What are my DIY options for installing my own sunroof?
Dear Car Talk | Jan 01, 2000
Dear Tom and Ray:
attached several strands of Christmas tree lights to the hood. This all works fine, but I was thinking that a real big sunroof would make the car perfect. Being a poor,
recently graduated student and seeing how the car isn't likely to last another year, I want to build the sunroof myself with the help of a saw. Will I do something really
bad to the car by trying this myself? What kind of saw would you guys recommend? -- Josh
TOM: Well, you and I certainly share the same respectful attitude toward our cars, Josh!
RAY: You can certainly try this yourself. It's hard to imagine doing much aesthetic harm to a spearmint green wagon with racing stripes and Christmas tree lights on it.
TOM: The only caution is that you don't want to make the sunroof too big, or you'll decrease the structural safety of the car -- of which the roof plays a key role. So
don't go overboard in terms of size.
RAY: The best tool for the job is a pair of air-powered tin snips. Body shops have these for cutting sheet metal. If you can't bribe a body shop into letting you use its
snips, then you may have to "go manual" and use regular tin snips.
TOM: Here's what I'd do. I'd cut the hole for the sunroof first, then I'd buy a piece of plexiglass from the hardware store. Put a nice, thick bead of silicone adhesive
around the edge of the plexiglass, lay it on top of the hole and then secure it with an armload of sheet metal screws.
RAY: Then your only challenge will be figuring out what to do with the tattered remains of the headliner that you cut up while taking a piece of the roof off. You might
want to check with Martha Stewart. I think she wrote an article recently called "Sewing 18th Century Lace Pattern Doilies Out of '87 Mercury Headliners." Good luck,
Josh.
attached several strands of Christmas tree lights to the hood. This all works fine, but I was thinking that a real big sunroof would make the car perfect. Being a poor,
recently graduated student and seeing how the car isn't likely to last another year, I want to build the sunroof myself with the help of a saw. Will I do something really
bad to the car by trying this myself? What kind of saw would you guys recommend? -- Josh
TOM: Well, you and I certainly share the same respectful attitude toward our cars, Josh!
RAY: You can certainly try this yourself. It's hard to imagine doing much aesthetic harm to a spearmint green wagon with racing stripes and Christmas tree lights on it.
TOM: The only caution is that you don't want to make the sunroof too big, or you'll decrease the structural safety of the car -- of which the roof plays a key role. So
don't go overboard in terms of size.
RAY: The best tool for the job is a pair of air-powered tin snips. Body shops have these for cutting sheet metal. If you can't bribe a body shop into letting you use its
snips, then you may have to "go manual" and use regular tin snips.
TOM: Here's what I'd do. I'd cut the hole for the sunroof first, then I'd buy a piece of plexiglass from the hardware store. Put a nice, thick bead of silicone adhesive
around the edge of the plexiglass, lay it on top of the hole and then secure it with an armload of sheet metal screws.
RAY: Then your only challenge will be figuring out what to do with the tattered remains of the headliner that you cut up while taking a piece of the roof off. You might
want to check with Martha Stewart. I think she wrote an article recently called "Sewing 18th Century Lace Pattern Doilies Out of '87 Mercury Headliners." Good luck,
Josh.
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