arkus Posted October 12, 2015 Report Posted October 12, 2015 thinking about filling in my moon roof '83 which leaks. it has been suggested that the entire roof section should be replaced rather than just "patched in". any ideas on what a roof would be worth on the open market?
BRitz Posted October 12, 2015 Report Posted October 12, 2015 You mean the old one that you are taking off? The value would probably be in the moon roof parts. I rather like the moon roof on my '83. Can you not just get a new seal kit for it? Anyways, The current value would depend on who is currently in need of one. I've no idea value wise.
Gunslinger Posted October 12, 2015 Report Posted October 12, 2015 I know of an '85 Avanti that had a new, solid roof grafted on to replace the moon roof. Unfortunately the owner passed away not long after it was done and I've no idea what has happened to the car. He did tell me he got the roof from Dan Booth who also provided assistance in how it was to be done. One caveat to it...the car's owner also owned an auto body and paint shop...his guys did the work so it really didn't come out of his pocket. I saw the car...you would never know the roof had been replaced.
Avanti83 Posted October 12, 2015 Report Posted October 12, 2015 I know there are a couple of body folks on the forum, my question: For a home builder, why wouldn't it be easier to just add a plastic panel to the underside of the roof supported by curved ribs to hold the roof profile, and after tapering the opening, fill the opening with mat and finally a layer or two of cloth. Then just remove the ribs and plastic panel. That would not require the formidable removal of all the underside trim/headliner and only leave the old opening requiring a filler headliner panel. Bonding a complete roof assembly would not be for the faint of heart either.
mfg Posted October 13, 2015 Report Posted October 13, 2015 I know there are a couple of body folks on the forum, my question: For a home builder, why wouldn't it be easier to just add a plastic panel to the underside of the roof supported by curved ribs to hold the roof profile, and after tapering the opening, fill the opening with mat and finally a layer or two of cloth. Then just remove the ribs and plastic panel. That would not require the formidable removal of all the underside trim/headliner and only leave the old opening requiring a filler headliner panel. Bonding a complete roof assembly would not be for the faint of heart either. That's pretty much what I did on my 'everyday driver' '83 Avanti......kind of a big job, but I did this seven or eight years ago, and it's still holding up well. Replacing a 'moon roof' type roof skin with a solid (no hole cut) roof skin IS probably the best way to go, but to do that job correctly much of the car would have to be dis-assembled. The way I did it cost 'peanuts'...really just my own labor......but if I were dealing with a 'show type' Avanti, I'd probably try to find and install a solid roof skin.
ron@crall.com Posted October 13, 2015 Report Posted October 13, 2015 I have been thinking it would be nice if my 71 had a moon roof. Sounds like i should re-think. If insanity prevails, can it be done or did the roll bar get re-worked for moon roof equipped cars?
Gunslinger Posted October 13, 2015 Report Posted October 13, 2015 What you can do is add a non-powered pop-up and removable moon roof panel. There are many shops that can do that. It's not as sophisticated a setup as a powered roof but far, far simpler and you still get the advantages. I considered one for my '70 as an installer is only a few miles away, but by the time the thought hit me, my car had already been rebuilt and repainted and I saw no need to cut a hole in the roof at that point.
arkus Posted October 13, 2015 Author Report Posted October 13, 2015 i also visited the pop-up and removal modern panel. the problem is that the late model (mine is an '83) hole is very nearly square while the new panels have rounded edges which would require filling in a "pie shaped" piece on each of the 4 corners with glass before you even began fitting it in. the sliding interior shade that mine has also becomes unusable as the handle for the new roof raising mechanism gets in the way big time! a friend installed a new one in a non moon roofed avanti and said it was quite easy.
GlennW Posted October 14, 2015 Report Posted October 14, 2015 Not sure where the advantage would be in replacing the entire roof section? If you did have a donor roof available it seems to me that it would be less hassle and better structurally to simply cut a replace piece to fill the void of removing the current moon roof. If no donor roof is available, a good boat repair place could do the fabrication. Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems there'd be more body integrity filling a hole and leaving the rest of the original bodywork intact.
wildfelr Posted October 16, 2015 Report Posted October 16, 2015 RQB3263......How about this....use the existing moon roof door panel (removed from car) and pull a quickie mold from it....do a good solid layup in that mold and make a perfect fitting filler piece....trim it, bond it and fastener attach it in place...then normal filling to disappear the crack that your gonna have no matter what you do...and paint, and headliner....no window removal required...prob $150.00 materials...RQB3263......BILL
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