To sunroof? Or not to sunroof?

[5thGenOwner]

Originally Posted by thedonkeyslayer

We've destroyed your OP, so go for it.

I believe like 3 pages ago he made up his mind to cut the hole in his roof!

But just to make you think again (reverse mohawk):

[Blakout]

Originally Posted by 5thGenOwner

I believe like 3 pages ago he made up his mind to cut the hole in his roof!

But just to make you think again (reverse mohawk):

Damn, now that you put it that way...

[somewhatdamaged]

Originally Posted by Blakout

Good point...






Basically what I'm doing as far as visuals and cosmetics go is..

2SS/RS M6 IOM w/ IO interior
Color-matched GFX
Black stripes down the hood, over the deck lid, and (if I don't get a sunroof) over the roof
Either one of the two sets of wheels in the pics above
Blacked-out bowties, retaining the chrome outline
Smoked taillights, corners, back-up lights
Chrome taillight bezel delete (maybe)
I might possibly get a "ram-air" style hood before the paintjob, but only if I can find someone to trade me an IOM V6 fascia. Mail slot + "ram-air" style hood = no bueno.

Oh, and obviously all the stripes will be more accurate, these pics are just a rough photoshop to get the general look on a picture.

Whatchya think?

I dig the blacked out bow tie and tails....rims not so sure, but they do round out your scheme nicely.

[Blakout]

I'm leaning towards these more:

[The Flash]

To BLAKOUT

I think you already decided on a sun roof. Allow me to reinforce your toughts, if I may.

My sincere advice is : get the sun roof.

Let me first explain my view in this subject and then I will attemp to simply list, without bias, for your own consideration the pros and cons I’ve gathered in my experience in this subject as well.

In my country the CHEVROLET dealership is only importing/selling the top of the line SS and the top of the line V6, meaning you get those cars with all the bells and whistles or you get nothing at all. That’s the deal.

You still get to choose between an auto or manual tranny but that’s it.

So if you want to get a CAMARO SS in my neck of the woods you’ll get the sunroof. No arguments.

That’s fine by me as I have said for the past fifteen years : If you get a FIREBIRD or a CAMARO without T-Tops and it is not a convertible then you will go to hell when you die. There is no redemption for that sin.

I bought and still own the first Pontiac Firebird imported by the then national dealer back in 1995. It is a Red T-Top. I wanted it that way even before it arrived and it has been fantastic.

A friend of mine said of it: Man, when you drive that car around town you are stealing the show, but when you drive it around without the T-Tops you can’t possible steal the show anymore because then you own the show!

A well executed T-Top or a Convertible makes any car reach a place well above the hard top of the same model. A Sun Roof gets you also a few notches up.

Some responses to your post argue that having a Sun roof implies getting a car that is structurally “challenged” as opposed to a solid roof car.

Let me put that in perspective.

I successfully raced the ‘Bird in quarter mile events (in a modified version of bracket racing).

Naturally I had to tweak (reinforce) the chassis which meant installing a strut tower brace (Granatelli), welding subframe connectors (LG Motorsports?), replacing the stock Panhard rod (Hotchkis) and the lower trailing arms (Hotchkis), installing a drive shaft loop (SLP) which also helped with the rigidity and getting a beefier Front Stabilizer Bar (GM PERFORMANCE) and a stronger track bar (GM PERFORMANCE).

Looks expensive. But guess what?? EVERY ONE ELSE racing F-Bodies in those days did the same, whether they had a solid roof or a T-Top.

Today my FIREBIRD is, thank G-d ,still as solid and sound as the first day I drove it.

So if a T-Top which has a unibody frame much weaker that the CAMARO, and a body made mostly of lots of plastics and composite resins (where the CAMARO is mostly steel and thick grade aluminum) could tackle all that strain and still run strong I will say my Sun Roofed CAMARO will not be any more structurally challenged than a plain roofed one.

Here is another issue for you to consider: my other household vehicle, besides the FIREBIRD and the CAMARO, is an EQUINOX which I got in ’95. This is the main family transportation machine. It has a sun roof.

