Looking for infor on sunroof install for my 61 PU

Does any one have any info or pics of a pu with a sunroof. I want to do this but is the slight curve in the roof going to cause a problem for the install?

Curve is no problem. I used a 17 X 35 sunroof in my 61 pickup.
Fred

How long have you had it and have you had any issues with leaks? Also do you have any pics?

My concern on my '64 is two-fold. (I assume your roof profile is the same.)

The first is that the perfect spot for the sunroof means cutting through one of the crossribs. Some say this isn't a problem, but cutting into one of the structural supports doesn't seem like a great idea to me. It's not like these things are super stiff to begin with. Installing it forward enough to miss the crossrib looks funny to me. I've seen older van pics and I can tell that's what the owner did, but it looks out of place, at least to my eye.

The second concern is the ridge/valley effect of the roof profile. The top of the sunroof lip (front and back only) is only going to compress tightly on the high sections, but not sure how you could get a great seal on the lower "valleys", if you follow my crude manner of description. I'm sure there is a way, but I haven't thought of it. I'd hate to have problems with the thing leaking.

I put a sunroof in my A100 30 years ago and it was a piece of cake. But neither of these issues were present on the Dodge.

southern man, my grimstone has exactly that. I plan to make a sheet metal pocket to fit the contour of the sunroof, then trim the roof opening to take the new pocket for welding. My plan is to make the pocket sit at the height of the peaks of the roof rather than the valley so there is less chance for leakage. just then, I have to create a canal around the sunroof to allow drainage from the middle of the roof without flooding the sunroof... this will be a good project for me, and I will document it.

The pickup roof is different than the van. Pickups dont have the valleys you refer to so its simple to install. The van roof rib can easily be moved. You could even move it forward and add another behind the sunroof for extra rigidity.
I ve got a van with a sunroof installed by previous owner. The water sits in the valleys since the sunroof base blocks water drainage. No way around that unless you put drains in each valley into an inner drain pan under the roof itself to catch the water,then run drain lines off the pan down the walls and thru the floor to drain. Thats what a lot of modern cars have(the drain pan with lines) but they dont get a full runoff of water like the way I described would. The pan on modern cars is there just in case it leaks. I took one off a Plymouth Sundance once,it had the pan and 4 drain lines. The glass was removeable too.
Short of that, I would suggest welding in little pieces of metal in each valley that sloped upward and leveled off with the top of each ridge. That would give you a flat place for a good seal but the valley would still hold water when the van isnt moving.

DONT DO IT........

That precaution is what I'm talking about Tim... the pooing of water in the valley that's blocked by the sunroof... never thought about routing drain lines in to it though...

don't do what TJ?

dont cut a hole in the roof!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! im trying to fix my 61 that someone did that to.......open a window or put a vintage air in it........DONT DO IT......SAVE THE ECONOLINES, SAVE THE EARLYS...

I'm with ya TJ, but my roof is already hacked. I might consider it too if my roof was pooched. But if it was nice and straight and smooth, I wouldn't touch it.

I am going for it I will try to take pics of it and post up the info as i do it. Besides i have already shaved the door handels gas cap hole and steak bead holes so there is no going back to original now.

. Just got don't with the sunroof and it is working out great I blasted the seals with a hose for a while and not a drop. I got the sunroof from http://sunroofdoctor.com/. I got the SFC model 1735 I cut the hole out with a cut out wheel and did the final shaping and smoothing with a disk sander with 80 grit. I also removed the center rail the was in the cab. The sun roof has also stiffened up the roof so it does not flip back and forth messing up the paint.

Nice... I forgot with the pickup that your roof wouldn't have ribbed contours like the vans do. Congrats!

It does have a slight curve to it, but so does the sunroof.

I mean as opposed to this:

texasjohn wrote:dont cut a hole in the roof!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! im trying to fix my 61 that someone did that to.......open a window or put a vintage air in it........DONT DO IT......SAVE THE ECONOLINES, SAVE THE EARLYS...

What he said. Don't do it. Whacking a hole in the roof is a good way to wreck any classic vehicle. You see so many that are butchered. Most of them leak. The ones that don't leak, soon will. All of them are ugly and look out of place. It is one of the quickest ways to reduce the value of your classic. Please don't cut vintage sheetmetal.

Had a sunroof from the previous owner in my old '66 sportvan. It always leaked and it looked like crap. I had to put duct tape to keep from getting water right on my head while driving. Hated it.

If I'm ever looking for a classic for sale, and I see a homemade sunroof, its a huge red flag. I've passed on several vintage vans that were ok otherwise but they had some ghetto 'custom' mods like a sunroof or roof vent or poorly done fender flares or molded in rear doors or some other hack job.


But hey, its your truck, get out the sawzall and butcher it!

I used a install kit not some "home made" random sunroof from a junk yard. If someone thinks it is a good idea to cut the hole with a sawzall than thay should not do this. The edge of ths hole needs to be smooth so you need to use a cut off wheel or preferably an electric sheer and then go over it with a sander. I also already had holes in the roof from where the Air Force had a light bar on it. Besides if you are woried about the sunroof you would not be happy with the shaved door handels, gas cap, and steak bed holes.

The main reason most sun roofs leak is improper installation/fit. Most factory sunroofs DO NOT leak for a good reason; proper design for the vehicle its installed in. So many sunroofs are oversize and/or dont fit the contour of the roof. Thats just asking for it to leak. Like I stated earlier,a modern day factory type with the inner drain pan makes it almost impossible for it to leak if installed as intended. Any leakage woud go to the inner pan and out the drain lines. Most aftermarker ones dont have that feature. Take measurements and keep in mind the roof contour and lines. I can see where a small one would work nice on an Econo or even a bigger one turned sideways might work good. keep out of the roof lines.

I had one in my A100 30 years ago and it NEVER leaked. Neither did the vent in the back. Both were installed correctly, with rope putty under the flange and screwed down tight to the roof (external screws on the vent, inner flange on the sunroof drew the outer one down tight. I was prepared to run bead of caulk around the edge but it was never necessary.

Tim is right about the roof contours. Econo vans (not pick-ups) aren't good candidates because of the roof line.