was originally steel or aluminium. I used aluminium on my restoration. These are only for appearance and are not structural.
Somewhere I have photos of my RL body when it was being restored. Without the wooden roof structure, there is nothing between the top of the windscreen and the rear of the body.
The underside of the roof side timbers are covered with a light metal sheet. I can't remember whether this was originally steel or aluminium. I used aluminium on my restoration. These are only for appearance and are not structural.
Somewhere I have photos of my RL body when it was being restored. Without the wooden roof structure, there is nothing between the top of the windscreen and the rear of the body.