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Hello! I would like to start this thread on how to make a home made sunroof/moonroof panel delete for only $60 - $80!
This is beneficial because you will be able to delete unnecessary weight off of your track car! The sunroof and assembly weights ~50 lbs!
First off you must have the sunroof removed
Supplies needed:
-drill with drill bits
-angle grinder with metal cutting discs/ sanding discs also reccomended
-rivet gun with aluminum rivets
-a sheet of aluminum strong enough to create a panel ~16-22 gauge
-a calking gun with water resistant silicone
- a nice straight edge for drawing lines
in order to create a good template place the panel over the sunroof and trace from the bottom.
then add ~2 inches to all sides to give some overlap, allowing you to modify cuts to make it fit as desired.
Next even out and round the edges (optional) to allow the panel to look natural along with the car
Then proceed to draw a line with an inch of space on the outside for your mounting holes. make sure your holes you are drilling are going through sheet metal so everything fit tight
Space the holes evenly for the best results, i spaced everything 2 inches apart
After you are comfortable with the fitment begin drilling holes! Have a friend hold the panel down as you drill so nothing moves
once everything is drilled and ready lay a bead of silicone under the edge of the panel and begin riviting! Laying the bead first will allow the silicone to block water from entering around the rivits
I recommend spacing out rivets as you go along so everything fits tight!
Next add one very small bead around the outside edge of the panel, make sure you bring gasoline with you to remove any unwanted extra silicone (yes gasoline lol it works incredibly well)
finally you are done with the raw panel and it is ready to go!
Your car now looks like a WWII fighter bomber and is ready to do massive skids yo
Also if you would like to paint it to match your car like i did for mine it is incredibly simple to do. I did mine with a can of Rustoleum gloss black paint and used 2000 grit sand paper to wet sand it to the finish of a mirror! Wet Sand everything by hand for the best results.
Looks great and works for me! No problems so far! Let me know if anyone has any extra questions about anything i may have failed to address!
Finally for the people that want to make the wet sanded moon roof panel look perfect go buy a bottle of meguiars ultimate compound at O'Reilly's and work it in! It makes all the difference
One suggestion I would add for others is to paint the edges of the holes drilled in the roof -- before installing the rivets -- to help deter rust over time.
I'm wondering, could an appropriate epoxy be used instead of rivets? Then you get two fold benefit - no rivets(personal visual preference and increased rust prevention) and better seal against water.
When I had a 2nd Gen Eclipse, I feel like I remember some of those guys using a CF panel for the same thing, but that certainly wouldn't be budget friendly.
Miller, i,m sure there is a way to do it, i liked the rivet look so i went for that. However i must say even before the rivets, everything fit pretty flush so i'm sure it would probably work if you found a strong enough water resisitant epoxy.
Estomax, i defiantly want to weight it on a scale and will let you know when I do! I'm guessing it has to at least be in the low 2900's by this point!
Thanks! If it keeps rain and wind out, I'll be happy. Did you brace yours at all below, or does it not ripple and buckle like a big saw blade from wind forces? I'm giving it until tomorrow for the silicone to cure before road testing it.
Copy cat, lol. However, in my case I lined the inside of the hole in the roof with aluminum angle and screwed into them instead of the roof. I just couldn't make myself put holes in the roof, felt like it would be better to put them in an area not likely to see direct rain.
Where did you get that hood? I just gutted mine yesterday for a whopping ~ 19lb reduction (more or less). Seems like somebody on here said the hood weighs 44lb so now I am around 25lb or so with the added aluminum strip stiffeners I had to put in it. Even with the stiffeners it is flimsy as hell but reduced weight is what I am about on this track car.
However, in my case I lined the inside of the hole in the roof with aluminum angle and screwed into them instead of the roof. I just couldn't make myself put holes in the roof, felt like it would be better to put them in an area not likely to see direct rain.
I like the reversibility of your approach, and I was definitely a bit nervous drilling into the roof (hint: drill all your holes in the panel first, then line it up on the roof and fire away), but a hole is a hole as far as the rain is concerned. Side note: The rain is back today, so I can see if I have any leaks...
Do you have pics from the inside? It looks like you used the front and two side vertical lips to attach your angle bracket to, leaving the rear edge not riveted? The other thing with attaching it that way is your anchor points are within the opening, so the panel isn't pulled down quite as snug to the roof line as if you anchored it the way SCBenny and I did. Liberal application of silicon and/or adhesive might address that sufficiently.
Where did you get that hood?
I assume you mean Benny?
I just gutted mine yesterday for a whopping ~ 19lb reduction (more or less). Seems like somebody on here said the hood weighs 44lb so now I am around 25lb or so with the added aluminum strip stiffeners I had to put in it. Even with the stiffeners it is flimsy as hell but reduced weight is what I am about on this track car.
Well ****, the rivets I used aren't even semi-filled core, let alone filled core. Several of them are allowing water to pass pretty much straight through. Just the silicone on the tips (from pushing them through the silicone bead) to impede it. So much for road testing it today. That's gonna be a major PITA to remove and replace all those rivets.
07-05-16, 07:34 PM
Sc300/Sc400 Moonroof/Sunroof Delete!
Just the silicone on the tips (from pushing them through the silicone bead) to impede it. So much for road testing it today. That's gonna be a major PITA to remove and replace all those rivets.