How To Install Carbon Fiber Roof

Vorshlag installed one of these AJ Hartman built Motorsports grade carbon E46 roof panels in 2022. This post volition act every bit our installation instructions. This is a race auto part, not a street automobile / show auto part, and that means in that location are some compromises. We will explain below.

We were building a lightweight 2003 BMW M3 CSL clone and so nosotros wanted to use the CSL's total carbon fiber roof console. We knew AJ Hartman made an exact replica of this CSL carbon panel, which fit perfectly for this build. Nosotros started the roof bandy by removing the two roof seam covers, and then both the front end and rear drinking glass. So it was time to drill out spot welds that held the steel roof panel in place with a spot weld cutter.

2 technicians removed the 150+ spot welds around the perimeter of the factory steel roof panel, prying the glue loose later on these spots were advisedly cutting through. The front and rear drinking glass removal was crucial in this step; the roof came off in a niggling under half-dozen.5 hours.

The OEM roof weighed 96.ane pounds (24.one for panel + 72.0 for sunroof cassette). The new AJ Hartman carbon fiber roof came in at 6.9 pounds, for a total savings of 89.2 pounds - way up high in the roof! Not but did we lose the equivalent mass of a "young adult" the interior gained almost iii" of headroom. Nosotros besides had aplenty access for building the roll cage.

The CSL carbon roof panel went on easily and bolts in place using 4 mill threaded commodities holes, which fit the roof department perfectly. We had to do zero aligning, custom plumbing fixtures, or pigsty enlargement - it only fit.

Nosotros will come back and bond the roof panel to the chassis with the advisable epoxy once the cage work is finalized on this projection. The panel should be bolted and bonded to the chassis structure just similar the manufactory E46 M3 CSL roof is. Again, this is not an piece of cake installation - mostly due to the roof panel removal - and should be handled by a qualified trunk store.