Webasto sunroof - fitting in 2021 to a classic
Discussion
velocemitch said:
Is this you saying you have a source of webasto (or similar) vinyl?
It's just I have one fitted in my Alfa GTV which is starting to split, its going to have to get repaired at some point in the next few months I think.
My roof was fitted by 'The Allard Motor Company' in about 1970, so I don't think its branded as Webasto.
Quite likely to be a "Golde" sunroof. They're a German product, Allard had some sort of arrangement with them. Isn't there a makers plate anywhere on the roof - if so it should read "Allard Golde"It's just I have one fitted in my Alfa GTV which is starting to split, its going to have to get repaired at some point in the next few months I think.
My roof was fitted by 'The Allard Motor Company' in about 1970, so I don't think its branded as Webasto.
Sebring440 said:
This will be a potentially very expensive exercise (if you get it done professionally) and will drastically devalue the car.
^ This. Even though Webasto was a good brand back in the day, I'd only ever consider buying a hardtop classic with a sliding steel roof, and they can be problematic - blocked drain holes, etc. Least desirable aftermarket-roof-wise are those horrible glass pop-tops sometimes fitted in the '80's and '90's.GoodOlBoy said:
velocemitch said:
Is this you saying you have a source of webasto (or similar) vinyl?
It's just I have one fitted in my Alfa GTV which is starting to split, its going to have to get repaired at some point in the next few months I think.
My roof was fitted by 'The Allard Motor Company' in about 1970, so I don't think its branded as Webasto.
Quite likely to be a "Golde" sunroof. They're a German product, Allard had some sort of arrangement with them. Isn't there a makers plate anywhere on the roof - if so it should read "Allard Golde"It's just I have one fitted in my Alfa GTV which is starting to split, its going to have to get repaired at some point in the next few months I think.
My roof was fitted by 'The Allard Motor Company' in about 1970, so I don't think its branded as Webasto.
Edit... well there we are then.... yes Golde
Edited by velocemitch on Wednesday 6th October 14:23
neutral 3 said:
Ardennes92 said:
Must be over 40yrs since I fitted one that I bought at a show, to what was then a 5yr old RR, marked roof, blanket over interior, dropped headliner, checked about a dozen times and cut hole, fitted frame, roof & headliner. Never had a leak and no increase in wind noise (although never was a quite drive at speed). Looked “factory” and made a big difference when open travelling down to the Mediterranean. Doing now to an old car probably depends on what it is and what it is going to be used for but, i like them and pretty much every vehicle I have had since has been a convertible or a sunroof fitted, so a little biased.
Any photos of it ?Yertis said:
geeman237 said:
I think the official maker and seller of the original folding style Tudor Webasto sunroofs is now The Trimming Centre (https://www.thetrimmingcentre.co.uk/sunroofs) in East Sussex. They bought the complete business off the previous owners who were retiring 2-3 years ago-ish. The old place had a website (http://www.tudorwebastosunroofs.com/) with links at the bottom of the page to the original cutting and fitting process.
I had a Scimitar SE5a with a Webasto sunroof and a totally rotten wood frame. I contacted the Trimming Centre to see if they would do a replacement wood frame, and they finally agreed. They had just bought the business and stock so were sorting through everything. They duly sent me the frame kit to me in the USA and I had to very carefully remove the sunroof and rotten frame and fit the new. It all fitted perfectly and I had to match drill all the screw holes in the Scimitar roof.
I don't think it will be cheap to have done by them as a turnkey job, think maybe 2,000 GBP ballpark.
An SE5 must be quite unique in the US.I had a Scimitar SE5a with a Webasto sunroof and a totally rotten wood frame. I contacted the Trimming Centre to see if they would do a replacement wood frame, and they finally agreed. They had just bought the business and stock so were sorting through everything. They duly sent me the frame kit to me in the USA and I had to very carefully remove the sunroof and rotten frame and fit the new. It all fitted perfectly and I had to match drill all the screw holes in the Scimitar roof.
I don't think it will be cheap to have done by them as a turnkey job, think maybe 2,000 GBP ballpark.
https://jalopnik.com/reliant-scimitar-and-friends-... - now in some other state, not CA
This one is owned by a movie prop company and occasioanly appears in TV shows such as "Heroes"
One for sale a while back
Detroit
Lotus Elan +2 said:
Had one already fitted to my Plus 2 when I bought it.
Filled the hole when I restored the car.
Didn't want the hassle of trying to get the webasto leakproof if I had refitted it.
OverSteery said:
Do tell more - I am intrigued how a sunroof would cause a spin - what happened?
Loooong story short, but one bright but breezy sunny day in early May 1982, 3 cars are heading to Cambridge up the M11 on a 2 lane section, with a White Lotus Cortina in front, me in my 72 Daytona yellow 3000GT ( tweaked with a circa 190hp engine by SuperSpeed ) and another pal in his blue K reg 3000GT Capri.
Pal Harvey and I had the sunroof open, it started to get a bit breezy, so I said to Harvey “ can you close the sunroof “ as he did so, the flaming thing came out of its runners and fell onto my head and in front of my face. For literally a split second, I pushed the sunroof up, the side wind put the Capri into the gravel in the central reservation next to the crash barrier. I can still see and hear the gravel hitting the Capris screen and body work, I turned the wheel to the left and we were heading for the near side crash barrier, I steered right and my Capri went up on its left 2 wheels.......
Harvey yelled out “ We are going over “.......
God only knows how, but we went into a multiple spin, we disappeared in a cloud of tyre smoke, I can still see the red Series 1 XJ-6 going past @ speed on the near side......
