track day novas with sunroofs?

[Mike.]

its most likley you can build a decent track day car with a sunroof but are there any down sides?

[Breeny]

A sunroof is heavy.. and if you have a heavy crash you'll have a fair but of glass in your head :)

[Mike.]

lol not good :lol: i asked this qustion to a work collegue and he told me that he would get some sheet metal and rivit it or weld it over the sunroof :?

[NOVA_GTEUK]

Why not just remove the sunroof and stick some clear perspex in the hole....Still have the luxury off a sort off sunroof lol and a piece of perspex is lighter than a peice off sheet metal :wink:

[Stuart]

i belive there is a curve in the roof (if only a slight one) so the poly carb wouldnt really do it.

unless you used a 4+mm thick piece its not really gonna seal well.

im in this quandry at the mo as ive got a sunroof hole to fill but dont really want to plate it as it will appear shoddy (although looks arent what im going for)


i may just wind up bonding some poly carb to the outer skin lol (mind you taht allows for some crafty foor vents to be fitted)

[scott.parker]

Well i also have been thinking what do i do with mine,did think into getting a fiberglass roof skin,but im a bit unsre hwo hard they are for a bodyshop to fit,and if ti will work,etc..

scott

[Mike.]

mine isn't exactly called a sunroof its called a sun hatch lol
so basically i can remove the heavy glass but then theres the problem of a suitable material to use to replace it, couldn't you heat the perspex a bit then wouldn't it go with the shape of the roof??

[GT-Dub]

Do not weld a plate over the hole - Look for the worst that could happen, and it could take your head off.

Sunroof's are heavy and offer no structural support at all...

I've spent ages looking for a nova without one, Purly because i wouldnt personally feel safe if the worse happened.

[Phil_G]

Ok,

i know im going to be missing something here but what would there be to stop you from removing the sunroof and its mechs and then having the roof reskinned with a sunroofless skin?


Phil

[Stuart]

you can indeed reskin the roof.

russ said that a kevlar roof is to the penny, the same price as a steel skin from VX lol

and its 2KG lighter. but i cba to pay for one so im going to "bodge" mine lol

[GT-Dub]

Thats pretty much the only way around it Phil.

I was Quoted ?300 for the roof skin, For a clio 16v and then ?200 to fit and respray.

The guy i spoke to (radcliffe auto bodies) mentioned they recently did the same thing to a Astra mk2 GTE.

With the nova tho, I reckon you could find a decent 1.0/1.2 etc shell without a sunroof for less than it would cost to re-skin the roof.

[burgo]

if your worried about weight a bloke on here called al wilson made a carbon sun roof, obviously no good as a sun roof though lol

[scott.parker]

you can indeed reskin the roof.
sammii614
russ said that a kevlar roof is to the penny, the same price as a steel skin from VX lol

and its 2KG lighter. but i cba to pay for one so im going to "bodge" mine lol

Right then kevlar roof it is then! :twisted:


scott

[Mike.]

i'll just get a new roof skin saves me messing around with the sunroof mechs

[m.d.]

my mate with his 205 track/hill climb car (and many other people ive seen) have just removed the sunroof and its mechs completely. then just cut a sheet of ally and riveted it on from the outside. when its painted it acctually looks ok. and is perfectly safe

[Mike]

just weld in a sheet of 2/3mm steel then get a non-sunroof, roof lining? job done. :|

[Mike.]

yeah but you would have to be care full welding the roof because you could warp it :!:

then it would be a pain in the arse to sort out

[GT-Dub]

Thats why you'd Spot weld it :D

[Mike.]

but would it be strong enough then?