deleting sunroof

[richard33]

Im going to be getting rid of my sunroof soon and looking for ideas to block up the hole. I was thinking of just putting an aluminum block off plate on the roof and using a sealer to keep the water out but I don't think that's going to look too good. Any other ideas or pictures from anyone who has done this.

Im getting rid of the entire unit, not just replacing the glass with something btw..

 

[gabytech]

Lexan, fiberglass, or carbon fiber sunroof plug..

 

[richard33]

How would I secure any of those to the roof?

 

[TSiAWD666]

There isn't an off-the-shelf solution for this unfortunately.

A cheap option is cutting a metal plate and riveting in place and then using sealer, basically like you described. I've seen this on plenty of street cars turned race car and it works, but it's not really pretty. Looks fine on a track car, a little hacked on a street car, but depending on your budget this might be the best way to go.

You could do what I did if you have the money or ability. I had a shop weld in metal (which is extremely difficult on our roof due to how thin the metal is and the complex curvature), brace it from underneath a bit, and use minimal filler to create a smooth surface. I can't tell you much more than that because I don't personally do body work and I wasn't present when it was being done. Expect an expensive job though, probably easily $1200 or more. Maybe someone can chime in with their experience on this option.

Here's a picture of mine though it doesn't show much more than that it is possible to weld in metal:

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[Steve93Talon]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/153103609-post10.html

 

[gabytech]

How would I secure any of those to the roof?

How To: 2g Carbon Fiber Sunroof Install - DSM Forums: Mitsubishi Eclipse, Plymouth Laser, and Eagle Talon Forum: DSMtalk.com

It's all about POWER to WEIGHT ratio

 

[richard33]

Thanks. Since this isn't a street car really and far from a show car I probably won't do the CF sunroof plug. I'll probably go with something more budget oriented.

 

[91stocker]

I wonder how involved it would be to peel the roof skin off a car with no sunroof and swap them out.

 

[ed1380]

very involved. Would require cutting and welding and bondo.

 

[gabytech]

I wonder how involved it would be to peel the roof skin off a car with no sunroof and swap them out.

very involved. Would require cutting and welding and bondo.

It doesn't require cutting nor bondo. Its spot welded, a body shop should remove the spot welds the RIGHT way and spot weld the new roof skin, guarantee its an expensive job.

 

[mysticj]

how about converting to a pop up style sunroof? good idea or bad idea?

 

[GDNF2ET]

I had a shop say that cutting a metal patch and using epoxy to glue the patch on was the best option...The roof was too thin for excessive heat to weld it..

 

[gabytech]

I had a shop say that cutting a metal patch and using epoxy to glue the patch on was the best option...The roof was too thin for excessive heat to weld it..

That shop doesnt know what they are talking about. Theres the right way and the ghetto way...

 

[H@xtGSX]

A steel plug can be welded in, they just didn't want to. It'd be a really good gas MIG or a high frequency TIG job to get it done without excessive grinding afterwards though. I am working on a bolt in, reinforced, clamp in sunroof plug that will have triangular adjustable steel rod bracing to the corners of the plug to help a bit with the rigidity of the roof. My prototype is clamped in with a t-top style hook clamp at the moment, and I am evaluating if I like it or not. No, I am not posting pictures, as I probably will offer this early next year. Until then, yes you can remove it, and fill the hole easily enough, but there is not a good removeable replacement available yet.... I do like my initial results though. No more rattles, and it is a bit quieter. The trick is matching the contour of our roof line perfectly in a very stiff tooling mold. You can't just mold the glass, because there is a significant gap for the rubber seal. The plug I am thinking of seals to the outside lip of the hole, but only by about 1/2 an inch.