Like some else wrote, it was probably used about four to six times a year.

Yet about six months ago, at the onset of the rainy season, the A/C broke. We needed to get a new compressor. The issue is, getting a compressor for the Equinox is not easy at all even in the US since that part is produced outside the US and then sourced to several car manufacturers besides GM (at least this is what I found through my efforts to locate one).

In the weeks while we waited for the part to arrive, driving that car was sometimes pure hell. There were places we needed to get our kids to which the FIREBIRD could not get into or would not be useful (being to low and having limited storage space).

In the rain you can’t drive with the windows down (even in a light drizzle) unless you want to scuba dive inside the car and then the windshield constantly fogs. Opening the windshield in the tilted position provided much needed ventilation and helped to reduce the fog on the windshield.

If that car would have had a solid roof using it would have been entirely beyond consideration.

Perhaps this example is dramatic but you have to consider how convenient it can be to get added air circulation inside the cabin for those times when, unavoidably, the A/C will let you down. And check this, the door windows on the CAMARO are not that big at all.


Now let’s get the specifics on the CAMARO sun roof and I will try to remain objective:

1) Because of its position you can hardly notice the shade is open so it is not distracting at all. This is valid unless you are taller than me (1.75mts) in which case you will probably have to move the seat farther back.

2) Regardless of which position you choose to open it, it is one of the noisiest sun roofs I ever been under. At speeds above 40 mph any position between slightly open to fully deployed is extremely noisy, including the tilted up position.

Even with the T-Tops removed my FIREBIRD is quieter by much.

I would say is even more noisy that the EQUINOX’s sunroof except for the fact that at certain openings the EQUINOX sunroof also whistles!!

3) It does not fully retracts leaving all the roof gap open. A small overlap of about and inch and half, probably more, remains after the window gets to its farther position.

Then again very few cars have sun roof that retract completely.

4) The glass is slightly tinted so you get some sun protection when the shade is open. The natural light inside is really welcomed when cleaning the interior.

5) I have tested opening and closing the sun roof up to 70mph with no vibration or difficulties either opening or closing whatsoever.

6) I must admit that when looking the car from the side with the sun roof fully open it is not very aesthetic, to put it mildly.

7) My wife loves it. Most women do to. Let’s face it guys, having the sun and the air coming in from above the car and messing their hair is one thing women dig. It’s maybe a gender thing. Who knows

I hope this ruminations help you get your decision.

Incidentally Inferno Orange is a great choice for the exterior as you wrote. I got mine in red and I think it looks arresting, looks fast even standing still, but my other choice would have been Inferno Orange.

Whatever you choose you can’t go wrong and can’t mess it up; you already made the very big & very best choice : you choose a CHEVROLET CAMARO!!

Happy trails!!


The Flash

[Blakout]

Originally Posted by The Flash

To BLAKOUT

I think you already decided on a sun roof. Allow me to reinforce your toughts, if I may.

My sincere advice is : get the sun roof.

Let me first explain my view in this subject and then I will attemp to simply list, without bias, for your own consideration the pros and cons I’ve gathered in my experience in this subject as well.

In my country the CHEVROLET dealership is only importing/selling the top of the line SS and the top of the line V6, meaning you get those cars with all the bells and whistles or you get nothing at all. That’s the deal.

You still get to choose between an auto or manual tranny but that’s it.

So if you want to get a CAMARO SS in my neck of the woods you’ll get the sunroof. No arguments.

That’s fine by me as I have said for the past fifteen years : If you get a FIREBIRD or a CAMARO without T-Tops and it is not a convertible then you will go to hell when you die. There is no redemption for that sin.

I bought and still own the first Pontiac Firebird imported by the then national dealer back in 1995. It is a Red T-Top. I wanted it that way even before it arrived and it has been fantastic.

A friend of mine said of it: Man, when you drive that car around town you are stealing the show, but when you drive it around without the T-Tops you can’t possible steal the show anymore because then you own the show!

