Risking all the "WTF" (sorry) but looking for cataloged (finished) solutions to delete sunroof with carbon fiber or fiberglass. While street legal, car travels most places in trailer. It is a class time trial racer with numerous victories and still holds NASA national TTC class lap record at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In addition has been awarded a number of 1st/2nd/3rd as well as Peoples Choice car show awards (locally & regionally, including ZDayZ and ZNationals).
The point? It goes very fast, turns & stops very VERY nicely, and looks damn good doing it. Is not boosted to make all that happen - a such it is a very durable solution (did I say it looks good too?).

But, the driver and the car are on a diet (aqain - sh*T!), and like with old fat people, weight comes off of a car a little bit at a time, an OZ here, a LB there, it all adds up - and it is not necessarily about power. Relieving mass, and/or Relocating the weight distribution properly in this chassis fosters something akin to a Miata on steroids - many a NISMO & M3 driver (even with bolt on mods) have been issued big old cup of STFU with this particular Japanese Luxury car - it soundly silences the occasional 'oh, that is just a Maxima with the motor turned the wrong way' crap!
So, if you must ask why? - please review the forgoing at least 2 times. Thank you.

Given that care has been taken to maintain the totally stock look of the car (for appearances, even all the original OEM badging remains), Wish to remove all the weight of the sun roof and related mechanism. It would be nice to find a well done cataloged solution in lieu pulling what is there out and welding sheet metal in place - then having to paint. That will be expensive and if not done just right, will look like ***, even at 150 MPH

So, anyone familiar with a source to get a well flitted close to flush carbon fiber 'plug' (preference) or fiberglass piece. Sure, can make about anything, but if there are reasonably priced quality solutions available will always consider that instead of wheel reinvention.

So - know sources?

 

remove all the hardware and weld it shut then?

 

^ more like a cf or fiberglass cap so you can always convert it back.

I'm not sure about a sunroof delete, but there are cf roofs covers out there, and you can get one without the sunroof.

 

Pics of Your Racecar.....?

 

Saywat? u is right - Remove & Weld shut is an option - yes. But, then the **** **** in me would reguire the work to be seamless in finish and the roof to be painted - but to dofu's conjecture, I would like the option of 'going back' (although I'm nearly beyond that). I have thought of just pulling the component (I can use it to fix the worn one in my DD) and stretching a 'window net' webbing across the opening (tracks want it closed so yer arms don't flail out if the car rolls over).
or over end....
But, on road course events you do run rain or shine, and the car does go to meets like Cars & Coffee and the occasional social event. So I'd wanna plug the hole - and CF (especially) F'glass lowers weight over metal. Some would point out that whatever I put in the roof would look, well, like azz, but once you stick yer head in the car {lol} that would be forgotten.

It still has the dash (AC & OEM Audio, and all air bags still work!), console (slightly modified) , chrome-moly monkey bars, harnesses, Sparco 2000 passenger seat and a custom aluminum race seat for the somewhat corpulent driver. The OEM seating & carpet is gone, but the floor is not exposed, it is covered with an inexpensive lightweight all weather carpet with wear pads in the footwells.

I am still under the disillusion that one day all the stuff might go back into it, so the basement is full of it. This will probably just support my DD.

I'll post some pics later.

 

i meant leave the glass where it is.. but now ur talking bout maybe u want to put everything back. wtf?

 

^ getting rid of the heavy glass is part of why you would want a delete

 

i figured any sheet metal replacement is gonna b ejus as heavy if not heavier than the glass. or fab a piece of cf shaped like the opening

 

The glass is pretty heavy, sheet metal will be an improvement even though the welds will add a little weight. But cf or fiberglass should weigh less than the sheet metal and welds combined.

 

imo should be super easy to fab since all they gotta do is take the sunroof glass off and copy the shape and form

 

IMO, I would rather do a cf delete since welding something in place takes time and work to shape, weld, sand, and then it will also require paint. A full cf roof cover would be ideal if there aren't any sunroof deletes that fit, but I'd be worried about how much they weigh.

 

yea i meant super easy to do with cf or fb

 

You don't like the wind in your hair?! Lol

 

yes, pics please! And if you don't mind, the NASA points sheet too . Also sedan or coupe? I was always thinking that an '07 g35 coupe might be viable since it starts in TTD. I thought it would be more competitive in TTD though. That's some pretty hard driving to make it competitive with all those s2k's and e36's in TTC.

Google image search of sun roof delete pulled this:
https://g35driver.com/forums/5535944-post22.html

Also looks like this company will make you custom plugs:
http://www.lighterfaster.com/13194.html

On a somewhat aside, on the discussion of materials, if the glass was actually providing structural integrity, then what you are interested in is the strength of the material, usually measured by youngs modulus divided by some power of density. So if you needed the same strength as glass, you would need an equivalent mass in aluminum, higher if you used sheet metal, and much lower if you used CF. But I'm sure that's complicated by the super low strength of the rubber seals surrounding the glass, not to mention the weight of the sunroof mechanism.

edit: does this forum not allow linking of wikipedia or something? google wikipedia for specific modulus for a table of youngs modulus/density

 

best option is the $900 or so slick top roof panel and $150 cross support bar from OEM to replace the entire panel and sunroof mechanism. The glass does not provide any structural support, but there is a brace/framing that is part of the sunroof assembly to provide strength and support for the added mass of the system. The new roof panel could be tack-welded in place or bonded with the right metal adhesive. Alternatively and more expensively, you could get OEM slick top roof panel/support and use the OEM panel to pull a CF copy from which would then have to be bonded in place. I'd say less than $2k to do the whole CF OEM panel swap. Right around $1200 for the OEM if you can do the bonding/welding yourself.