Call me ludicrous, but... swapping roof to get a sunroof?

[BonyCatfish]

On Craigslist in my area a guy is parting out a 98 Civic Sedan and has a perfectly working roof that has a sunroof. My 99 Civic is also a 4-door, but does not have a sunroof(or moonroof, whatever). I need to get my car repainted anyways, and I can probably swap the roof for relatively cheap, but would it be worth it or is that too much?
This is a far-out idea but I figured I would come to the forums before passing it off.

 

[civhatch92]

Do some searching.. I've seen this done before.

 

[4bangincivic]

On Craigslist in my area a guy is parting out a 98 Civic Sedan and has a perfectly working roof that has a sunroof. My 99 Civic is also a 4-door, but does not have a sunroof(or moonroof, whatever). I need to get my car repainted anyways, and I can probably swap the roof for relatively cheap, but would it be worth it or is that too much?
This is a far-out idea but I figured I would come to the forums before passing it off.

Swapping the roofs would require cutting all the pillars A, B, C pillars in half and then cutting off all of yours, welding in the new roof with the sunroof, grinding, bondo, sanding, priming, sanding, base coat, sanding, and clear. Too much work for the outcome unless you've got all of the tools necessary to complete the swap. Might want to go to a body shop to see how much it would be to do something custom with a pop out or moonroof.

 

[ej194]

alot of work but if you want to do it go for it a sun roof is always nice

 

[4bangincivic]

I just fear that something could go wrong and then you're f**ked with a car with no roof.

 

[zachkelly]

Do some searching.. I've seen this done before.

Ive seen it done on a car on clubcivic, it was a hatch but i cant remember whose! maybe i can find it...

edit:
this guy did it. he explains a bit in some of his later posts, but theres a few pics which might give you an idea idk
http://www.clubcivic.com/board/showthread.php?t=154793&highlight=hatch+sunroof

 

[R3dline]

ludacris

 

[lowlife9]

ahh why not just install a after market sun roof ??

 

[TigBitties]

he wouldnt need to cut the pilars. just take off the roof skin piece. its welded undernearth the rubber strips. grind the welds, but this also requires the removal of windows. my friend does body work and i talked to him about it. he said it would be cheaper just to cut the hole and put it in

 

[BonyCatfish]

That is way too much work, I figured if I could just take the welds off of the roof off of each car, spot weld the new one on to my car, and wire it up I would save the trouble of installing an after-market sunroof, but unless someone thinks it could be that simple, I am not going invest that kind of money when it could be used elsewhere.

 

[TigBitties]

seals on the windows go to the roof, so its not that simple. but cutting a hole and just popping it in there isnt to hard

 

[teepain]

putting a sunroof onto a car that originally doesn't have a sunroof is highly not recommended. cars with sunroof are re-enforcely built than the ones that don't. installing an aftermarket can cause the roof to cave in by pressure if not re-enforced correctly

 

[teepain]

just my .02

 

[mymmeryloss]

it really wouldnt be too hard if u know how to cut and grind sheetmetal..

 

[BonyCatfish]

Well I don't. I was hoping the sheet of roof would bolt off and bolt on to my car with some minor wiring. Welding, grinding etc is not worth it, especially considering the cost of a new paint job. Thanks for the help anyways.

 

[NOFX]

Swapping the roofs would require cutting all the pillars A, B, C pillars in half and then cutting off all of yours, welding in the new roof with the sunroof, grinding, bondo, sanding, priming, sanding, base coat, sanding, and clear. Too much work for the outcome unless you've got all of the tools necessary to complete the swap. Might want to go to a body shop to see how much it would be to do something custom with a pop out or moonroof.

Swapping a roof skin does NOT require cutting the pillars or even modifying them.

putting a sunroof onto a car that originally doesn't have a sunroof is highly not recommended. cars with sunroof are re-enforcely built than the ones that don't. installing an aftermarket can cause the roof to cave in by pressure if not re-enforced correctly

Also not correct. The bodies of Civics with sunroofs have the same reinforcements as a Civic without a sunroof.

I believe there is one or two fewer beams in the roof skin itself, but these beams are very thin and have more to do with keeping the roof skin from flexing too much than holding the car together. They're just missing because there's a big hole in the roof in that area. The way the hole is cut reinforces the roof skin around the moonroof.

What you said is akin to saying if you remove the hood of a car the engine bay would cave in.

Well I don't. I was hoping the sheet of roof would bolt off and bolt on to my car with some minor wiring. Welding, grinding etc is not worth it, especially considering the cost of a new paint job. Thanks for the help anyways.

Bolt on? Of course not.

The roof skin is a "permanent" part of the car.

To remove it:

- Remove visors, mirror, grab bars, any ceiling caps, dome light, map light (if applicable), pillar trim from passenger side and headliner (some of these parts are removed in order to remove headliner).
- Remove moonroof assembly (if applicable).
- Remove rain gutters.
- Remove front windshield.
- Remove rear windshield.
- Cut out roof skin (might want to lay a cloth to collect metal shavings).

Then the new roof skin has to be welded in place. Wiring for the moonroof has to be run or otherwise installed.

Aftermarket moonroofs and sunroofs are prone to leaks and when this happens parts can be very difficult to find! Not to mention they're just not as clean looking with the seal on the body of the car.