944 sunroofs

[apusmelba]

hello all; this is my first posting so bear with me if i ask stuff thats already been covered.
i have run an 89 944s2 as my everyday car for 6years/50K miles this replaced an 81 924 with a 944 body which i ran for 5years/50K miles and my first porsche was a 77 924 which i ran for 4years/17K.
This car is my ideal for an everyday car and i have not got a logical replacement in mind in the porsche
range which is a shame.
however to get to the point about sunroofs i find the standard roof too awkward to remove except in glorious
weather and on a longer journey so has anyone any experience of the glass replacement that is made by
toysforyourtoys.com which would have to be imported from the USofA or an equivalent UK source even if its
possible to cut glass or perspex to size or is there a
glass roof from another car which will fit without
structural mods

[cuneus]

Stay away from them, it is a Rip off

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=91242

I believe the only chance is to find a S/H Saratoga roof on ebay

http://home.earthlink.net/~porsche944t/Saratoga.html

[Diver944]

I've seen the many posts on Rennlist about glass sunroofs for 944's and the unfortunate toysforyourtoys debacle, but surely any local glass manufacturer could cut something the right size. Then you just need to bond the two hinges and two cogged posts onto the glass and away you go.

I know that's over simplified but if the glass is cut the right size and thickness and the 4 mounting points are attached in the right place it's got to work

[apusmelba]

thanks for the input guys
reading the sites shows that the saratoga top is very rare and therefore expensive and the other US "supplier" is best given a wide berth
the thing about cutting glass or plastic to size is that a flat panel will not follow the roof profile
which is curved in both directions maybe there is a way of doing this in plastic
the fixings should be ok as suggested

[Capt Beaky]

"but surely any local glass manufacturer could cut something the right size."

If only it were that simple. The sun roof is slightly curved and also has a seal around the perimeter - for what good it is. I have thought about producing a replacement myself but not got around to it yet.

As a matter of interest, if I was to produce a panel at what price would people be interested? Off the top of my head, I would anticipate a target price of £350.00+VAT

[apusmelba]

you seem to be coming at this question from a different angle i get the impression that you know the answer but are reluctant to share info
my view is that if you can produce a product equivalent to the saratoga/toysforyourtoys items then there is a market for it and you should go ahead
my enquiries have been to approach a boat window manufacturer who can supply tinted acrylic in various thicknesses cut to size with the radius corners but has not yet said if they can cope with the double curvature which is approx 30mm across the panel and 10mm fore and aft.i think if this route is economically viable i will have the panel made as tight as possible to the roof aperture and seal it underneath with a stick on flat gasket seal as i think the potential windnoise/leak problem will be solved by replaceing the original roof panel from the boot
i have also approached a glass company who can do the curves but i think will be more expensive.
my other thoughts are to modify the standard sunroof by cutting a hole in it approx the size of the internal trim inset and fixing a tinted acrylic piece larger than the hole inside the top panel and then fix a thin acrylic piece over the whole top surface but this will alter the roof line and probably ruin a perfectly good piece of kit and will probably be heavier than the original so i will have a rest to let my brain cool down

[cardesnr99]

"I've seen the many posts on Rennlist about glass sunroofs for 944's and the unfortunate toysforyourtoys debacle, but surely any local glass manufacturer could cut something the right size. Then you just need to bond the two hinges and two cogged posts onto the glass and away you go.

I know that's over simplified but if the glass is cut the right size and thickness and the 4 mounting points are attached in the right place it's got to work"

You bet that's oversimplified. In fact, so oversimplified that it wouldn't work...
The 924/944 roof panel is crowned (curved) in both elevations (compound curved). Any glass made to fit it would likewise need to be compound-curved. This is an oven heat (draping) over a steel mold and it is beyond nearly all hobbyist's capability (I don't care HOW MANY Snap-On BOXES YOU OWN.) Then, once the glass is draped it needs to be tempered and "fretted" (shadow silk screened around all four edges and once again oven-heated to bake the silk screened fretting material.

To simply take a rectangular sheet of glass and bond clips to it and then expect it to work and be safe and watertight, is sheer transparent lunacy.

--Senhor California

[diver944]

......so is that a 'no' then?

[cardesnr99]

Yeah, it's a "no"

Here's a real heartbreaker:

I was the high bidder on the 924-944 Saratoga Top which was sold on eBay October 19th. Happily paid my funds ($527.11) via a Money Order, and waited.

Today it arrived!!!

In a million pieces it arrived. The seller simply wrapped the top on a blanket, put it into its original box, which must be at least 20 years old, decrepit and not too structurally sound, and sent it UPS ground. The rest is a damned shame. To see such a rare piece destroyed because of bad packing or UPS' carelessness, or perhaps some of both, is a TRAGEDY.

Moral to this story? I dunno--I'm tooooo depressed.

--Senhor California