Webasto sunroofs for DS

J

jonf

Active member
Fellow Frogger
Joined
Jun 30, 2012
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341
Location
north fitzroy, victoria
I am seeking guidance leads on finding a DS Webasto sliding vinyl sunroof or a kit for the installation of one, or a wreck with the mechanism that can be recovered.... anything.

I used to have a DS21 BVH with a Webasto about 20 years ago, and have only seen a few others ... including on the DS21 metallic blue car of Judith Durham from The Seekers fame, her car as restored was sold at Shannons a few years back and had one too. Any leads appreciated. cheers, jon
 
Bob - why not? it was a glorious improvement to the DS21 and made cruising even cruiser... almost making a convertible out of the chariot..... have you ever been in a DS with a Webasto? I also have one in another old car and as long as they shut tight it is a lovely thing.
 
Always liked the concept of a webasto. Let the sunshine in in a big way!
Very suited to some great pommy cars of the 60's but I think would be interesting on a later D.
I would imagine if you could locate a run down Rover 3500 with one and able to be wrecked you could use the frame and get the fabric refurbished.
 
Trading Estate said:
Always liked the concept of a webasto. Let the sunshine in in a big way!
Very suited to some great pommy cars of the 60's but I think would be interesting on a later D.
I would imagine if you could locate a run down Rover 3500 with one and able to be wrecked you could use the frame and get the fabric refurbished.
Click to expand...
I recall a lot of Alfa's had them as well, so may be an opportunity there re wreckers...
 
Sorry, I failed to check your location.
Gloomy Melbourne might need a bit more sunshine.
Here, we do all we can to keep the sun out.
I've had 3 cars with sunroofs fitted by previous owners, including a DS23.
I once opened it for the experience, which lasted about 5 minutes.
Never again.
If I want the wind in my hair, I'll take the roof of my convertible coupe.
Roger knows how good that is.
 
jonf said:
I am seeking guidance leads on finding a DS Webasto sliding vinyl sunroof or a kit for the installation of one, or a wreck with the mechanism that can be recovered.... anything.

I used to have a DS21 BVH with a Webasto about 20 years ago, and have only seen a few others ... including on the DS21 metallic blue car of Judith Durham from The Seekers fame, her car as restored was sold at Shannons a few years back and had one too. Any leads appreciated. cheers, jon
Click to expand...
Check the Britax version if you have to buy new, my car had one already fitted when I bought it back in the 90s. I've since relined it ready to refit to my never ending rejuvenation. . .

Britax ragtop fitted to frame.jpg


Britax part number at the time 2872926. . . size 30 x 36"

Britax Part Number.jpg



Not my car (I wish) but shows the finished product installed. . .

black-rhd-ds23pallas74-rearview2.jpg


Web site address for Britax >> http://www.slidingragtops.com/24.html

*Bob, I'm in Queensland and can say I found the roof a real plus. Mostly used open for night drives but also very useful for clearing the car of hot air after being parked in the sun - drive with it open for a kilometre or so then close for a cooler drive.

Only real downside is that they can become quite drummy at speed when closed, also not so pleasant for rear seat passengers when open at speed. . .

Cheers
Chris
 
One of my XMs has a sunroof. The only useful aspect is being able to crack it open if you have to park in the sun on a hot day.

Roger
 
Roger Wilkinson said:
One of my XMs has a sunroof. The only useful aspect is being able to crack it open if you have to park in the sun on a hot day.

Roger
Click to expand...

That's the only tiem I used the XM sunroof too. Boss womens 407 has one. Its never used. Because it closes itself when you lock the car making it useles.
 
wow Greenblood - that looks terrific on the black car in the photo, and i will follow the suggestion and see what i can learn. Looks as if the Britax modern version does not have the wooden side battens that are part of a Webasto, so more easily installed, thanx cheers jon
 
GreenBlood said:
Only real downside is that they can become quite drummy at speed when closed, also not so pleasant for rear seat passengers when open at speed. . .
Click to expand...
100% correct, plus the car often loses some torsional rigidity with so much cut out of the roof panel. You do need the wind deflector if you go above local street speeds with it more than a little open.
 
David S said:
100% correct, plus the car often loses some torsional rigidity with so much cut out of the roof panel. You do need the wind deflector if you go above local street speeds with it more than a little open.
Click to expand...
- then it is to some degree a stressed member? i had wondered if it was unique to have a detachable turret top - so one could keep the original and cut a spare ...
 
Britax offers the bolt-in frame roof Greenblood has pictured, but beyond the frame itself, it involves no additional bracing to stiffen the structure. I have an ex-UK import car with a Webasto roof fitted in the UK in 1974 and it has eight additional stiffener plates linking the sunroof frame to the body rails around the welded steel turret. I know that car still twists more than the same model car without the vinyl roof. I don't know how much it affects a D, but I would think you could eventually see some cracking in the paint at the corners of the roof aperture.
 
Hi Jon

Take a look at these, they may be of interest on Gumtree ID 1271648711
ID 1276144450

Andrew
 
Those both seem to be from Minis, so are probably fairly small and might look more like a vintage smoking hatch if fitted to a DS. The Webasto roof on the white roof cut would be from the correct period with the bright metal frame and extra bracing still visible. The wind deflector is not shown and it would have been a plastic/perspex panel that folded out from the inside.

1629725657362.png

1629725678981.png
 
thank you both very much. the 'white roof cut' version in outskirts of Sydney is age-appropriate, and i have inquired about dimensions. i have also found a Citroen DS roof complete with Webasto on Ebay UK !! and am awaiting freight quotes to get it over. it cost me GBP10 to buy! if the freight is prohibitive i will lose my ten pounds but hey, that's not so bad. the seller says he's happy to fiddle around to get it freight-ready, so might happen! This is all very therapeutic at the moment.thanx again
 
It would pay you to look at the discussion on www.dsclub.de They discuss a number of different types and even the exact later roof on gumtree fitted to a DS. Search "folding roof". Webasto seems to be the bench mark though.

Cheers Andrew
 
Having fitted a genuine Webasto to a 1958 Mercedes about 25 years ago , can say would not fit any aftermarket Webasto , as can be seen in above photos , very sloppy fitting which would weaken the roof to unsafe levels. I was able to get complete roof cut off at the A .B and C pillars from a car which had the roof fitted on the production line in Stuttgart. It was a relatively straight forward job to cut through the 5 or 7 ? welds along the reinforcing on either side and 5 across the front above windscreen, then had it spotwelded and migd'at my friendly local panel shop . It all fitted in under the original roof with correct size hole cut in it , just like a glove and was stronger than the original sedan . End result was a concourse winner , now sold but always on show at MB concourse meetings. I still have hard copy photos which I don't have expertise to post here. So , if you don't want to destroy your car , get a genuine roof and do it properly.
 
thanx Andrew for the German DS club ....but although my german mother would be appalled my school boy Deutsch isn't going to suffice.... i scratched around for an english translation but cannot find one. am i looking in the wrong places?
 
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