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I just wanted to share with the community that new roof skins are still available from Mazda (and cheap ~ $140). I recently tried to get one and was told they are discontinued.
Turns out they are still in production and available from Mazda Japan. I ordered 2 and they arrived in the states in about 2.5 weeks; I picked up at my local dealership.
Your local dealership may not be familiar with the ordering process from Japan; mine wasn't (Priority Tysons Mazda).
I asked (almost insisted) the parts manager look into it, and after a day he called me back and I placed my order.
Shipping is free, but to expedite the order it should be marked as a "CEO Order"; it will add ~$20 to the price but cuts shipping time in half.
The other parts needed for this conversion (headliner, roof reinforcement brace) are no longer available and tougher to source (used).
I sourced my headliner and brace from Mazmart, they had no more available; there are two additional braces for sale in the country that I am aware of.
Reach out if you need help finding one.
Will post pics of my conversion soon.
That is great info, Thanks for sharing. I've been considering getting another non-sunroof shell chassis and transferring my entire drivetrain into a non-sunroof shell. Now that I know converting the roof is feasible and affordable, I will definitely go that route!
Good to know! Did you try asking Ray Crowe about the parts?
Not the OP, but I went through this fun and excitement within the past few months. The roof brace is definitely used only. If there ends up being enough demand though, I might be able to make a few out of carbon fiber.
At the very least, my buddy is 3D scanning my brace, so I'll have the data in the future for whatever route needs to be gone.
I just wanted to share with the community that new roof skins are still available from Mazda (and cheap ~ $140). I recently tried to get one and was told they are discontinued.
Turns out they are still in production and available from Mazda Japan. I ordered 2 and they arrived in the states in about 2.5 weeks; I picked up at my local dealership.
Your local dealership may not be familiar with the ordering process from Japan; mine wasn't (Priority Tysons Mazda).
I asked (almost insisted) the parts manager look into it, and after a day he called me back and I placed my order.
Shipping is free, but to expedite the order it should be marked as a "CEO Order"; it will add ~$20 to the price but cuts shipping time in half.
The other parts needed for this conversion (headliner, roof reinforcement brace) are no longer available and tougher to source (used).
I sourced my headliner and brace from Mazmart, they had no more available; there are two additional braces for sale in the country that I am aware of.
Reach out if you need help finding one.
Will post pics of my conversion soon.
Nice post, there is a huge difference between Mazda USA not having a part in stock, and it being available. Mazda USA not having stock is actually pretty common
Do people actually do slicktop conversions? I'm a fan of non-sunroof cars myself for the simplicity and lower weight (and double bubble looks), but didn't know it was common to actually delete the sunroof. I actually almost bought a car that had been converted a while back but ultimately decided against it since the quality of work was unknown and I wasn't keen on the idea of there being body filler at the pillars.
Do people actually do slicktop conversions? I'm a fan of non-sunroof cars myself for the simplicity and lower weight (and double bubble looks), but didn't know it was common to actually delete the sunroof. I actually almost bought a car that had been converted a while back but ultimately decided against it since the quality of work was unknown and I wasn't keen on the idea of there being body filler at the pillars.
I converted my sunroof car to slicktop. Any competent body shop should be able to do it. The roof is actually just a skin and not a structural compotent. There is a roof bar that goes in the area of where the sunroof panel used to be that you also need to do the conversion. No having a rattling sunroof along with extra headroom is worth it IMO. If you are already painting the car like I was, it was a no brainer. You also get back the "double bubble look" with a slick roof which is how the FD is meant to look.
Haven't done mine yet, I just have the parts. Soon as my car is up and running, then I'm stripping it and sending it out to the body shop to get all that fancy stuff done.
what did the roof swap run you as far as installation cost?
its actually quite simple, the hatch and windshield need to come out, and then there are a bunch of spot welds around the periphery. the roof is brazed (or something) to the quarter panels.
Hey folks, sorry for the delayed reply..traveling this week.
Originally Posted by DaleClark
Good to know! Did you try asking Ray Crowe about the parts?
You may be able to find a local upholstery shop that can make a new headliner panel that would be solid.
Dale
Yeah, Ray could not source me a headliner or brace; but he can source roof skins AFAIK.
I talked to my upholstery guy and he definitely said he could fill in the sunroof gap; but the sunroof headliner sits ~2" lower than the sunroof one, so you lose the double bubble, headroom advantage, and some noise isolation.
