So I had this sunroof project going for quite a while. I had been trying to make my own sunroof plug out of galvanized steel and then I would rivet it in place along the inside lip where the sunroof used to be.

Well, I got tired of dicking around with sheet metal and crappy fitment, so I visited a local shop (see sig) and picked up this fine piece...







Worth every penny of the $120 I paid for it. Fits great, tight on front/rear/sides, tiny gaps on the driver's front and pass rear corners, but I'm sealing it with 3M drip-chek anyway, so it'll all be good.

*EDIT* A few more...







Alex




Modified by Quik89Si at 5:53 PM 8/17/2003

 

Looks good, i need one of those, was the install easy?

 

WOWIE ZOWIE!

I want it I want it I want it! This was a local shop that did this for you? Are you going to paint it? Any difference with it on?

 

whats the weight savings on that?

 

weight saving mods are great, but how could u not use the sunroof i would miss it!

 

damn that thang is tight like a virgin!

 

haha. Yeah man, I couldn't stand not using the sunroof. Thats the main glory of the Si and you just robbed the car of it. Every person with a DX or HF is shaking their head....

 

If they made clear ones (obviously not of fiberglass but) that would be awesome since it would still retain the effect of a sunroof but the function of a solid plug.

 

slopok - yes, the install was easy. It is a friction fit in the sunroof hole, so it stays in once you line it up. I did need to file a small amount of Gelcoat off the sides to get it to fit closer to perfect - the pictures don't show it but small portions of the edge are a little "lower" than the roof, while other portions are perfectly level. By a little low, I mean 1 or 2 mm, can't tell unless looking closely.

RacerBoy - a local shop got me the panel, http://www.speedmachineracing.com is the link. However, I installed it myself with a drill bit, a rivet gun, rivets, a dremel, a file, and some 3M Drip-chek sealant (still to go on). Yes, I will be painting it to match the rest of the car. Yes, there is a difference - the car feels about 30 lbs lighter! Seriously though, it almost feels like it has a little more pick-up when accelerating hard.

H.crx - probably at least 30lbs.

Custom - I never used the sunroof, I honestly hate the sun beating down on my head. Plus, I got about an extra inch and a half of headroom!

lamchop - Yessir, it is!

Alex

 

Well first I have to start out by saying that it looks really good and that I was following your steel plug thread for awhile as well and **** for how much dicking around you had to do with the steel to still not have it fit right that $120 bucks was well worth it IMO.

On another note since people seem to ask about the weight savings....Well considering you used fiberglass instead of steel I would assume it would be a little lighter but just so people know the complete sunroof assembly (frame,rails,motor,panel,etc...) all together weighs about 28lbs and that was with it wrapped up in multiple layers of cardboard when I sent it out the other one that I sent out weighed almost 35lbs but with that one I used a lot more packaging and a lot more styrofoam to send it out. So on an average I would guess that the complete unit weighs about 26-27lbs give or take a pound or 2.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Vinceg99 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">On another note since people seem to ask about the weight savings....Well considering you used fiberglass instead of steel I would assume it would be a little lighter but just so people know the complete sunroof assembly (frame,rails,motor,panel,etc...) all together weighs about 28lbs and that was with it wrapped up in multiple layers of cardboard when I sent it out the other one that I sent out weighed almost 35lbs but with that one I used a lot more packaging and a lot more styrofoam to send it out. So on an average I would guess that the complete unit weighs about 26-27lbs give or take a pound or 2.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah, no kidding on that note. The steel plug I was making still weighed probably around 7 pounds, this one weighs about 1 at the most. HUGE difference in weight, and the fiberglass is MUCH more rigid.

Alex

 

I'd bet that since you remove like 30lbs from the highest point in the car that the car seems like it handles a lot better to.

So sometimes us DX owners can be happy.

 

thats pretty friggin cool man....nice job!

 

Nice job Alex, glad to see you finally got it in and now you don't have to worry about messing with it any more. Just make sure you get it painted by someone that knows what there doing .

 

Looks great on there and 30lbs is a good amount of weight when your playing the weight reduction game.

I know someone who will be jealous

 

Looks awesome

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jonathan_EH &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Looks awesome </TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanks everyone, I'm really happy with it!

Alex

 

is there anyway to install a roof headliner from maybe a HF?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by lamchop0000 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">is there anyway to install a roof headliner from maybe a HF?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I have a gray non-sunroof headliner for anyone interested.
$120 seems like a sooper-great deal, I found a carbon fiber plug a while back but they were asking some stupid monet for it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by lamchop0000 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">is there anyway to install a roof headliner from maybe a HF?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah, it can probably be done...or you could take it to a custom shop and they could probably do a custom headliner real easy also.


BAZ - yeah it was a great deal! Weighs like nothing, and fits great. I remember seeing CF plugs around also, but they were being sold for something over $300. No way Jose.


I started sealing it up today, the Drip-chek makes a mess but I think I can clean it up with 3M General Adhesive Remover. The Drip-chek is nice and thick though, so it fills in the gaps really well. I don't think water-tightness will be an issue, which is what I was hoping for!


Alex

 

i can't believe you pussed out on the DIY sunroof plug. blah!!! blah, blah!!!

but it does look pretty damn good. almost as good as my $20 steel one.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by keithv &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i can't believe you pussed out on the DIY sunroof plug. blah!!! blah, blah!!!

but it does look pretty damn good. almost as good as my $20 steel one.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah, I know...I suck. I did give it two shots though, two whole plugs were finished but just didn't fit how I wanted them to.

Plus, I was worried that if the steel plug rusted, which it could have and probably would have, I wouldn't have been able to replace it easily or at all...whereas the fiberglass plug will never rust.

I thought DIY was the way to go for me, but it just wasn't meant to be...


Alex

 

Do you still have your old moon roof assembly, I need to replace mine which is beginning to rust out.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Quik89Si &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I started sealing it up today, the Drip-chek makes a mess but I think I can clean it up with 3M General Adhesive Remover. The Drip-chek is nice and thick though, so it fills in the gaps really well. I don't think water-tightness will be an issue, which is what I was hoping for!


Alex</TD></TR></TABLE>

OK i know this is dumb. Your sealin it from the top of the roof right? If so why not fiberglass it to the roof so the roof looks smooth as it it never had a sunroof? Probably wouldnt cost much more to paint the whole roof. I like the plug idea. I think I would only do it if I couldnt find a oem sunroof replacement or if mine was broken. I think I would smooth it out though with fiberglass instead or sealer. Looks good though

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PoonHunter &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

OK i know this is dumb. Your sealin it from the top of the roof right? If so why not fiberglass it to the roof so the roof looks smooth as it it never had a sunroof? Probably wouldnt cost much more to paint the whole roof. I like the plug idea. I think I would only do it if I couldnt find a oem sunroof replacement or if mine was broken. I think I would smooth it out though with fiberglass instead or sealer. Looks good though </TD></TR></TABLE>

that would leave no flex at all, and would defeat the purpose of the 'plug'. If you wanted to do that, you could just 'glass over the entire hole.

I can all but promise you that if you fiberglassed it all over, or even fiberglassed in the plug, it would flex and crack.