Sun Roof Removal

[fetuhoe]

Most of the RHD 911SC Shells that are available for backdating to make 911Rs and RSR Replicas have a Sun Roof fitted and this does spoil the appearance.

Roof panels from Porsche a relatively expensive and a good panels from early cars are becoming quite difficult to find as even relatively poor cars are now being restored.

We have seen a few shells where the roof panel has been replaced with a the original sunroof panel but this leaves gaps and needs quite a bit of filler. We have also seen a few cars where a flat steel sheet has been used and this never gives the correct profile and looks quite poor.

We have just made a buck to be able to form a replacement panel with the correct curvature in both planes.

The replacement panel is then edged with a wheel to the thickness of the roof so it flush fits and spot welded in place. The results are not too bad.

1. Cut out the sunroof supports



2. The shaped panel ready to fit



3. Shaped Panel Spot Welded in place



4. Another view of the fitted panel



5. Cleaning up



6. Another view



7. Filler work



8. Roof in Primer



9. Finished and painted

[haasad]

I used a roof section from a Beetle, after a bit of playing the curvature matched really well. Biggest pain was controlling distortion when welding it in.

I promise some decent pic's soon.

Having said that if I could have got a pupose made panel it would have been easier.


andy

[Nick Moss]

Very nice work, should be ideal for my backdate 2.8 RSR

[fetuhoe]

Andy,

A 3-phase Spot Welder helps with the distrotion problem

[davidppp]

Modest as ever, Chris..its a loverly job.

You should post some shots from underneath too..its every bit as good from inside..

The spot welding and the joggled flange seem to have avoided the massive distortion which was such a problem with earlier solutions..

Another little contribution to the DDK member's innovation list....

Are you going to post pictures of your special "backdate bonnet"?

Kind regards
david

[Barry]

Looks fab .

I infamously used a Cavalier roof as a donor for my Gulf Blue car: went in very well, although I did 100% butt weld all round, and just flippered it up afterwards. Distortion wasn't an issue as I did a lot of very small welds, well spaced apart. Used a 100 x 600 mm piece of 6mm ply to hold the paper for the filler work ( ). (It had a nice amount of give to it).

Now, like you, I'd wheel a panel up, but didn't have the wheel then.

I like the spot-welded swage idea: do you have to fill the join (i.e lead load), or is a skim of filler O.K.? I can see that if it's just the filler-only route, it must be a really distorsion-free solution. I would imagine your 'grown-up' three phase welder can reach in better than my little 2mm +2mm hand held one though ....

[SMTK]

Very nice work, should be ideal for my backdate 2.8 RSR

[Nic B-C]

Bigger pics would be great please

[oliveR]

Bigger pics would be great please

Mine:

[Nic B-C]

Looking good from them pics

[74rsman]

Howdy
Mark at RS911 magicked my sunroof away using the stock existing panel work. - tacked into place, shaped and positioned, leaded then filed and filled - easy.

[912uk]

looks great but my only concern with this little number of welds is movement and the filler cracking esp when you remove 50% of the weld with the grinder when you run it off ..

but what do I know.. I am the same as Barry do all the way round on any reapair panel then it's a Rolls Royce Job..

[davidppp]

Yes, thats right..

The problem with MIG is it actually adds molten metal..this means a lot more heat input than a spot weld.. where less than a half a gram of steel is actually melted..

By staggering the spots,the joint ends up strong and stiff..with very little heating..

Kind regards
David

[Nic B-C]

looks great but my only concern with this little number of welds is movement and the filler cracking esp when you remove 50% of the weld with the grinder when you run it off ..

but what do I know.. I am the same as Barry do all the way round on any reapair panel then it's a Rolls Royce Job..

Has he not seam welded and then ground down as hes gone along, basically stitch welding to avoid mass heat and distortion?