sunroof to non sunroof

WOLVERINE · 08-11-2007, 09:30 PM

Does anyone know the correct process as to how properly weld shut a sunroof coupe?
recently i was at a local body shop that did this to a sunroofed car and when i looked at it from behind the roof looked like a bird bath...can anyone explain what possibly happened.
the sunroof was welded from the inside......just curious,as i am looking to get this done.
Thanks

Scooter · 08-11-2007, 11:14 PM

Call Mark at Eurotech in Kirkland.

tubwreck · 08-12-2007, 05:19 AM

I spent a lot of time looking into this, and spoke to about half a dozen body shops, including two Porsche specialist shops. What I heard was:

- For a racecar, where the exterior appearance is not critical and the interior is gutted anyway, you can weld a series of tabs around the underside of the opening lip and weld the panel to the tabs, then fill with a bit of bondo. Or purchase a plastic sunroof panel and clip it in place (race bodywork suppliers have these).

- For a street car, this is a pretty tough (read expensive) proposition. It is very difficult to weld the panel in place in a way that replicates the non-sunroof roof contours. One shop had done this once (butt-welded) and it was spectacular, but the owner swore he would never do it again (it was his own car, and he was talking about 50+ hours of work, not counting prep or paint). The more typical approach is to cut off and replace the entire roof clip with a non-sunroof clip. Another method is to obtain a non-sunroof skiin and glue it over the existing top and fill/feather the edges.

For a street car, the body work is only the beginning of the expense, however. You will need a complete new headliner kit, with bows, and to install the new headliner, all of the glass needs to be removed from the car.

My conclusion, after looking at the costs involved, was that it was going to be much, much cheaper to find a non-sunroof car.

group911@aol.co · 08-12-2007, 05:19 AM

Or just weld on a non sunroof top. Makes it easier to mount the headliner too.

PcarPhil · 08-12-2007, 06:13 AM

I recently deleted the sunroof on my '81 project. It took a lot of work!

My process involved cutting and removing the entire stock sunroof assembly, gutting the stock sunroof panel leaving just the panel, trimming the sunroof hole in the roof, cutting filler metal to fill the gap between the sunroof hole and sunroof panel, clamping everything in place and adjusting for the right contours, Mig'ing the corners, and epoxying the seam and filler metal.

Then I had to sand sand sand sand sand and sand some more on the roof to get the roof contour to look correct.

It was a lot of work but I'm glad I got it (mostly) done.

Dennis Kalma · Dennis Kalma's Garage

I am lining up to remove my sunroof from my '89, car is being stripped completely so no issues with having to remove glass etc.

I am guessing it will be a lot of work, but I have found a roof section from a non-sunroof car that I am going to use. The thought I have, and was looking for feedback on, was to cut out the sun roof, then flange the donor panel to fit exactly (basically put a step on the donor panel) and then seam weld (either TIG or MIG) the donor into place.

Thought is that the flange weld will be fine if the entire seam is welded (I'll be using lots of weld-through zinc on it), then lead the seam as needed. Since there will be no way for water to get into the flanged component, it should not rust, plus there will be the ability to contour match a little...

Thoughts about the approach I am considering?

Dennis

rdane · rdane's Garage

Eurotech in Kirkland did mine several years ago. Panel was butt welded closed and came out perfect. You'd never know it's not factory. Car had the glass and interior out while doing other body and paint work which lowered the price tag.

A search under my used name should get you some pictures and a better description on how Mark and Eurotech did mine.

euro911sc · euro911sc's Garage

Wolverine,

Take it down to the 901 Shop in Stuart, FL. They did some amazing thing where they cut along the roof rails and reweld... inside and out looked factory. Call Jack, 772.781.2944. This was done on Juan's (ErVikingo) race car. really amazing job. If he sees the post perhaps he'll post some pics. I'd love to do it to mine.

-Michael

rdane · rdane's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by euro911sc

Wolverine,

Take it down to the 901 Shop in Stuart, FL. They did some amazing thing where they cut along the roof rails and reweld... inside and out looked factory.... -Michael

Might cost a bit more than anticapated coming all the way from WA State

euro911sc · euro911sc's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdane

Might cost a bit more than anticapated coming all the way from WA State

BAH, should be able to push it here

... heheee there's a mount dora here in FL... I must have had my glasses off

-m

Don Plumley · Don Plumley's Garage

I did a budget approach that is best for a track rat, but did not involve any painting. Pics are on www.spinninghippo.com:

Pull out old headliner. Cut out sunroof tray. Separate inner and outer sunroof panels. Tack weld outer sunroof panel to roof using 1/4" angle stock. There's a tab at the rear of the roof to hold (and tack weld) the back of the sunroof in place.

Interior: Glue black vinyl to roof to mock up a headliner. Looks great from 3". Don't look too close in the front corners or rear edges. Was able to tuck under glass gaskets.

Exterior: Fill gap with silicone caulk.

Tah Dah!

rsa · 08-13-2007, 09:59 AM