A well executed T-Top or a Convertible makes any car reach a place well above the hard top of the same model. A Sun Roof gets you also a few notches up.

Some responses to your post argue that having a Sun roof implies getting a car that is structurally “challenged” as opposed to a solid roof car.

Let me put that in perspective.

I successfully raced the ‘Bird in quarter mile events (in a modified version of bracket racing).

Naturally I had to tweak (reinforce) the chassis which meant installing a strut tower brace (Granatelli), welding subframe connectors (LG Motorsports?), replacing the stock Panhard rod (Hotchkis) and the lower trailing arms (Hotchkis), installing a drive shaft loop (SLP) which also helped with the rigidity and getting a beefier Front Stabilizer Bar (GM PERFORMANCE) and a stronger track bar (GM PERFORMANCE).

Looks expensive. But guess what?? EVERY ONE ELSE racing F-Bodies in those days did the same, whether they had a solid roof or a T-Top.

Today my FIREBIRD is, thank G-d ,still as solid and sound as the first day I drove it.

So if a T-Top which has a unibody frame much weaker that the CAMARO, and a body made mostly of lots of plastics and composite resins (where the CAMARO is mostly steel and thick grade aluminum) could tackle all that strain and still run strong I will say my Sun Roofed CAMARO will not be any more structurally challenged than a plain roofed one.

Here is another issue for you to consider: my other household vehicle, besides the FIREBIRD and the CAMARO, is an EQUINOX which I got in ’95. This is the main family transportation machine. It has a sun roof.

Like some else wrote, it was probably used about four to six times a year.

Yet about six months ago, at the onset of the rainy season, the A/C broke. We needed to get a new compressor. The issue is, getting a compressor for the Equinox is not easy at all even in the US since that part is produced outside the US and then sourced to several car manufacturers besides GM (at least this is what I found through my efforts to locate one).

In the weeks while we waited for the part to arrive, driving that car was sometimes pure hell. There were places we needed to get our kids to which the FIREBIRD could not get into or would not be useful (being to low and having limited storage space).

In the rain you can’t drive with the windows down (even in a light drizzle) unless you want to scuba dive inside the car and then the windshield constantly fogs. Opening the windshield in the tilted position provided much needed ventilation and helped to reduce the fog on the windshield.

If that car would have had a solid roof using it would have been entirely beyond consideration.

Perhaps this example is dramatic but you have to consider how convenient it can be to get added air circulation inside the cabin for those times when, unavoidably, the A/C will let you down. And check this, the door windows on the CAMARO are not that big at all.


Now let’s get the specifics on the CAMARO sun roof and I will try to remain objective:

1) Because of its position you can hardly notice the shade is open so it is not distracting at all. This is valid unless you are taller than me (1.75mts) in which case you will probably have to move the seat farther back.

2) Regardless of which position you choose to open it, it is one of the noisiest sun roofs I ever been under. At speeds above 40 mph any position between slightly open to fully deployed is extremely noisy, including the tilted up position.

Even with the T-Tops removed my FIREBIRD is quieter by much.

I would say is even more noisy that the EQUINOX’s sunroof except for the fact that at certain openings the EQUINOX sunroof also whistles!!

3) It does not fully retracts leaving all the roof gap open. A small overlap of about and inch and half, probably more, remains after the window gets to its farther position.

Then again very few cars have sun roof that retract completely.

4) The glass is slightly tinted so you get some sun protection when the shade is open. The natural light inside is really welcomed when cleaning the interior.

5) I have tested opening and closing the sun roof up to 70mph with no vibration or difficulties either opening or closing whatsoever.

6) I must admit that when looking the car from the side with the sun roof fully open it is not very aesthetic, to put it mildly.

7) My wife loves it. Most women do to. Let’s face it guys, having the sun and the air coming in from above the car and messing their hair is one thing women dig. It’s maybe a gender thing. Who knows

I hope this ruminations help you get your decision.

