911 Sunroof in Karmann Ghia

[sirzo]

Hi I have just bought a 1969 Ghia.

Car will be modified and I am keen to install a sunroof in the car, but would like it to look as factory as I can.

I have an opportunity to buy/trade for a Porsche 911/912 1966 electric sunroof. I have a beetle metal sunroof clip but have been told the roof profiles are too different and that the 911 clip may be easier to manage.

Does anyone have any first hand experience in attempting this? A topic on the Samba indicates that the roof profiles are similar as well as the sunroof hole itself. Any assistance or information would be extremely welcome.

356 & Ghia sunroof clips are prohibitive for me price wise. I'm expecting that this sunroof project will cost $2-3K - not cheap but I would like to do it properly.

Please any further information would be welcome.

[FJCamper]

Hi Sirzo,

Yes, the 911 sunroof is contour-adaptable to the Ghia but it is a lot of work. The fun is in getting the control cables to stay on track, etc.

Did I say it is a lot of work?

I have fixed a few Porsche sunroofs, but was only tempted once to convert a mechanical one out of a 912 to a Ghia as a friend's project. In that he wanted a functional sunroof as opposed to bragging rights on a slick factory-look ex-Porsche device, he settled for a custom frame and pop-up section of tempered glass. A boat shop made it for him.

Whichever way you go, good luck.

FJC

[sirzo]

Hi FJC

Thanks for the response.

Would you have some more information on your friends Ghia's "custom frame and pop-up section of tempered glass".

I presume from what you are saying, this was not a sliding sunroof - just a pop-up type that could also be removed. Would that be right?

regards

Sirzo

[FJCamper]

Hi Sirzo,

Yes, my friend settled for a pop-up sunroof. We considered sliding mechanical sunroofs from the 911/912 (I had a 912 with a mechanical sunroof at the time), and VW Type 3 mechanical sunroofs.

Then we discovered that some boat shops installed low-profile pop-up deck or compartment skylights. Waterproof, too. It was just a matter of selecting the one that fit (they were flat), and cutting a hole in the roof and fitting it flush. An automobile upholstery shop folded and tucked in the headliner.

http://www.go2marine.com/productcenters/vetus/

As an example, here's just one selection of transparent deck hatches currently available. Actually, automovitve people can use a lot of boat scoops, etc.

FJC

[andrewtheplumber]

I am looking at a Street Beat sunroof for my ghia.