PorscheG96

Threw them away, huh? That's a real shame. I'd love to have one if it's not too heavy and meets the quality standards others have mentioned. I can imagine how great it would be having a glass roof to glance through once in a while. It would add a lot to the character of the interior. MAKE IT! -Trevor

Danno

Well, the glass top is a little heavier than the stock fiberglass one. I haven't had any problems with leaks or squeaks. I'm going to build a carbon-fibre top for track use.

TP-944

Assuming good quality, warranty, tint, blah, blah, blah. (Same concerns previously mentioned.) Sounds good to me too.

Please keep us informed, the sun is out today!

bs

alright, normally such extensive use of the passive voice and such vauge statements as "I suppose there will have to be some testing for the quality of such a product" worry me, but i have been wanting some sort of transparent replacement for my sunroof ever since i got my 951 this summer, and I, too would be interested after a bunch of other people here bought them and attested to their non-sucking-*** nature. So if this is for real, count me in.

Ben, who considered trying to mount a glass sunroof in the middle of his solid one

Jon Hanson

I would be interested, though $400 is definatly the most I would pay. Not that it's not worth that as much as I'm a tightwad.

Peter 89 S2

I 89 S-2 came with the Saratoga top when I bought it in 99. No leaks, rattles, or other unwanted noises. Outside black smoke with inside mirror!

Autosickness

I would be interested

Robby

First off: Yes, I MIGHT very well be intersted...

The Saratoga would have to be EXTREMELY heavy to outweigh one of our tops- mine is a Turbo S, and the metal (some say fiberglass, but I don't see how) weighs 19lbs. I have picked up a glass top (I can only assume it was a Saratoga) that was on a 924 awhile back- it was VERY thin glass and was definately lighter than my Turbo S top. Not by much, maybe 2 lbs, but definately lighter. I'm about to get Garrity Repta to make me a CF lid that would weigh about 3lbs total, but, unfortunately, you can't see through it- it would be much easier to remove though, since it's so much lighter...

My biggest concerns are- how well it seals and how quiet it is (these cars are too loud as they are), weight, and price. Would it be possible to make them out of tinted lexan or a type of plastic? That way they would be much lighter than our stock ones... I've heard many things about them not fiting well, etc, like Jim was saying, so if those concerns were addressed, then it might be a nice thing. Also, has anyone converted an electric sunroof to a manual? How much weight could be saved? I know the motor can't weigh more than 5lbs, but the two metal boxes that contain the gears (on the roof) on the electric ones could be removed, therby removing more weight from the very top of the car- any idea how much they weigh???

Thanks,
Robby

Tom R.

The saratoga is louder, and squeaks. the latches in front are not as tight as the factory, and the gasket is not as sturdy as the factory.

Other than that it is great. It would be hard to make one since the glass is not flat. Unless someone measured another top that fits/would fit with modifications.

I looked into it last year. Good luck with your endeavor.

TaboII

Yes I am aware of the dumpster issue and think that it is a shame that all those tops hade to go to waste and am also aware that Saratoga top is not nor will be made in the near future in its current state. This is a shame considering the obvious demand for such a product especially from us enthusiasts. If by the information in this post you all have not figured it out yet I have recently evolved myself in discussions surrounding this issue. I apologize for the vague nature of my comments; they are not intended as misdirection or other wise. My hope is to have some interesting news for all of you with in the next three weeks. There is a very key piece of negotiation that must fall into place before the endeavor is to begin. All of your responses are making this potential investment easer to make with every post I thank you for that. I will say this, if all that has been planned comes together as it appears that it may, possible production on a product that you all have shown such interest in will begin and we can all see the light so to speak. Thanks for all the input and if there is any more information you all feel is necessary please continue this post string I am watching it closely for more than one reason.

Thanks again and keep the posts coming this is and awesome thing

Robby

Glad to hear that someone is taking such an interest in this issue... I used to have a 1989 Acura Integra (1st body style) and the thing I miss most is the see-through sunroof. I like the large size of the 951 lid (it feels like a convertible when it's removed), but it's about the most ridiculous sunroof design I've ever seen, AND, is one of the biggest design flaws of an otherwise cool, but fairly quirky car, that already has it's share of problems. I REALLY don't understand the reason for making an ELECTRIC sunroof when it has to be REMOVED manually- as if it's a big deal to reach up and manually raise the back of it some 3" total It's also unfortunate that it has to weigh SO DAMN MUCH! I think I'm going to strap a cinder block to my roof next week- my car's not-top heavy enough yet

Seriously though, I've often wondered how it would look if Porsche had made it so it would have slid back, like a normal sunroof. I know it would have to have slid back on TOP of the roof (unless it was made smaller) but I still think it would have looked okay- many may disagree. I still think the electric part is stupid, since it only raises up the back of it. At any rate, do you think it might be possible to make a lighter lid (even a little lighter would be better than not), or, making it out of a plastic/lexan type material? That should save a ton of weight. Is this even something that is beiong considered? I'm just curious.
Also, anyone w/info on the weight of the little metal boxes + their contents, please let me know. It would be appreciated- I"m speaking of the ones that contain the pieces that raise the back of the electric roof. Something tells me that converting to a manual SR would actually take a little more weight off the top of the car, but I don't want to have rip mine off to find out. I know that the manual lids weigh less than the electric ones though- I've picked them up side by side, and it's a noticeable dif- maybe 3lbs...

PorscheG96

I have a slightly different idea. Since I'm not the only one concerned about weight, how about making the sunroof out of a durable clear plastic sorta like the rear hatch material that GT Racing uses. Is it lexan? Then the outside could be tinted with either 8% or 20% and the latches and things would have to be worked out. Glass just seems like it would be way too heavy. If this cannot be realized in as quality of a manner as glass then toss the suggestion. -Trevor

Tom R.

FYI Saratoga made the tops out of both glass with a reflective tint (bronze on the outside clear on the inside) and Lexan, an indestructible yet scratchable form of plexiglass.

In '84 I had the lexan one on my RX7 and the glass one on my neighbor's 944.

The weight issue for all concerned should be no more than 5 lbs +- than the original one. The lexan is easier to take on/off than the glass, but once on, the desire to remove the top diminishes significantly. At least it did for me.

If you do make one out of glass, and come up with a suitable gasket, I would be interested in the gasket for my glass top.

If you need a glass one to examine, and are in the NYC area, you may look at mine. Also, I made some contacts about getting the hardware last year before I lost interest in the project.

TaboII

I have looked into this, however, the cost is Prohibitive considering the tooling cost. The idea is a good one and is something that may be utilized at a later date assuming the glass tops are as popular as I hope them to be. Replacing the glass with lexan would not be difficult at all it is just a cost consideration at this point. I would not want to make the product to expensive as not to allow all that want sun inside there car not to be able to afford what they want. This of course is dependent on if there is an original product at all. At this time there is still too much to fall into place to say 100% if this is a go or no go. Hang in there news will follow soon.

Matt O.

I like the idea of a hard plastic to, untinted, leaving us to do the tinting? Maybe that would bring the cost down.

If you can make it as nice as the glass top (I assume a Saratoga) top my friend got with his 951, then I'm interested.

I saw one in ATL one time that was UGLY - so don't go the ugly route. It had a very thick border, black paint was coming off from wind. Make it as thin or better yet NO border, and the rubber seal underneath instead of along the outside edge, and I guarentee you that puppy will sell like hot cakes.

-Matt