Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: John R on Saturday,January 30, 2021, 07:40:26 AM
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Hi
I'm currently half way through restoring my 1973 TC Special. intend to tackle the body shortly but as it currently has a sun roof fitted I'm uncertain whether to return it to orginal (no sun roof) or just replace it with a new one? In particular, I'm wondering if keeping the sun roof will reduce its value? If not can antone recommend a replacement sun roof supplier?
Thanks in advance
John
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It’s more a case of whether you would prefer a sunroof or not? - Your car.
If you decide to delete it then I would recommend getting a full roof section rather than trying to fill the section that has been removed, it may not seem like it but it will be easier and give a better finish that won’t show over time.
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I would recommend getting a full roof section rather than trying to fill the section that has been removed, it may not seem like it but it will be easier and give a better finish that won’t show over time.
Definitely !
I once had a Marcos that I decided would look better without it's sun roof so I took it out and attempted to form a template & fill the hole. It took me ages to do, never looked right and a few years later I ended up putting the sunroof back before I finally sold the car. A roof section sounds a much better idea !
Brian
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I was wondering about this as my car has a sunroof also. I also have the section that was removed, so all that is missing is the thickness of a sawblade. I believe this can be replaced. I am going to wait until car is on road to see if I like the sunroof or not (will be doing paint and bodywork last in case funds run short......)
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Before I really started on my car, I bought a sunroof kit but it ate up a bit of headroom (which is at a premium for me) and the sunroof wouldn’t fit in either trunk so if I were to be surprised by some rain, I would get wet! I ended up selling it.
Just some things to think about.
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"Sun-Roof", "Moon-Roof", either makes me roll my eyes!
Long ago I knew a guy who bought a brand new MGB Roadster, then he got a removable hard-top for it, and had a sun-roof fitted to the hard-top. ::)
Maybe I'm the only one who does not see the sense of that?
And they tend to leak!
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Many thanks for all the advice. I'm inclined to replace the section but wasn't able to locate a supplier for a new roof sectin. Any suggestions? Cheers
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I'd give Richard at Banks a call, he supplies bodyshells so is probably a reliable source. The other one is a place in Norfolk, Boss Motors, and they even have a Europa shell on their facebook page !
https://www.facebook.com/Boss-motors-1852531295061863/ (https://www.facebook.com/Boss-motors-1852531295061863/)
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My car originally came with a California Customs sunroof as well.
When I redid the car in 2017, I was not sure. I did install a new Sunroof. It is a Webasto. A 321M, which is an electric sunroof. It required filling in the roof section by about 3", because it was slightly shallower depthwise than the original.
I attached a photo.
It works fine, but my car also has ac, so the sunroof is not needed for ventilation.
In retrospect, I would not fit a sunroof. It is noisy and smelly. Sometimes that is good, but generally not.
I attached a photo for reference. It fit pretty darn well and I think it looks nice. It does not leak, so it is not a problem.
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I have a sunroof replacement panel I would be willing to let go as I am happy with the sunroof in mine.