Sunroof Blanking Panel?

[macamizer 0]

hi ive seen some of you have blanked up your sunroofs when putting a cage in,just wondered if you could put me in the right direction, where to get one from and how you fitted it .cheers lads

[Goliath 94]

 

[dirtdog 4]

that road sign is pure class

[Baz 421]

Some of those are perfect for the job!

 

Lots of people on here took advantage of th group buy we had a while back for the panels though.

[AdamP 0]

I picked up a sheet of 1.6mm ali from the college tech centre and made a template from newspaper. Bolted it down to the original rivnuts.

 

[Gentrix 2 1 Cars]

I used a 1mm zink plated steel plate cause I found my 2mm ally plate too thick.

 

 

[macamizer 0]

where did you get them from baz?

[daveyboyblack 1]

I've just got back from the garage putting the final coat of laquer on mine. It's a lot easier than you think really. This is how I did mine, although there's loads of different ways and probably a lot of them a bit neater than mine:

 

Remove sunroof and drill out the rivnuts. I bought a 2mm ally plate 70cmx90cm from a metal merchant. I'd prob opt for 1.5mm if I did it again tho as 2mm really is pretty thick. Then mask up around the edges, get someone to hold it down on the roof while you mark up the holes from underneath. Drill out the holes. Then cut/file around the edge so that it's a nicer shape and rounded corners etc. Don't forget to round off/chamfer all the edges so that if you paint it it'll blend in a bit easier.

Then clean it all up, paint it, then bolt it (or you can rivet it) in place. I simply used some M6 cap end bolts and nylocks underneath. Use lots of sealant between the plate and the roof.

Tidy it all up, and maybe put another bead of sealant around the outside and also from the inside.

 

Have to admit I didn't quite do it all in the right order but then i've not been awake recently

 

 

 

 

 

The last image is just in primer, as I ended up putting it all on and then painting it in situ.... like I said, I didn't quite do it in the order that i'd planned!

 

I just need to figure out what to do with the sunroof drains, and the sunroof mechanism, as I think it holds the remote alarm receiver. Gaffa tape may come to the rescue as the car's off to get a C44 cage put in next week, can't wait!

 

OR, just get a Road Sign..... Goliath that's classic!

 

Dave

Edited January 21, 2009 by daveyboyblack

[djinuk 2]

how did you manage to mark the exact locations of the original rivit holes onto the steel blanking sheet.

[Baz 421]

make a template...?

[AdamP 0]

make a template...?

 

What Mr Baz said!

[swinisskill 2]

simple ideas always the best

[daveyboyblack 1]

B***ard Halford cans!!! Just finished my plate. Had a decent colour match on the underside and then the topside was just way too dark. I've ended up using some Vauxhall Polar White as i'd rather it was brighter than it probably should be.

 

Drum roll please....

 

 

Oh, and only 2 days until I get the car back, with a nice C44 cage in that big space in the back, can't wait!

 

Edited January 29, 2009 by daveyboyblack

[djinuk 2]

what are people doings with the holes at the back of the rood ?

[projectpug 0]

I have left my holes at the back of the roof but you could rivet them or even fill them and spray .

[daveyboyblack 1]

I'm planning on just filling mine over and spraying them.

[djinuk 2]

problem is though , filler will just crack without somthing solid behind there as the roof wil flex surely, however i cant see them being easy to weld as the roof will warp easy. if you leave them im sure it will rot from the inside out.

Edited January 30, 2009 by djinuk

[daveyboyblack 1]

Hi DJ,

 

With the rivnuts still in place, would these not give enough support for the filler? I've not had much experience of body repair/painting etc, but I could see if i'd taken the them out then i'd be trying to fill over a big hole which would definately not work.

 

Oh, and I was only planning on filling over the rivnut and the recess that they sit in, each one is only about 1p piece size?

 

Has anyone else on here filled over theirs? Any success?

 

Cheers

Dave

Edited January 30, 2009 by daveyboyblack

[Spiky 37]

i was just about to make a new post, but hope you dont mind me hijacking this one

 

i already have a metal plate over mine,

 

but i was think of buying a sheet of carbon fibre and bonding it to the roof

 

what are peoples views on this????

[number2301 1 1 Cars]

 

 

Valver I hope? Any more pictures?

[djinuk 2]

ermm well general rule of thumb is so long as the two surfaces will not move then it should be ok, worst case maybe that if it flexs it will crack slightly i guess , defo worth a try, report your findings if thats cool

[Lucky Gti 0]

I've just taken mine out to respray it but I'm going to use the same allen bolts for the sunroof in the holes at the back. Think it should look alright. As for the carbon fibre, bonding would seal the hole but would it put the strength back into the roof?

[Cameron 16]

Spiky - go for it. I've been planning to do this for ages but have just been lazy. My plans are to make a carbon panel but with a lip so you can bond it to the underside and leave the top flush with the roof.

I don't think roof strength is an issue, it should be far stronger than some rubber and glass anyway. Just use a decent bonding compound.

[timb1046 1]

iirc 205's with the sunroof (standard) are stronger due to the roof having to take the extra weight. i may be wrong though. but i wouldnt worry about the strengh plating with carbon but shards of carbon when/if you roll

[Goliath 94]

Valver I hope? Any more pictures?

 

Actually its an Rsi shell with a willy lump i think, its not mine (mine is indeed a valver )

 

Will try and find you some more pics.