I remember us going backwards into the centre crash barrier and slamming the brakes on, but the engine had stalled and BANG, the off side rear quarter hit the barrier ( the damaged quarter is visible in this photo )
neutral 3 said:
HateFull things, don’t do it ! I had a terrifying high speed spin in my 3 Litre Capri, due to a Webasto sunroof.
They ruin a cars lines and billow up @ speed.
My Sunbeam-Lotus had one when I bought it back in 1988, original owner had it fitted when car was about 3 months old.
I was keen on it, as a few people had them in AVO Escorts when I had them, but it didn't take me long to grow to hate the bloody thing.....as above, they rattle, they billow up at speed, and I wished the car didn't have it.
I think it depends on the car though......a more of a cruising older car I can still see the attraction, and it would probably be less of an issue?
What is the car?
Lotus Elan +2 said:
Had one already fitted to my Plus 2 when I bought it.
Filled the hole when I restored the car.
Didn't want the hassle of trying to get the webasto leakproof if I had refitted it.
Skyedriver said:
Webasto type wouldn't put me off, in fact it would be a bonus. On the other hand one of those glass ones as fitted in the 80's & 90's, I wouldn't buy a car with one fitted, full stop.
A decent restorer would be able to delete the aftermarket glass sunroof, put the car back to as it left the factory, and nobody would ever know.Whilst it's a bigger hole than most corrosion holes, it's no different to cutting out a section of corrosion in a car body, and welding in a new section, or even creating a whole new roof skin if needed (the standard of car restorations is so much higher than they used to be!)
4rephill said:
Skyedriver said:
Webasto type wouldn't put me off, in fact it would be a bonus. On the other hand one of those glass ones as fitted in the 80's & 90's, I wouldn't buy a car with one fitted, full stop.
A decent restorer would be able to delete the aftermarket glass sunroof, put the car back to as it left the factory, and nobody would ever know.Whilst it's a bigger hole than most corrosion holes, it's no different to cutting out a section of corrosion in a car body, and welding in a new section, or even creating a whole new roof skin if needed (the standard of car restorations is so much higher than they used to be!)
I know a couple of people that replaced a hideous 80's glass sunroof with a Webasto type in Mk.1 Escorts back in the day.
There were some quite wide glass sunroofs though which if fitted this can't be done.
When my eldest brother was 17 in 1983, I helped him fit the webasto roof from a Mk3 Cortina into his Mk1 Escort Estate.
It was a big square hole that we cut out by hand using a small manual nibbler.
I do remember that we had to remove at least two of the of strengtheners that occupied the same space and that the headlining looked shocking after three teenagers attempted to trim and fit it.
A short time later, he bought an M Plate 1300 Sport with a blown engine from a friend that had a factory Webasto roof with vinyl roof and the estate donated its short block.
jon-yprpe said:
This is a very timely thread - I’ve got a 2 door Range Rover and I’d love a webasto - like the Prince Philip one. Saw the Tudor website a couple of years ago (at the commencement of a very long resto) so great to have the details of the ‘new’ owners.
Also whether they devalue or add value is entirely subjective.
Unbolt existing roof. Bolt on new roof with Webasto. Keep old roof. Also whether they devalue or add value is entirely subjective.
The joy of the Rangie is that because the roof comes off you can get a used one and for the sunroof at your leisure in the living room where it's the wife's soft furnishings at risk not yours.
I seriously considered making up a roof for mine but I never got quality info on just how noisy they are so decided to wait until I could try one before taking the plunge.
Shezbo, to try and answer your question...
I had a Webasto roof fitted in 2012 by Peter Harvey. He was trading from his house as Peter Harvey Sunroofs, 1 Stonar Gardens, Sandwich, CT13 9LJ.
At the time, the official Webasto distributor had bought the franchise but wasn't really interested and couldn't fit the roofs! All roads led to Peter, who seemed to be the only person in the UK who really knew what he was doing. He drove from Sandwich to Northamptonshire to fit the roof for me and charge me just over £1800.
The car had had a Webasto fitted by the importer. By the time I bought the car, the roof had long gone, but the hole with its ash frame was still intact.
He did a great job, but wasn't the easiest person to deal with. I suspected he might have retired, but I've just Googled him and he was still active in 2018 and is still listed in some directories..
Phone: 01304 614412
Email: peterharveysunroofs@tiscali.co.uk
Hope this helps.
I had a Webasto roof fitted in 2012 by Peter Harvey. He was trading from his house as Peter Harvey Sunroofs, 1 Stonar Gardens, Sandwich, CT13 9LJ.
At the time, the official Webasto distributor had bought the franchise but wasn't really interested and couldn't fit the roofs! All roads led to Peter, who seemed to be the only person in the UK who really knew what he was doing. He drove from Sandwich to Northamptonshire to fit the roof for me and charge me just over £1800.
The car had had a Webasto fitted by the importer. By the time I bought the car, the roof had long gone, but the hole with its ash frame was still intact.
He did a great job, but wasn't the easiest person to deal with. I suspected he might have retired, but I've just Googled him and he was still active in 2018 and is still listed in some directories..
Phone: 01304 614412
Email: peterharveysunroofs@tiscali.co.uk
Hope this helps.
Sticks. said:
I was surprised when a friend had one fitted to his Wolseley a couple of years ago. I've not seen the car since it's been done but he's pleased with it.
He checked it was an option when new and I think this makes a difference to whether it looks OK or not.
Agreed. I had one fitted to my late Rover Mini in the early 2000s on that basis.He checked it was an option when new and I think this makes a difference to whether it looks OK or not.
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