Has anyone noticed ?

[loba]

I just saw this astra commercial from opel for the G.T.C panorama. it is prety much the opel astra H 3-dr but with a sunroof. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpUO_A4iDeE theirs the link. you just simply pull back and it turns into a semi convertible.

I am wondering if it is possible to order the roof? ha ha now that would be worth buying.

keep in mind this is for 3 doors only. The five door sunroof is the same.

[loba]

Wait i looked a second time. their is no slide. however it is just on big windshield that covers half the roof. Think i can order the part ? I'm going to italy in july and i was going to go get opel parts for my car. I don't want to sound like an idiot but i wonder if they can sell me the roof of the panorama. It's worth a try.

[NJastra]

I can't help but think of the mess that a rock chip/crack might cause. Interesting nontheless.

[mdcclxxvi]

sure you can buy the glass.

be sure to also pick the new headliner, and the new shell for the car as well.

[loba]

What exactly do you mean by the headliner and new shell ?

[mdcclxxvi]

Originally Posted by loba

What exactly do you mean by the headliner and new shell ?

A new body (metal shell that makes up in the interior and exterior) is needed for that glass, and the headliner (and extending/retracting visor) are needed to fit the new body.

[mdcclxxvi]

you have the top

you need the bottom

buy the bottom

[loba]

seems like a lot of work ha ha but looks like it's worth it. When i go i will ask them. hopefully it's not out of my budget lol thanks mdcclxxvi

[mdcclxxvi]

Originally Posted by loba

seems like a lot of work ha ha but looks like it's worth it. When i go i will ask them. hopefully it's not out of my budget lol thanks mdcclxxvi

you will ask them to ship to shell over here? I'm confused as to how you think it's a viable project.

[loba]

my dad is an importer. He does it from spain and italy. So i would just put it on one of his containers . I won't even pay shipping ha ha.

[mdcclxxvi]

Originally Posted by loba

my dad is an importer. He does it from spain and italy. So i would just put it on one of his containers . I won't even pay shipping ha ha.

and your budget for this project is at least $10k, I would hope. Considering that you'd have to buy a shell, and either A) disassemble your current car and rebuild it on the new shell, or B) cut your shell and the new shell apart and weld in just the pieces you need.

Either way, keep us updated with your progress on this transformation.

[NJastra]

Are any additional structural supports used on this body type considering the decrease in sheet metal used? I could be wrong but all convertible and t-top cars have additional bracing for extra structural support to prevent flexing of the body. Those might be additional parts you'd have to order if you went ahead with this project.

[aaronearles]

Not to mention they're not DOT approved on US roads, not sure about Canada.

[davidsky]

Originally Posted by mdcclxxvi

A new body (metal shell that makes up in the interior and exterior) is needed for that glass, and the headliner (and extending/retracting visor) are needed to fit the new body.

Why would you need a new body? You just need cutting tools, assorted body equipment and skills.

[Astra La Vista!]

While I imagine such a project could be done, you're going to be ordering and reordering stuff all year long as you progress. Just ordering the glass and attempting to "modify" the steel shell of your existing car will get you so far, until you realize that suddenly you're gonna need a new headliner. And different A-pillar trim (possibly with different side curtain air bags). And a new overhead console. And different sun visors. And a different rear view mirror (which means saying goodbye to OnStar and RainSense). And so on...

It would likely be cheaper to simply "import" an entire wrecked vehicle and use it as a donor car (but you won't be able to register it, since it won't meet crash test requirements here). The advantages with this method is that you'd get all those extra Opel parts thrown in for free!

[mdcclxxvi]

Originally Posted by davidsky

Why would you need a new body? You just need cutting tools, assorted body equipment and skills.

since its such a large part of the car, I wouldn't trust that anyone could just do it without a donor shell

[emg77]

This concept just doesn't seem very practical to me. Seems like you would have the shade pulled shut most of the time. I have the large sunroof on the 5 door, and while there isn't much space between the windshield and the sunroof, that little strip of non-glass seems to be blocking the sun much of the day (from overhead, as well as to my left and right) when I am driving. I think it would get annoying after a while.

It is a pretty good commercial though.

[loba]

From the looks of it it seems no one likes the idea lol. And come to think of it, it seems like a whole lot of work for no reason. scrap the idea. although how cool would i be to have it lol. Oh well i guess just opelizing it will have to do lol