Carbon Fiber Sunroof Delete Panel Interest
 

Hey guys,

Not sure if this is in the right spot, but as I couldn't post in the product development thread I figured this would be the next best spot. Mods feel free to move it as you deem necessary.

Alright so for the past few months I've been looking for a solution to my issue of having a sunroof. I'm building my FC into a track car and I need all the headroom I can get. I've read a lot of the threads here on this subject of removing the sunroof and while the solutions people purposed were fine, I felt that it would be so much easier if we could just buy a plug and be done with it. So I searched and I searched and came up with nothing. Plenty of sunroof skins to replace the oem skin, but no plugs to delete the sunroof. So then I began contacting companies about coming up with a solution to this void of product development. I got silence from all of them, except for one.

Northwind Composites (Northwind Composites, L.L.C.) got back to me and expressed interest in starting a carbon fiber sunroof delete panel product line for the 2nd gen RX7. It is a small company that makes carbon fiber products for a limited number of chassis, but is willing to branch out and support more if the interest is there. After giving the dimensions of the sunroof, I got a quote of about $275-$280 SHIPPED to the lower 48 states. However, this product will only go into development if there is enough interest in it.

So that's where you guys come in. Is anyone else interested in a carbon fiber sunroof delete panel besides me? Please express interest if you are. I'll be linking this thread to Lee, the owner of the company, and he will be willing to answer any questions about the product.

Thanks,
Ian

Seriously, no one? Don't be shy. I can't be the only person interested in this.

When you do get a hold of Lee he should get a hold of INTERNETBRANDS if he intends on selling Manufactured parts on a Website where Vendors need to pay fees to do so.
It doesn't hurt to gain interest in the product but if the sales are done on this site then that would be considered Vendor territory.

I don't believe he has any intention of selling off of this forum. This post was just to see if there was enough interest from the RX7 community to justify him going through with development of the panel. Sadly, it appears that there is none.

Maybe a carbon fiber replacement.... I happen to like my sunroof, even if it isn't as nice as some newer vehicles.

I think you misinterpret the silence, it's not indifference you hear, it's the logical response to the ckicken-or-egg conundrum.

Absolutely any response to the initial request would be utterly useless as the basis of a business plan. You've provided a hypothetical product, so you'll get a fantasy response.
Of course, who wouldn't want a composite roof panel?
Who wouldn't want world peace?

Who's actually willing to pony up for either?
Maybe- on a very good day- 5% of the initially interested pool?
You'll lose some of them due to production delays or personal situations (both historically inevitable) and your finished product will either not fit or be deemed otherwise unsuitable by a few more.

None of the above should imply that you and your fabricator are not capable of delivering a cracking product but until we see it- or at least see something that indicates what that product might look like, I'm not sure what response you're looking for.

I am not experienced in the composite arts (and my GTU doesn't even have a sunroof) but I'm influenced by a thread on the darkside forum that concerned making a panel for the FD...it was a fixed sunroof replacement plug, not a replacement panel like yours, but still. It took forever to get a good mold made (pretty sure there were a few versions) and the guy ultimately made his piece and sold/passed on the molds (to Ronin, I think).
Point being, it was a lengthly process that resulted in a beautiful, but fairly expensive product.
What do you think yours will be like?

Finally...
Not you sure how you escape vendoring through this forum...if not here, where's your next biggest market of self selected enthusiasts?

I need to replace my sunroof (hail damage), which is how I came across this thread. A sunroof delete is appealing, but a bigger job, since no gain is made in headroom without replacing the interior trim with the non-sunroof model roofliner and so on. The factory sunroof is still available from Mazda, but about $400 (it might be a complete assembly). I agree with a lot of what clokker has said - gauging interest is difficult with a hypothetical product and unknown price.

Kinda/Sorta
 

I would be interested, but also want to know the weight savings. Am I correct in thinking the only application is for racers who want to drop as much weight as possible?

With that idea, I don't necessarily need a great fitting/looking product. A well cut piece of plastic might even work. Little heat on the edges for fitment and some retaining clips. Easily taken out on race day for ventilation.

My $.02 here of course, but I can't see a need for say a daily driver other than someone who really likes the looks of carbon fiber in the middle of their roof.

:)

This is a part for racers. There is no provision for a headliner, so you'd need to construct a new headliner, live with a gaping hole where the sunroof headliner would go, or not run a headliner at all.

I have had a couple sunroof deletes. One was simply a steel panel that you riveted to the roof - simple and effective. I ended up not using that one.

Weight savings is 25-27 lbs. from removing the entire sunroof and motor assembly, and you'll gain about an inch of head room. I already have a piece like what is described here for my car. It bolts into existing holes, in the roof of the car and you seal the gap between the body and the sunroof plug with silicone so no water leaks in.

I have had one sunroof plug made from carbon and one made from fiberglass. Fiberglass is less than a pound heavier, and much cheaper. The carbon one is installed in a friends car, he likes it.

For a daily driver car, there are replica sunroofs made of carbon that let you keep the sunroof functionality. These are only a couple pounds lighter than the steel sunroof.

Thanks for update!
 

Hey, that sounds like a winner in my book, those are pretty darn good weight savings indeed. Color me very interested :)

Thanks again for getting back with real world specifics!

I posted a thread about it the other day. I would definitely buy one.

Lee is a great guy. I know him through the forums from my time growing up with the first gen Subaru Legacy. He has made carbon hoods and sunroof deletes for those cars.

You could grab some photos from those to show everyone the quality.

Rx7
 

is your car still for sale ?

One of my donor parts car came with one, it's completely flaking off and "bubbled up"

Careful what you buy

Maybe this is a different vendor

But I will say it does look well built from the inside and thought out.


Drying is the secret to a good fit
Autoclave parts would be the best route
Any one have access to making parts like that ?

i have a fiberglass sunroof i may part with

issue with carbon fiber is it will fade, especially if you don't wax it regularly.

Is this still a thing? I need a sunroof plug in my life!