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General Has anyone made a custom sunroof for their panda?

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General Has anyone made a custom sunroof for their panda?

We need a mule.

Has anyone got a Panda shell kicking about I can practice on?

Once I've fitted the sun roof and made it work I can then do it to a whole car. It shouldn't leak at all as it's a sealed unit. My concern is removing the support between the two "B" pillars. Once finished I would have a Panda shell that I can use to do a mock roof chop. :)
 
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Liquid Knight said:
We need a mule.

Has anyone got a Panda shell kicking about I can practice on?

Once I've fitted the sun roof and made it work I can then do it to a whole car. It shouldn't leak at all as it's a sealed unit. My concern is removing the support between the two "B" pillars. Once finished I would have a Panda shell that I can use to do a mock roof chop. :)
Click to expand...

I've a mk3 Panda roof you could probably have at the end of the summer if you want to have a play (y)
 
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Weight would be one of the issues involved with the conversion. I've been pondering the method statement for the job and it will be more interesting than first suspected. The roof lining, grab handles and trim will need to come off. The tailgate removed and any wiring loom removed from the roof channels. Then the front and rear roof lips will need to be carefully seam welded to add strength. the end caps where the tailgate was opened and a length of either box section or pipe fed all the way to the front of the car. Once trial fitted it will need to be removed and holes drilled all the way along the inside of the side roof lips. The reinforcing section put back in place and spot/fillet welded into place through the drilled holes. Now you can remove the "B" pillar cross supporting brace as he strength has been replaced by the seam welds and new sections. Cut out a hole in the roof for the Webasto and trial fit it. Remove it and retrofit the headlining so you can draw round the hole ready to cut, trim and reupholster it if needs be. Make the edges safe with either narrow band trim or flap and tape. Re-fit the sunroof and wire it into the cars loom via a switched live (I was thinking stereo feed but could be anything with a fuse rated high enough). Refit the headlining, grab handles and trim. Refit the tailgate one any removed loom has been redirected. Should take between six to eight hours depending on sizing and amount of upholstery work required.
 
I mentioned the weight issue and neglected to address it. The weight of the roof, mechanism, additional support and extra welds will all add up to the total curb weight of the car, obviously. The biggest issue here is the additional weight is all added to the top of the car giving it a much higher centre of gravity so the car will roll more into bends. Even if you to up-rate the suspension to compensate for the extra weight or lower the chassis to compensate for the CoG the car will lose it's handling dynamic and need an antiroll bar at the very least. Adding even more weight effecting the cars economy and straight line performance.

If it can be done (waiting for comparable measurements) would it be worth it?
 
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Consulted the guys at Wisbech Engineering about this (hotrod builders so they know what they're on about) and my method is a little over engineered. The structure should be fine if brace plates were put in place where the "B" pillar cross member is mounted. Also seam welding the roof along the lips all round is good practice. So that's two hours saved and about 10Kg.

The roof has sold but as the Cinquecentoist have pointed out...

http://sunroof.webasto.co.uk/products/configurator.html

...Webasto already do roof panels for Pandas. ;)
 
I looked at their web page a while back but gave up as I couldn't find a local supplier to quote a price on-line.
I expect though it will cost a good deal more than what I paid for Fizzle.

I wouldn't mind a good second hand tilt one fitting though if I could find one :)
 
Liquid Knight said:
Look what I've just won for £140...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300899739413?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

...if the car's too far gone I'll be getting my tape measure and grinder out. ;)
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I was tempted by a Cinq before I stumbled onto the classic Panda. Probably because they share the same styling.
I was tempted by a Soleil. I'd found a nice bright green one, then I bought a GP instead.
Then I sold that and now I have a Panda.
Some people question my decisions....
 
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The roof for £99.99 sold so I don't mind paying a little extra for one with the car still attached. ;)

Unless the car can be rescued once the wheels are sold and other bits removed for prosperity I should get £90 + three months RFL refund back and break even.

I'm hoping for a rescue as 1/ I need a run around while I restore the Fantasia properly and 2/ Soleil's are going to be the next Bianca for the collectors out there so it could be worth a bit in the near future. :)
 
if your gonna steal a canvas roof from a cento i would use one off a soleil sei. there much more common and they will all be newer, so you more likely to avoid a leaky one. im sure the roof on the seicento is almost identical to the cinq, perhaps a tad longer.

also the soleil cinqs are just so cute :)
(cr*p, im looking at another car! my panda will go on protest) :cry:
 
I didn't chose the Cinquecento roof as a mule. As I mentioned earlier I'll measure it up and give the car a good going over to see what it needs for M.O.T and then decide to keep it or not. First off I'll have to remove all the tat on the bonnet and sticker bombing. Find an original set of wheels and trims. Get the car in full working order and as they're are less than 150 left insure it as a classic either piggybacking my Panda policy or outright.

The 899 engine will stay and stay standard as I'm thinking long term for the car and one day it will be as rare and desirable as the Pandas (hopefully not as rare as my Fantasia because I feel guilty every time I look at the paintwork, I seriously need to restore that car).
 
Liquid Knight said:
Soleil's are going to be the next Bianca for the collectors out there so it could be worth a bit in the near future. :)
Click to expand...

THIS!

People don't seem to like Soleil's much from what I've heard and I don't know why, I think they are the Bianca edition of the Cinq for sure. They'll probably be as rare as your Fantasia one day.
 
Like any car with features like the Soleil if the roof is neglected they can fail and cost a fair bit to replace. 899cc won't blow any socks off, 90's Polzka Fiat build quality (or lack there of), rust and they're mostly pensioner/student cars so have either never seen more than 40mph or have regularly been hammered along Halfords car parks at night. From the list of things wrong with the car I've bought and modifications I'd say the latter is most likely the case. :rolleyes:

Hopefully the car is at the tipping point where it would be scrap yard bound if it wasn't for some idiot buying it to restore. ;)
 
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