Invaders in the Roof Space

[dstocks]

Promised to post these up a little while back. These are some of the pictures I took when getting my roof repaired.

This is what you have to do to get out the sunroof sub-frame (Drill out the spot welds).....





And this is what the glue used in ALL 94/95 models does to your roof....









Notice the distinct lines. This is where the glue was applied. Oh and did I mention that there is NO paint between the glue and the bare metal. Yep thats right - NO PROTECTION AT ALL. It is easier to repair on cars without the sunroof as they do not have the subframe to deal with.

Oh, and just updated the guide on Complete FTO to explain how to do this:

http://www.completefto.com.au/FTO_showcontent.asp?aid=341

[bigpitty1]

Yeah I fixed up mine last weekend, I don't have a sunroof, but there was rust where the glue was, I removed the glue and got the angle grinder out and grinded the rust away, primed the surface and then painted it, just hope it doesn't come back.

[khunjeng]

how do u know if you should do it? do you just take off the stuff on the roof and have a look??

[bigpitty1]

I just checked it to see if there was rust, I just followed dstocks guide on the other thread and also on the www.completefto.com.au site, a great website.

[dstocks]

how do u know if you should do it? do you just take off the stuff on the roof and have a look??

From what I understand, all 94/95 models have this problem. The thing is, you may not have spots on your roof.....YET. If the car has spent its past life in a less rust prone environment, it will not have developed the rust quite as quick. Only costs time to check (couple of hours tops), but if you leave it and get rust spots, it will cost you a LOT more. Has cost me $1700 to fix mine.

Just make sure when you have the lining off to remove the glue. Once the glue is gone, there is nothing to hold the moisture against the roof skin. Just get rid of any loose rust, neutralise it with some rust converter and slap a bit of undercoat on it.