do it yourself sunroof?

[skatedonttrip]

well i like the idea of having a sunroof and don't mind hacking in to my beautiful car to get it, of course measure 2x cut once.... and i know people generally don't like pop up/out sunroofs but why would i put an electric one into a 94 grand am with manual side windows? it just seems more practical to the car and my wallet to put in a cheap pop up, I'm not worries much about leaks because there are thousand of seal all products out there... but i guess my real question is if your going to buy an 94 gr~a and you notice the pop op sunroof are you going to think cool it's got a sunroof, or are you going to think, oh no he cut a hole in the roof what else did this guy fu^* up on this car??? it's mu pop up poll hope to get feedback (hopefully some positive to go with all the negative. thanks Matt

[skatedonttrip]

i should have typed that out a bit slower, but oh well you'll get what i ment, i'm too tired to fix my spelling,..zZzZzZzZzZzZZzzZZzzzZZZ

[rabidpanda69]

First of all, whats with the blue font? thats just plain hard to read. I personnally wouldnt see the point in adding just a pop open sun roof. If I were to do it, it would definately be an electric that opened up all the way. And yes, If I was looking at a car that someone added a sunroof to it would bring down the value for sure, especially if it wasnt done by a professional.

[nice96gt]

Reposted in white:

well i like the idea of having a sunroof and don't mind hacking in to my beautiful car to get it, of course measure 2x cut once.... and i know people generally don't like pop up/out sunroofs but why would i put an electric one into a 94 grand am with manual side windows? it just seems more practical to the car and my wallet to put in a cheap pop up, I'm not worries much about leaks because there are thousand of seal all products out there... but i guess my real question is if your going to buy an 94 gr~a and you notice the pop op sunroof are you going to think cool it's got a sunroof, or are you going to think, oh no he cut a hole in the roof what else did this guy fu^* up on this car??? it's mu pop up poll hope to get feedback (hopefully some positive to go with all the negative. thanks Matt

[MantaGreen97]

^ lol thanks for the "translation" Ryan--I'm sure it will help anyone trying to read this ;)

Funny enough now that it is "translated" to readable text, now I need it translated to English! :lol: Sorry skatedonttrip, no offence intended but it is still a little hard to follow.

Anyway I duno about the whole cutting a hole in your roof bit. If you know exactly what you are doing, then go for it. Otherwise I'd either leave that to a pro; or try and get a roof for a car with a sunroof. Only I guess installing that would require removing/re-installing both the windshield and the backlight--big job.

I'd say you might be investing too much time into a sunroof--I mean do you really want one that badly?

I've thought about it before as well, but I've never seen the real need for one. I don't have one, my sister's car does. When I drive her car I see no point in the sunroof--I use it but it does nothing for me... Sure it's a nice thing to have, but personally, I can't waste time trying to get one on my car.

[TA^Guy]

Originally posted by skatedonttrip
well i like the idea of having a sunroof and don't mind hacking in to my beautiful car to get it, of course measure 2x cut once.... and i know people generally don't like pop up/out sunroofs but why would i put an electric one into a 94 grand am with manual side windows? it just seems more practical to the car and my wallet to put in a cheap pop up, I'm not worries much about leaks because there are thousand of seal all products out there... but i guess my real question is if your going to buy an 94 gr~a and you notice the pop op sunroof are you going to think cool it's got a sunroof, or are you going to think, oh no he cut a hole in the roof what else did this guy fu^* up on this car??? it's mu pop up poll hope to get feedback (hopefully some positive to go with all the negative. thanks Matt
On a '94 if you sell it a sunroof isn't going to effect the price much at all. So I say do what you want.

One of the goals for my truck after all the fabrication is complete will be to have a large sliding canvas sunroof.

My wifes car has a factory sunroof, and I miss the T-Tops from my Grand National. Next best thing, pimpin a roof that rolls back like a sardine can! I say do it, just make sure not to buckle the thin sheet metal up there while your cutting.

[Brandon]

i watched somewhere, looks like a simple process. just got to take out the head liner, move any wires... make sure your template is straight/square, dont buckle the metal like previously stated... prob will have to add supports (atleast iirc thats what they said in that show they did it in) and do the install... make sure the seals are obviously good.

id go for it if i had an older car...

[PontiacGT]

adding your own sunroof is not reccomended. Not to mention it weakens the car if you were ever to roll it in an accident, and it'll probably leak if you do it yourself.

do as you wish though...

[Dexman1349]

Originally posted by PontiacGT
adding your own sunroof is not reccomended. Not to mention it weakens the car if you were ever to roll it in an accident, and it'll probably leak if you do it yourself.

do as you wish though...

Agreed to a point. Sure it will weaken the roof, but placement is key. Once the headliner is out, you can see where the roof braces are located and adjust the template accordingly.

From what I remember, the only real braces across the roof form a figure 8 pattern. One connecting the "B" pillars and one big loop around the outside. Cutting a hole between the braces shouldn't change the overall strength too much. Just make sure not to cut any of said bracing.

Nothing a dremmel tool and a welder couldn't fix.

[skatedonttrip]

well I'll probably be using a grinder with a cutting wheel for the straight edges and a grinding wheel for the corner's. it'll take a Lil bit of time and patience but i think it'll be worth it. and i think with the pop up being removable it'll be just as nice as a fancy electric one, and like i said before a 94 with crank windows and a power sunroof would be lame. ... oh yeah and I've learned not to post in blue. personally i don't think it's hard to read except when it's on the blue background. but whatever. :)

[Matt95GT]

Originally posted by Dexman1349
From what I remember, the only real braces across the roof form a figure 8 pattern. One connecting the "B" pillars and one big loop around the outside. Cutting a hole between the braces shouldn't change the overall strength too much. Just make sure not to cut any of said bracing.


You have to cut a brace on the 94 chassis to fit a sunroof.

I had a flip-up on my first 94 GA. The body creaking/flexing sounds made me nervous in the turns... I wouldn't recommend it for that reason.

[skatedonttrip]

is the bracing sheet metal? and could it be modified by welding in cross braces? i'm fairly good at welding sheet metal, but i wouldn't want to get the body hot or the paint will burn. do you think it might be possable to weld in thin algle iron? and what was the shape of your origional bracing?

[Matt95GT]

Originally posted by skatedonttrip
is the bracing sheet metal? and could it be modified by welding in cross braces? i'm fairly good at welding sheet metal, but i wouldn't want to get the body hot or the paint will burn. do you think it might be possable to weld in thin algle iron? and what was the shape of your origional bracing?

It's prolly easier to show in a pic...
http://fazeshift.org/pics/albums/userpics/07-18-01/DCP00991.JPG
http://fazeshift.org/pics/albums/userpics/07-18-01/DCP01007.JPG

You might be able to come up with something... I'd just be weary of compromising chassis structure. Unfortunetly it's right in a spot where you cannot fit the sunroof in front of it. Just be aware of what you're getting into... cause any flexing will mean water leaks.