Incidentally Inferno Orange is a great choice for the exterior as you wrote. I got mine in red and I think it looks arresting, looks fast even standing still, but my other choice would have been Inferno Orange.

Whatever you choose you can’t go wrong and can’t mess it up; you already made the very big & very best choice : you choose a CHEVROLET CAMARO!!

Happy trails!!


The Flash

Well I think this deserves the most detailed post about a sunroof ever award. Thank you for your time and insight into this. It's appreciated.

Again, the only thing deterring me from the sunroof and attracting me to leaving it out is being able to put my racing stripes over the roof. I love the look. Sure, I could still put stripes on the roof with the sunroof and just skip over the sunroof but I'm not sure how great that would look. But hey, I've got PLENTY of time to sit and think about it. Two years.

[JorgeSS]

sunroof.. go for it..u wont regret it..

[thedonkeyslayer]

Originally Posted by Blakout

Good point...






Basically what I'm doing as far as visuals and cosmetics go is..

2SS/RS M6 IOM w/ IO interior
Color-matched GFX
Black stripes down the hood, over the deck lid, and (if I don't get a sunroof) over the roof
Either one of the two sets of wheels in the pics above
Blacked-out bowties, retaining the chrome outline
Smoked taillights, corners, back-up lights
Chrome taillight bezel delete (maybe)
I might possibly get a "ram-air" style hood before the paintjob, but only if I can find someone to trade me an IOM V6 fascia. Mail slot + "ram-air" style hood = no bueno.

Oh, and obviously all the stripes will be more accurate, these pics are just a rough photoshop to get the general look on a picture.

Whatchya think?

I likey - can't wait to see it in the (non-photoshop) flesh.

[Booneabal]

I am in florida too and this car is like a cave without the sunroof - totally recommend it but try to sit in 2 different versions of the car and decide what you like.

[OBX Bumblebee]

My gf has a non-sunroof Camaro and I have a model with the sunroof.

There is no doubt there is more headroom in her car. That said, I won't own another car without a sunroof or convertible top. Had a Firebird in HS that had t-tops, car I traded in on the Camaro was a convertible so I'm biased. There is just something about taking a road trip and being able to look up from time to time and see blue skies. I love it. Makes a trip so comforting. Shoot, my pickup even has a sunroof.

It's a personal preference, but once you make a trip with the roof open, IMO, you won't regret getting one.

My only complaint is there is still about 6" of roof over the opening when the sunroof is completely open. I realize that is due to the way the roof opens, but on my truck, the sunroof slides back and the entire opening is open. The sunroof in the truck (Toyota Tundra) is much larger too.

[Texas Tuff]

I have a coworker that had his sunroof put in by the dealer. He has reverse mohawk, sunroof, and he put strips all the way over his car. Looks damn good to me.
I didn't get a sunroof, because I have had bad experiences, cost, and the windows down are enough. I do like the lines it makes from the side with it open.

[SSPower]

Hello everyone, first post here so I will keep it short and on topic. I am 6' 4'' tall and chose the one without the sunroof. I'm not into reclining the seat way back..just not comfortable to me. I do like having a sunroof though...just wish there were a little more headroom.

[Blakout]

Originally Posted by SSPower

Hello everyone, first post here so I will keep it short and on topic. I am 6' 4'' tall and chose the one without the sunroof. I'm not into reclining the seat way back..just not comfortable to me. I do like having a sunroof though...just wish there were a little more headroom.

Good thing I'm only 5'8"!

[~Stacy~]

Out of the 7 cars I bought only 1 didn't have a sunroof! Everytime I go buy a car lately it has to be BLACK and with a sunroof I enjoy having a sunroof because I take alot of commutes on the highway back and forth to campus and when I get tired I open the sunroof it wakes me up. I hate riding in cars with no sun roof I would go nuts:( My mom never had a sunroof in her sunfire. When she got the G5 it had to be black with a sunroof also. Thank god for dealer trades it seems hard to find black cars with sunroofs around my neck of the woods