Originally Posted by AHarada
That is great info, Thanks for sharing. I've been considering getting another non-sunroof shell chassis and transferring my entire drivetrain into a non-sunroof shell. Now that I know converting the roof is feasible and affordable, I will definitely go that route!
Same dilemna here! Glad I could help.
Originally Posted by c0rbin9
Do people actually do slicktop conversions? I'm a fan of non-sunroof cars myself for the simplicity and lower weight (and double bubble looks), but didn't know it was common to actually delete the sunroof. I actually almost bought a car that had been converted a while back but ultimately decided against it since the quality of work was unknown and I wasn't keen on the idea of there being body filler at the pillars.
I'm pretty OCD and dislike the idea of filler, cutting/welding, etc so I feel you. What helped me:
Many cars leave the factory with minor filler due to minor incidents on the line/transport or even just defects/deficiencies in panels.
My car is low mileage and rain-free, but it's already been repainted so there's bound to be skim coats of filler somewhere
You're not doing anything different from how the car was assembled. The factory roof is welded in the same way the new one will go in
i.e the roof was not one piece before you cut it, it was already welded on the car at some point
The roof is just a "skin", not a structural component
It is spot welded at the windshield, door frames, and hatch; butt welded at the sails (c pillar).
If the work is done right, you're not "compromising" the car (although obviously maybe don't do this to a 40k mile garage queen)
Originally Posted by hadokenny
I converted my sunroof car to slicktop. Any competent body shop should be able to do it. The roof is actually just a skin and not a structural compotent. There is a roof bar that goes in the area of where the sunroof panel used to be that you also need to do the conversion. No having a rattling sunroof along with extra headroom is worth it IMO. If you are already painting the car like I was, it was a no brainer. You also get back the "double bubble look" with a slick roof which is how the FD is meant to look.
This this this, so much this. I have a sunroof plug and there's still tradeoffs beyond the aesthetics; rattles, wind noise, weird warpy fitment. The double bubble looks gorgeous inside and out.
You also get about 1.5" of headroom which is what most people need when they don a helmet.
Cost really depends on your shop; book time on replacing the roof panel is 17 hours. This does not include paint cost which varies whether you are blending at the pillar or painting the whole quarter/rocker to match.
This also does not include removal of the windshield and hatch, nor a handful of other body shop things that will appear on your estimate.
The lowest estimate I received was $1200, the highest was about $2800; I think around $2000 is a fair price for a good job.
It really depends on your comfort level with the shop and who you know. I'm opting to pay extra because I hate dealing with shoddy work (if you're good at and take pride at what you do, you're usually not cheap).
The cheaper quote was from a mom & pop shop that would probably do a good job. The more expensive one was from a reputable high-end body shop with a reputation of servicing exotic vehicles.
A race shop quoted me ~$700 for the panel replacement only (no paint and I prep the car, remove hatch, remove windshield).
If you're in the DC area I'd be happy to share my findings on shops; just PM me.
Last edited by Duo Maxwell; Jul 27, 2020 at 12:38 PM.
I converted my sunroof car to slicktop. Any competent body shop should be able to do it. The roof is actually just a skin and not a structural compotent. There is a roof bar that goes in the area of where the sunroof panel used to be that you also need to do the conversion. No having a rattling sunroof along with extra headroom is worth it IMO. If you are already painting the car like I was, it was a no brainer. You also get back the "double bubble look" with a slick roof which is how the FD is meant to look.
Good to see there's more of us nutters around lol.
Here are some photos of my conversion done by a local body shop. A previous owner of my car had an aftermarket glass sunroof installed on my R1, and I have never been a fan of it, nor the aftermarket headliner. I found a good condition headliner locally, the center brace from an Australian rx7 parts vendor, and the roof skin was bought through Ray Crowe.
I am happy with the outcome. The exterior looks much better, the headliner is much nicer, and I gained a few inches of headroom.
I had this done years ago as well, and thought I was the first or one of the first. My shop (D&V Autobody) did an amazing, OEM quality job, and I've never looked back. Cleaner, lighter, better looking. Had a used headliner recovered in alantara when E&J upholstery was still in business. I recall being shocked how cheap the roof skin is, but a quality conversion is going to be $1500+
Looks like a job well done. You mind sharing an estimate on the cost for the body work? I have my roof skin hanging in the garage right now.
I paid just over $2k for the bodywork with paint. After seeing what goes into the job, that seems like a pretty fair price for good work.
They mentioned the old roof with aftermarket sunroof weighed about 40 pounds. The new OEM roof skin weighs nothing, most likely under 10 pounds. That’s around 30 pounds removed from the highest point in the car in my case.
