Sun roof

PostPost by: chrishewett » Sun Oct 16, 2005 7:01 pm

I was thinking about fitting a sunroof to my +2. It can get very hot and I intend driving in the south of France next summer.
Were sunroofs ever fitted as standard? What sort of a job would it be? Any recommendations?
Chris
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PostPost by: Hamish Coutts » Sun Oct 16, 2005 7:46 pm

Chris,
As far as I remember Webasto were the sun roof to fit in the 60s/70s.
Don't think Lotus fitted them as a factory option.
I would think the sun roof would take up most of the available roof space. In the South of France - wow, cool 8) ! In fact cool anywhere 8) .

Have a look at -
http://www.webasto.co.uk/home/en/homepage.html

This would be the same kind of 'period' accessory as the likes of a Motolita steering wheel (though a lot more expensive - I recon at least ?1,000 fitted). What a conversion, though.
"One day I'll finish the restoration - honest, darling, just a few more years....."
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PostPost by: 1964 S1 » Mon Oct 17, 2005 2:57 am

Hello Chris , I've seen a few +2's over the years with the slide back folding type, vinyl/cloth in black. Those were available when the cars were new. I'm a big fan of sunfroofs but just remember what it will look like as you walk up to your car everyday, tacked onto that sleek roof, opened or closed. Is you car black? Have you thought about a custom cut removable piece, using the existing fiberglass roof?
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PostPost by: john.p.clegg » Mon Oct 17, 2005 5:55 am

Chris
I've done this on my plus2,it makes the interior a lot brighter and looks like it was made for the job(will be at Stoneleigh-VWW 965F),the cost was ?10 and a couple of cans of lager (Dutch courage to take a jigsaw to the roof)
Get down to your local scrapyard with a jigsaw and cut one out of a donor,using the rest of the roof to make a pattern.
John
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PostPost by: chrishewett » Mon Oct 17, 2005 6:59 am

Food for thought. I hadn't considered that option. Hopefully I will have a look at stoneleigh.
Chris
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PostPost by: john-c-elan+2 » Mon Oct 17, 2005 9:00 am

Chris, I have a webasto sunroof here in what remains of a +2 roof. It came like that so I can see what size hole etc to cut in my +2 roof. It is a genuine webasto, not a britax or weathershields and as such has a hardwood frame that is fixed on the underside of the roof so the roof retains some of its integrity. The hardwood frame is made to suit the contours of the roof so I figure it was expensive when new ? Has approx 100 screws holding it to the roof edges. I am still gonna fit it (I think) and went to watch Peter Harvey (he worked for webasto for years and now works for himself) fitting a roof back into a +2, retrimming the headlining etc... Took him 4-5 hours and thats when he didn't have to cut the hole.
He will just supply and or fit if you want a new roof ? Or just a new vinyl cover if you get a tatty one. Tel: 01304 614412
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PostPost by: Roy Gillett » Mon Oct 17, 2005 9:59 am

Chris,

I have a folding Webasto sunroof in my +2. It really does make the difference in the summer, making the car both lighter and cooler and more airy to drive.

My research indicates that this roof was a dealer fit option (not a factory fit option). However, my car was a Lotus company car for its first year (being run by Richard Morely who was MD of Lotus Cars at the time I believe) and so the roof in mine was factory fitted! You can tell this because it isn't straight and it isn't square!! Seriously, the factory historian has confirmed that it was fitted with the roof from new and that this was 'rare', so it is a period extra.

If you are looking to make the car cooler in summer then fitting a valve on the heater circuit so that I can turn off the heater matrix in summer is a good idea. The baby Elan has this but in the +2 the matrix carries hot water constantly.
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PostPost by: zuckerlowe » Tue Oct 18, 2005 12:10 pm

Chris,
I've had several folding sunroofs in classic and they always leak at some point, usually rain driven in. I'm going to glass my one up in the +2, as I was given a roof section by Kevin Strutt after he had converted his +2 to a drophead.
As I understand it a metal Ford Capri sunroof will fit and has the benefit of being more weather tite.

Steve (1968 +2, 1970 MGB)
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PostPost by: hat » Wed Oct 19, 2005 6:06 am

Chris,

I'd like to echo the previous comments. I have a Webesto in mine and it really makes all the difference. I try not to be picky about it but I like to have the car 'of the day' so to speak and the Webesto being a dealer option at the time is perfect.

Mine was in good condition so I think I was lucky. The thing I like best about it is the size realative to the overall size of the roof. It really gives an almost convertible feel to it. For what it is worth mine is a black square on a silver roof which in my humble opinion looks fine.

After all, in its day it was an accessory to brag about.

Graeme
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PostPost by: tdafforn » Sat Oct 22, 2005 10:55 pm

On the subject of Webastos...
There is a company in London that still seems to make them "new" for the elan...
|I can supply details, but I don't have the right computer at the mo!
Cheers
Tim
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PostPost by: chrishewett » Sun Oct 23, 2005 10:05 am

Tim,
I would appreciate that when you can.
Thanks for all the other comments, one way or the other I will go ahead with the project in the spring.
Chris
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PostPost by: tdafforn » Thu Oct 27, 2005 3:20 pm

The company website is
http://www.tudorwebasto.com/
Hopefully they are still active..
Let me know if you go for it, I'd like to know how good they are!
Cheers
tim
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PostPost by: fasterbyelan » Sun Oct 30, 2005 3:07 pm

A couple of points that my be of interest concerning sunroofs.

Firstly, I have come across a photo of the Lotus stand at the 1971 Motor Show showing a +2S fitted with a sliding vinyl sunroof. This photo is in Ian Ward?s book ?Lotus Elan? (Osprey AutoHistory Series, page 110/111 (First Edition Hardback)).

Secondly, I concur with the above comments regarding the fitting of a sliding sunroof. My first classic car, a Herald 12/50, had a factory fitted sunroof similar to the type fitted to the +2 and this gave excellent ventilation and improved visibility when open. And it never leaked when closed!

Karl

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PostPost by: berni29 » Tue Nov 01, 2005 2:59 am

I had a sunroof on a plus 2 that I drove for quite a few years, and I never liked it. It used to blow right onto the top of my head. It was a webasto, very nicely made. I still have it in the loft somewhere. In good condition it is. Also it spoilt the lines of the car (IMHO).
Zetec+ 2 under const, also 130S. And another 130S for complete restoration. Previously Racing green +2s with green tints. Yellow +2 and a couple of others, all missed. Great to be back 04/11/2021 although its all starting to get a bit out of control.
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PostPost by: trw99 » Mon Jan 07, 2008 2:30 pm

I came across a piece by Graham Arnold in an old 1992 Club Lotus magazine that throws a litlle more light, or confusion, onto the factory fitting of Webasto sunroofs.

He says "Oh yes we did. We wish to confirm that Webasto sunroofs were fitted to new Elan Plus Twos AT THE FACTORY on request in the late 60s and that dealers were advised that these were the only recommended sunroofs and that their fitment did not affect warranty. We did perhaps ten cars in the Service Department".

However, in his Elan Buyers Guide, published in 1981, our Graham says the following "For a while Lotus dealers offered the Webasto sliding sunroof on the Elan Coupe and Plus Two. They were never factory approved, or factory fitted".

Clear enough?

Tim
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