the problem i have is my 85 camaro has a sunroof that leaks and ruins the look of my car. i got it pretty cheap and like it to be the way that i want. but this ugly thing in the middle of my roof is killing it for me. its rust free and only has 56000 miles and is a nice project i have posted about this before and would like to see some pics of peoples handywork and maybe show me a way to fix it in a different way thats relatively easy.

 

No offense to your tastes but why on earth would you get a sunroof on a third gen? This is why god invented t-tops.

 

i didnt get it installed it was on it when i bought the car and in pa its hard to find a rust free car for cheap this old haha.

 

can anyone show or tell me the best way to fix this should i weld a patch in weld a whole new donor roof on??? id like the best/smartest solution that wouldnt present a problem in the future. like cracks in paint and wapage stuff of that nature.

 

Here is a good one

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...-top-roof.html

Looks difficult.

 

Fixed.

 

yeah i saw the t top roof conversion thread but thats to involved for me and dont feel that i need to do that much work for my problem there has to be an easier way?

 

i have an idea for you, it may not be a good one but is a way it's tough to explain and u need to be good at welding and some fabrication.

 

ok?

 

i will try to explain it. ok I dont know if there is any bracing under that part of the roof to make it stronger but here;s an idea. you measure where on the roof the big hole would be when you remove the sunroof. Find another whole roof or one thats still attached to a car and measure the same spot. make it a little bit bigger and cut it out. cut the rounded areas of the hole so its rectangular. make one inch strips and clean up one side to bare metal. drill about 1/4 to 3/8 inch holes about a half inch or so from the edge and abot ever 2 or 3 inches apart around the whole sunroof hole. take yout bare metal strips you made and place half of it under the opening and spot weld then to the roof with your mig all the way around so theres something under the patch you can put on to cover the sunroof. make sure it doesnt sit on top of your roof but on the strips u made kinda butted to your roof drill holes around that the same as before and spot weld that in. leave a little space between the patch and the roof so u can wel all the way around the patch. weld only about an inch long at a time and leave spaces so you dont heat up the metal too much and warp it. grind the welds and fill in any spots with metal to metal reinforcing filler then over that se regular body filler. I know it sounds long and maybe difficult but its better then cutting the whole roof apart it would be structurally strong depending how good you are with a welder and that ugly sunroof would be gone. the reason for the patch out of another roof and measuring so you have the curves and bends already there to make its shape close to original.

 

im sorry if its too long and makes no sense a drawing wouldve made it so much more simple.

 

thats what ive been leaning towards for a while and im probably going to go that route i saw some guy sheetmetal screw a patch in on here and i dont want to do anything like that ughhh! and madhadder i think is his name did a wonderful job on his hardtop to t top conversion but i dont want to even try that i dont have a garage or the time or experience in metal work to do all that. thats way to involved but thanks for explaining to me that way which im probably going to do just gotta get the donor roof section to fix mine now but i know where i can get one. thanks again

 

no i get it i did go to tech for autobody and we did that on ford f150s all the time dang rusty POS!! fords

 

have you went to any autobodies around to get a estimate for a new roof installed? you colud also try and find a body guy to do it on the side for cheaper.

 

its not drivable yet haha but i probably will ask around when it is

 

This is very true, until i got mine fixed lol

 

how did they do that! my t tops hate me....

H-TOWN

 

i dont know what the previous owners were thinking but it is a muscle/classic car that is meant to be driven and look mean and fast not have some piece of glass on the roof so you can keep the top of your head cool. grrrr if you want to stay cool in a camaro get on the freeway and go about 90+ haha thats what id do. :]