A John Positive Sunroof Installation, by Jan Tijmes....
This is a Cure post to help cure your dark and/ or boring car and turn it into something a pit spicy-er.
I felt my new old Corolla needed some zazz, so I put ad add on Craig's List to find someone to help me cut a 24" X 26" hole in the roof of my car with a jigsaw. The lexan sheet was from Loews (or Home Depot) and it was a 28" X 30" sheet.
A few weeks back I was having the idea for installing a huge panoramic sunroof into my 1996 Toyota Corolla. I figured, "It's a Corolla, how bad could I mess it up?"
So I searched online, and I found 2 Honda CRX sites that talked about installing these types plexiglass/ Lexan sunroofs. Actually, a little research quickly told me "forget the plexiglass, just go for the Lexan!" But it was clear that you could install these panels 2 different ways. One was with the lexan glass panel rivetted or bolted directly onto the roof (the way I did it), and the other is the panel sunken in and completed level with the roof. Both methods looked solid to me.Supplies Needed:
Drill bits, drill, jigsaw with metal-cutting blade, stainless steel nuts & bolts n washers (sized 10-24 are good for this), 4 to 6 toobs of silicone window & boat seeler, lexan sheet (about 30 bucks)weather stripping, nalgahide, spray glue, towels and mosquito spray. I will admit, this is VERY expensive to do considering a professional installer will be able to match or beat this price + your blood sweat n tears.
This is a picture of the one I found online that rocked my world.
It's funny how everyone asks, "Ohh, how much weight does that shave off the car?!" BS! It doesn't take any off at all. In fact, after all the silicone and screws, it's probably a little heavier.
Here are the sites that Inspired me:
Well, I had a few days on my hands, so I decided to get them dirty. I figured this couldn't be as bad as the time I tried to remove my own permanent fixed retainer in my mouth.
Well the good news is that if you mess up badly, I offer free tele-seminar personal development coaching as well as intuitive one-on-one spiritual guidance sessions where we get into some deep topics about your life.
See I covered the center support beam with feaux leather, so I could keep the light and make the sunroof look more functional and artistic.
To your health and happiness!!
Jan+
The John Positive Company
Office: 281-4one4-7895
Email: juanpositivo (at) live . com
pps: final update, June 2010. I had to go back into this job a few times to get it right. Namely, I added a second set of bolts to put in between the ones I had already bolted in. I also re-drilled the Lexan in all the first bolts I had installed, because so much expansion in the Houston, TX heat was occuring. This caused some minor fractures around a few of the bolts. It looks a little more ghetto, but it's super-functional. I've now neen through 4 massive rain and hail storms, and no leaks. It has expanded and contracted each day in over 100 degree weather, and it does very well. I would recommend the stainless steel fender washers for the top-side of the sunroof to 'hold down' extra surface area of the sunroof that wants to expand & bow up in the heat.
Good Luck!John Positive Soul Healing
Jan Tijmes
Great posting! I think this is very informative and must be known correctly to install.Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteInnovative indeed. DIY is kinda difficult for me though.
ReplyDeleteNice post thanks for sharing this post. Lexan Multiwall Sheet
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! Oh, btw- the reason people are interested in weight savings is because, if you already have a motorized sunroof, you can shed some weight off of your car by removing the stock sunroof assembly and replacing it with carbon fiber or in this case, lexan.
ReplyDeleteThat's a very impressive sunroof! I'm amazed that you were able to install the lexan glass yourself. I've heard that stuff is pretty good to work with. Are the other windows on the car also lexan glass? The sheen kind of makes it look like they are. http://www.stateofurgency.com/lexan-glass/
ReplyDelete