Factory sunroof install on a non sunroof car.

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Clelan

Clelan

Inferno Red Duster
FABO Gold Member
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Has anybody installed a factory sunroof on a non sunroof Duster? A friend has a complete roof with all the sunroof components I can get from him. My car has the landau vinyl top and I was hoping not to have to mess with the painted metal. Everything should be underr the vinyl. Any experience out there?

Cley
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I think Grave yard cars did a reroof of a OEM sunroof car in the last few years. Not an a body but probably close enough
 
Cley, it's your car, so do what you want, but there's no way in the world I'd ever cut one in a car that didn't come with one. I'm friends with our bank President. He just traded his 2019 F150 because he loaned it to someone and they opened the sunroof. He never had and had never planned to. After they brought it back, he could never get it to stop leaking. It stayed at the dealership like two months and they couldn't fix it so he traded it on a new GMC. No sunroof. IMO, especially on a unibody car, it just ain't natural. I wouldn't do it.......but that's just me. Go for it if you want to. I hope it works out and you don't end up regretting it.
 
89on35s said:
Has anybody installed a factory sunroof on a non sunroof Duster? A friend has a complete roof with all the sunroof components I can get from him. My car has the landau vinyl top and I was hoping not to have to mess with the painted metal. Everything should be underr the vinyl. Any experience out there?

Cley
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It's going to be a lot of work. I like the idea, I am going to do the same project some day in the future, I have 2 factory sunroof cars that I am going to use to help me. I can not see all the roof area of your car, but I think you will not have to work on the metal painted area. However you will most likey have to acquire some extra vinyl, or redo your vinyl top. There is no way you can cut your existed vinyl top material, and fold it down around the outer edge of the sun roof opening, and have enough left over existing material to cover the opening. Plus the headliner will need reworked, it takes a special trim piece inside for the headliner also. Check with friend and see if he has that piece. I may have an extra, let me know if I can help. Before you start, you might want to test the sunroof and see if it works ok. good luck
 
Be aware-

1- you'l loose about 1.5 inches of head room. That much would make me not fit, so I can't have one. (unless it was a rare manual slider "rag" style top)

2- the factory hole was punched and the edges folded over. Super hard to do that DIY. You could get an entire roof and weld in the hole, too.

3- parts and documentation are super hard to find. FBBO has the best collection of info by far. I also read over there that the seals are now being repro'd.
 
...and FYI- they were designed to leak!

They have built in gutters that channel water to down spout tubes that exit in the A pillar base and in the rear wheel wells.

That's part of the reason they take up so much of the available head room.
 
I do expect to redo the vinyl top. Just hoping to leave the paint. I have to get a look at the donor roof to know more. I see now the seals are repopped so that helps. I plan to modify my aftermarket plastic headliner to work with the sunroof but that's a ways down the road. Thanks for the input!

Cley
 
It’s not my thing, moon roofs, t tops and such. They are heavy plus all the added structure, comprise unibody integrity and sooner or later they leak into the cockpit.
 
Sunroofs, Convertible tops, T-tops are all nice to enjoy at times. Just remember there are 2 types, ones that leak and ones that are Going to leak.
 
I'm against sun and T tops under any conditions. They leak, sooner or later. Just my not very valuable thoughts
 
My only objection to a sun roof is when you are driving at just the right angle and the sun is just at the right height. It is in your eyes and there is nothing you can do about it.

Personal experience!
 
Dana67Dart said:
My only objection to a sun roof is when you are driving at just the right angle and the sun is just at the right height. It is in your eyes and there is nothing you can do about it.

Personal experience!
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You mean besides close the sunroof?
 
There is a video on YouTube, by Chris Birdsong (Junkerup), He replaces a roof skin on a factory sunroof car (2nd Gen Charger), I know it's not an A-body, but the premise is the same. Might give you an idea on the basics of what is involved.
 
I've had a several Dart Sports with the factory sunroof and fold down rear seat. And they are my all time favorites mopars. Non of them leaked water into the interior even when blasting with a water hose. The tray with the 4 drain tubes must do a pretty good job.
I currently have a 73 fixer-upper and the seals around the outside opening are in bad shape. I have been occasionally searching for years for replacement seals with no luck. Several weeks ago I came across a thread from Layson's.
A-body and B-body Sun roof seals NOW AVAILABLE!!!

I jumped at the chance and ordered them. In my excitement, I didn't remember exactly what the originals looked liked until after receiving the new ones... not even close. I kept them though thinking I may have to try rigging them together somehow with old ones so I at least have something.
If anyone knows of a source for original style reproductions, I would appreciate that info. I posted pics of mine in that thread.
 
tinman2 said:
If anyone knows of a source for original style reproductions, I would appreciate that info. I posted pics of mine in that thread
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Post a photo of the original and a cross section view
 
Leak? I know some of us drive in the rain, but it really isn’t a common occurrence. Our cars are sunny day drivers for the most part. But ya it could leak when you wash it. Or if it lives outside.
 
Dana67Dart said:
Post a photo of the original and a cross section view
Click to expand...
Check the link above in post #17. In that thread my post #4 shows the cross section. The seal slips over the flange just like the windlace in the lower part of the door openings. I posted lots more pics after that.
 
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