Fenn lane sunroof delete

[panzerfaust]

Originally Posted by Bill Verburg

I'm not sure, the red and white are both oe 993, red is a roof removed, white is a new oe roof grafted on. the blue is my 993 w/ an '83 non-sunroof SC roof grafted on.

The SC & Carrera roof trailing section is different from the 964993 trailing section in that the early cars vented cabin air there 964/993 don't

Ok thanks... I will look further into it. I hate to loose chassis stiffness if it originally cam with it.

[Flojo]

Originally Posted by Bill Verburg

If you use the Fenn Lane panel don't forget to cut away all the additional sunroof structure
Here you can see all the additional structure

the finished interior should look like this

can pls someone chime in and detail how to remove the sunroof cassette?
what must be unscrewed, what must be cut?

[Fixer]

One thing to remember is we're doing this primarily for lightness. Then aesthetics and headroom.

So using lots of filler to get the shape right adds a lot of weight.

Body filler Really adds weight!

Best and lightest approach is to butt weld in a custom made panel that requires a very minimal skim coat prior to paint. No replacement for doing it right. I use an original non sunroof roof section (66 911s!) to match the curvature.

This is a mod that requires patience and skill but well worth it in the end of done right.

Done wrong and your 911's a mess.


I'll do another one soon and post pics.

[DaveE]

Is there a source for the Fenn Lane panel in the US? I want to do a delete on a '76 shell I have.
Thanks.

[tdw28210]

Did this on my Mexico Blue project. Welded, filled, sanded and sanded and primered and painted. Looks great. Sooooo glad we did this when we had the car on the rotisserie.

[3literpwr]

Finally found some free time and bonded the sunroof delete in my project. Went in easy overall. I found that supports and shims provided good clamping force I opted to not use screws. Worked great. Now I just need to decide on what type of filler to use. As for epoxy, I used the 3M product.

[75 911s]

Looks great! And kudos for doing it yourself. I'm eagerly waiting on my insert from Fennlane. I was thinking about cutting the cross support out of the sunroof insert and putting it back in as a mid roof support. It just feels so flimsy right now. I know the insert will help that, but still. I wonder if anyone else has left that cross piece in and if the headliner will fit and the bows will clear.

Chris_Seven if you are out there please PM me.

[3literpwr]

No need at all. Tight as a drum once installed. Nothing like it was with the old section removed.

[Lund]

i'm about to do this next week, anyone have any photo's of the cassette removal process?

[75 911s]

Check my thread linked in my signature, on the last page I go into pretty good detail. I was able to fully remove the cassette in one piece.

[3literpwr]

The image shown is the entire roof section and not just the sunroof support. See image of what needs to be done.

[75 911s]

What are the four clamps and wood piece across the top for?

[3literpwr]

The clamps added a tiny bit of clamping force at the leading edge. Since this area is on a curve, it had a bit of spring and while not needed, it seemed to make it more steady. You could push it and it would move just so slightly, so I decided to lightly clamp it. The wood strip spread out the load so you didn't get point loads or low spots.

[Lund]

Originally Posted by 3literpwr

The image shown is the entire roof section and not just the sunroof support. See image of what needs to be done.

excellent, thats exactly what i needed!

Cheers

[Faster993]

Slowly plodding through this process as a DIY. Removing the sunroof cassette took a bit of work. The photo above deporting where to fit the glue seal, remove the rivets, and grind around the perimeter of the sunroof is dead on. I made a cut around the perimeter, and grinded along the back edge of the folded seam until the sunroof cassette was free. 35 lbs. off the car. I’m leaving the welding to my shop, and plan on having a PDR tech work the metal into shape.

[911tracker85]

wish I had seen this and specifically post 24 before I cut out my sunroof. but it is out. just started using a putty knife to work through the bonded areas to finish and clean up.

I have been looking for a carbon fiber sunroof panel to bond in and leave showing. but so far cannot find one.

[Faster993]

Originally Posted by 911tracker85

I have been looking for a carbon fiber sunroof panel to bond in and leave showing. but so far cannot find one.

I went with the Fenn Lane panel, but Todd at Helion Composites makes a CF sunroof panel that may suit your needs. The CF lid has a gap around the perimeter (it’s a clone of the stock sunroof panel). I plan on painting the whole roof, so Fenn Lane seemed better suited for my build.

I believe Helion is just a weekend endeavour for Todd, so be patient. And always play it safe, and don’t pay in cash.

[Faster993]

My Indy did a nice job welding in the Fenn Lane panel. The roof has a few minor dings, and a chasm along the rear seam. I’m hoping to hammer it into shape a bit with a PDR guy before resorting to any fill. If anyone has some lead in the basement...

[75 911s]

You'll want a steel insert. If I had to do it over again, I'd find a custom metal/ hot rod fabrication guy with an English wheel. Have him roll an insert out and weld it in. I found a Fennlane panel on the classifieds and that is what I went with. I also bought the CF insert from Todd and tested it out. The CF doesn't look right on early cars imho.

[Faster993]

Originally Posted by 75 911s

You'll want a steel insert. If I had to do it over again, I'd find a custom metal/ hot rod fabrication guy with an English wheel. Have him roll an insert out and weld it in. I found a Fennlane panel on the classifieds and that is what I went with. I also bought the CF insert from Todd and tested it out. The CF doesn't look right on early cars imho.]

Looks great 75 911s! Hopefully it didn’t take too much bondo.
And thanks for the invaluable posts on your build thread. We were stumbling through the removal process, and your posts helped get us back on path Sir.