Waterproof car cover

[Liam Radburn]

1988 Gt with 93 cobra body kit. Sunroof has rust around roof sheet metal. I was looking for a good outdoor water proof car cover with locking cable to secure from wind, rain, ice, snow. Car is always outside and after rain can see moisture build up inside glass. I run the heater to try and dry it out might miss it after a rain. I had to remove the interior already

 

[broncojunkie]

I'm not a fan of the waterproof ones. They just seem to hold water in and things rust that much faster.

What I did on one of my cars was, first of all, clear all 4 drain tubes, which is what causes rust in the first place. Go ahead and hit the rust with a wire brush. If the headliner is out (it should be, if you have sunroof rust) hit the inside with a wire brush. Coat everything in rust converter. They make it in aerosol or you can brush it on. POR15, Rustoleum brand, Eastwood, etc. Doesn't matter. This is just temporary to stop the rust in its tracks. The Permatex brand in the blue aerosol can is good. Cut a piece of heavy plastic sheeting and tape that to the roof, covering the entire treated/rusted area. Gorilla tape works well. Hard to get off, though. You can also try regular duct tape or foil type heat tape. Just check it occasionally through the winter.

 

[broncojunkie]

I'm not sure how much you know about sunroof rot on these cars, but many of them have been scrapped for that very reason. I wish the aftermarket industry would catch up and produce a complete sunroof patch panel for them. It would be a simple install, if done the way I'm thinking. Measure using a template of some sort. Cut out offending sunroof area. Use a flange tool to create a recessed flange around the entire edge. Set new sunroof section into place and use a few pieces of tape to keep from moving. Drill holes through the edge of both panels. Remove new sunroof assembly. Add a bead of Lord Fusor or 3M Panel Bond. Set assembly back into place and secure with machine screws or rivets. After adhesive is set up, remove fasteners and finish seam with filler, primer, paint, etc.

This is the simple version, but I'm sure there are a few other issues to deal with. The drain tubes, for instance. Also, the sunroof section is probably a little more complicated than I remember. Most of the time, the aftermarket sector can figure out a redesign to make things easier. I have an 82 capri where someone welded in bracing and sheet metal after cutting out the sunroof section. I'm not really 100% sure it was a factory sunroof. Could have been one of the dealer-installed or Zeibart ones. Either way, they did a pretty good job.

In fact, that would probably be the best option for an aftermarket fix. Just a kit that deletes the sunroof (but similar install as what I described above).