Carbon Fiber and Fiberglass Roof Skins FS

[toddc]

Hello and thanks for the inquiry. Roof skins are ~.090" thick. It is a net shape part. Some customers have bonded over the cutout they make on top of existing steel in the fashion you mention and then smoothed out the edges before paint. Others have gone as far as making the cut-out then flanging the sheet metal for and easier seam to fill. I;m not sure what you mean by bond just the perimeter. I've not heard of an installation where the entire roof center section was not cut out. I've only ever seen it where it is bonded only around the perimeter. Another option is our sunroof delete panel. This is a part that bonds into the sunroof opening from underneath after the guts are removed. There is a small gap between the delete panel and the roof that would normally be occupied by the sunroof seal. This is easily filled and surface before paint. Both of these options are in stock at this time. Hope this helps, Toddc

[bmwhound]

Todd, for the sunroof delete panel, at the front edge of the sunroof opening the metal folds down and under. Do you have to grind edge and split off the lower metal, to fit your panel up to the underside of the roof? Is the panel Carbon fiber, and do you have to rivet and bond?

[bmwhound]

Ok, Going back to the whole roof panel. My body guy suggested applying the panel over the entire roof, only taking the sunroof panel out, and removing the underside frame support for the sunroof. this would leave the structural integrety of the roof more intact. He thinks bonding the new carbon panel only at the perimeter and leaving the center part of the panel (over the existing metal roof) unbonded to allow for expansion. Or would you bond the entire panel to the existing roof. Then smooth out edges.

[toddc]

Originally Posted by bmwhound

Todd, for the sunroof delete panel, at the front edge of the sunroof opening the metal folds down and under. Do you have to grind edge and split off the lower metal, to fit your panel up to the underside of the roof? Is the panel Carbon fiber, and do you have to rivet and bond?

Good question.
No, the delete panel is net shape of the sunroof panel and has a 1.5" flange around it that gets bonded to the underside of the roof structure. There is no grinding or removal of metal with this part.

[toddc]

Originally Posted by bmwhound

Ok, Going back to the whole roof panel. My body guy suggested applying the panel over the entire roof, only taking the sunroof panel out, and removing the underside frame support for the sunroof. this would leave the structural integrety of the roof more intact. He thinks bonding the new carbon panel only at the perimeter and leaving the center part of the panel (over the existing metal roof) unbonded to allow for expansion. Or would you bond the entire panel to the existing roof. Then smooth out edges.

This one is up to you and your body guy.
The carbon roof skin, properly bonded, has damn near the same structural integrity as the steel. As fas as expansion, the epoxy we use to make the roofs moves a negligible amount in the heat. I've yet to hear from a customer who experienced a problem of that nature and we're into roof #106, going back 4 yrs.

Leaving the steel roof in the car is an option, but defeats the whole purpose of using a carbon roof to save weight. In this instance, the savings would be minimal.

If this is a street car, I can see your concern. If this is a car with a cage, the integrity of the roof becomes a non-issue.

You have a lot of good questions,

Lets take this to email.

todd@helioncomposites.com

Regards,

Toddc

[bmwhound]

Todd, Yes this is going to be a street car. I do not at this time plan a roll bar. As to weight, removing the inner sunroof structural members, and the sun roof panel will be a significant weight reduction.
So, do you have an opinion on bonding just the outer perimeter, or should the entire panel be bonded. Do you have info on expansion rate for Carbon compared to Steel roof?
I am building a '76 narrow body, backdate with steel bumpers, doors, hood, and engine lid. Removing deco trim side and bumpers. '83 3.0 engine to 3.2 with EFI and Coil on plug ignition.
Continental Orange original color. Deep sixes, maybe rears to 7". Ground up restoration on a solid original shell. It is going to be a sweet car.

[toddc]

Expansion rates are minimal, it's also resin system dependent. Lots of info on line.

You can bond the perimeter only, it will be fine.

Feel free to email me.

todd@helioncomposites.com

[toddc]

Quick bump,
Helion 911 Roof Skins are still available in both carbon fiber and fiberglass. I've just completed another one for a repeat customer and the tool is now open and ready to go.

In keeping with our new business model, orders are taken on a deposit basis rather than pre-paid, one at a time and have a realistic lead time of 2 weeks from order to shipping.
Skins are available in Fiberglass with gelcoat surface for $475 and available in Carbon Fiber with Clear gelcoat surface for $575.

In addition, each roof skin is packed in a wooden crate to help avoid damage. The crate charge is $45.

As far as shipping, I use FedEx Freight and the highest rate I've seen for a roof skin shipment in CONUS is $135.
Shipping rates are calculated at time of order and billed at time of shipping.

Thanks for viewing,

toddc

[chrisbalich]

for those who've bonded this in, how do you get good clamping force on the perimeter while the panel bond cures?
(i have a FL panel that's turned into a real $hit$how and i'm just about frustrated enough to cut out the whole roof.)

[toddc]

Originally Posted by chrisbalich

for those who've bonded this in, how do you get good clamping force on the perimeter while the panel bond cures?
(i have a FL panel that's turned into a real $hit$how and i'm just about frustrated enough to cut out the whole roof.)

Hi Chris,

I'm sure others will chime in with tips, but please feel free to send me an email or give me a call.

Perhaps I can help you with how we bond them in and how others like Werks eleven bond them in.

Regards,

todd

[RobertSwe993]

Hi. Can you also make it for a porsche 993 in carbon fiber

[toddc]

Originally Posted by RobertSwe993

Hi. Can you also make it for a porsche 993 in carbon fiber

Hi Robert, yes. Roofs are the same 911/964/993.

Regards,

Todd

[stanglife]

I just knew I'd get to the bottom of this thread and realize that this guy was out of business....

[bmwhound]

Too bad if he is, Carbon roof I got from him fit like a glove. He was somewhat hard to get intouch with, busy guy. here are some pictures of roof.

[coomo]

Originally Posted by bmwhound

Too bad if he is, Carbon roof I got from him fit like a glove. He was somewhat hard to get intouch with, busy guy. here are some pictures of roof.

Looks great.Shame about this.Talented guy, just cant keep on top of business obligations apparently.Do you know how much weight that roof panel saves?

[bmwhound]

I bought this to do a "sunroof delete" The carbon roof weighed nothing, light as a feather. I only removed the sunroof panel, and related tracks. Some remove all the roof except for 3 to 4 inches to glue the carbon sheet to, but they also put in a roll bar. As I was not sure about the roll bar, I left the roof for structure. Probably removed 20 plus pounds??