Has anyone done this? Im working on my car and stipping out all the features I dont want/need. I figure the sunroof doesnt work anyways...maybe i should just shave it.

I figure tackweld the oem roof into place wit some filler metal and fiberglass/bondo away. This way I can keep the head liner intact.

Thoughts, ideas, experience?

Thanks

 

track car? Daily/Driver? A/C? if you are using as a D/D and you don't have A/C you will want to murder yourself.

 

personally i think you should either fix the sunroof (easy mode) or find a sport shell and build that (hard mode)

 

Its going to be my fun car. Building it to take it to the track, but still be streetable. No AC, but here in the bay area, we never use it. it barely leaves 60 degrees. except for the freak storm coming thru.

 

I don't have AC and never use the sunroof...wish it wasn't there actually.
I don't see why you couldn't weld in the panel but I'd be very careful doing so as the roof is a stressed part of the structure and bondo/fiberglass might be likely to crack.
A real non-sunroof headliner would be a nice finishing touch.

 

Also if you're looking to save weight, you'll want to remove the sunroof tracks, motor, frame, etc. so you might as well find a non-sunroof headliner to finish the job right. I believe non-sunroof cars have some kind of bracing on the underside of the roof. My non-sunroof '90 GTU had a sort of rib running down the center of the roof and if you pressed up on it, it felt like something metal was behind it.

That said, I love my sunroof for ventilation and fresh air, so if it was my car, I'd repair it. I have mine open just about whenever it isn't raining or snowing. It was 35 degrees here today and sunny and I had it open.

 

ive seen a couple removed. i guess it actually takes some skill, its not as simple as a bondo job, the roof flexes a lot.

 

It's not an issue for my height, but a lot of people complain about the lack of headroom on sunroof cars when they're wearing a helmet..

Also: in lieu of the work of removing all the parts and then welding the roof panel in... You could instead just clean/grease the tracks and have a working sunroof

 

^^^ it's a big issue for me and I'm only 6'1". I don't think I have a particularly long torso, maybe I slouch less than others, but I removed a lot of the padding from the stock seat and I still hit my head without a helmet. With one is a serious pain in the ***. If I ever did anything to my roof it would be to make myself a Gurney Bubble.

 

Oh and chicks love to show their **** out from the sunroof that's always a bonus.

 

Someone must be hanging out w/ half-snake bitches... The opening isn't very big and there's not a lot of support to keep one's balance

 

^That never stopped any other drunk chick from flashing people out of there sunroofs, so why would it now? lol.

 

Ive been thinking about this for awhile because i have an aftermarket sunroof (needless to say I didnt do it) that barely opens. So i was thinking it might be possible to put a sheet of aluminum or another light weight metal to cover the hole.....

 

I've done it all...

Lexan sheet with 58 counter sunk allen heads. Everything removed. Even cut out the bracing around the roof underneath. Stitch welded a few areas to keep it stiff. Lost a **** ton of weight and dosnt leak even in massive Florida rainstorms.

 

Interesting, did you do anything special to make it hold the curvature of the roof nicely or is it pretty flat? Can't really tell from the pics.

 

sen2two, you are the man. more information if you can please : )

I would of though you would need at least some type of rubber seal between the lexan and the roof. Interesting.

 

Nope, its flexible enough to just curve itself as you fit it to the roof. I tried plexi glass first which didnt go so well. It will crack and dosnt like to be shaped as well.

I found some thin white weather stripping at Home Depot that works awesome. You don't notice it unless your looking for it. I also put a dab of clear 100% silicone on each of the 58 bolts to keep any water from getting in that way. I used acorn nuts on the other side to keep my head from impaling a blunt or sharp screw.

 

my sunroof is stuck, it moves up but doesn't want to move back. the rail probably rust or some ****. I guess this is common ?

 

If they want to show their stuff from the sunroof they will find a way, trust me :P

 

All kinds of sunroof problems are common with the FC, yes.

Could be anything from extremely dirty tracks with dried grease in them to the much more likely scenario of corroded cables frozen in the copper tubing.

There have been some thorough write-ups on sunroof removal and repair. I haven't needed to do this yet on my car because my roof works fine, but here are some threads to check out:

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...hlight=sunroof

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/removal-repair-sunroof-411947/

 

Has anyone welded in a plate into the sunroof area? I'm 6'5 so I need the headroom...And I'm planning on taking it to the track eventually...

 

I've done it a couple times. I used a roof cut out of a junkyard shell both times. I put the seam near the edge so the metal had more strength to keep from warping. I think I have some pics in my other computer. I used the 'million spot welds method' You may look into some of the new adhesives they use to hold all kinds of cars together with now. If I do another one I'll probably go that way, especially if its a track car.

 

that is honestly bad ***. looks tough as.