Roofbox Assesment

[darthmango]

First off, I would like to thank everyone for being active on this site. I am a 10 year lurker at this point and this site has been critical to my ownership of 6761.

Some background information on the car: I have owned it since 2014 and when I bought the car it came with a THICK invoice of repairs from DMC Texas done in 2008 to the tune of $30k. This is important to this topic for two reasons: I have no clue what shape the car was in before getting drastic tune-up and one of the repairs was replacing the windshield with a "Blemished" one. When I bought the car it had 2 nearly symmetrical cracks about 13 inches from each side of the windshield, starting from the hood and propagating to the roof. They were approximately 3 inches in length. I did NOT purchase the car from the person who had the repair work done so they couldn't say how "blemished" the windshield was when it was installed in '08.

As the car sits today, one of the cracks has stayed the same and one of the cracks propagated all the way up to the roof but hasn't gotten any worse in 5+ years since the crack went all the way up (which happened with the car sitting in a relatively temperature controlled garage).

I have been fixing little things wrong with the car and thought it was time for the windshield to be replaced. I am very concerned that the current windshield lasted less than 6 years and don't want to have a new one put in for it to fail in 6 years since it isn't a cheap or easy replacement. I have been working with some of the notable Delorean shops and one was concerned about the state of the roofbox as a possible explanation of the windshield failure. I sent them the (hopefully) attached pictures and in their opinion the roofbox should be replaced. This is obviously a HUGE expense and I am trying to get every opinion that I can get before proceeding. After doing some research on DMCTalk, I am not sure it is in dire need of repair.

So with that long intro, my questions are:
1) What do you think of the state of my roofbox?
2) Any thoughts on why the windshield cracked? It was installed by DMC Texas so I presume it was done correctly

Thank you so much for your time and opinions!

[David T]

Hard to tell from the pictures exactly how bad the roof box is but it is obviously very rusty. Probably should be replaced. As for the windscreen, doubtful the roof box cracked it, my guess is from handling and installation the cracks started or maybe "blemished" meant small cracks on the edge hidden by the trim but they grew. Glass is VERY fragile on the edges and it is easy to cause a crack from improper storage, handling or installation. One way to assess how bad the roof box is, is to see how much the roof flexes when you open and close the doors. If it moves, the roof box is most likely compromised. Go to a glass shop and show them what you got and see what kind of a deal you can make for them to install the glass. Many shops do not like installing glass that they do not provide. Be sure to put insurance on the shipping of the glass. Some other things to do;

You MUST use the rubber glue patch to install the mirror. If you glue the mirror right onto the glass it will crack eventually.
The roof should be supported till the glue dries with a 2 X 4 inside with the doors left open.
You can save some money if you remove the old glass yourself and clean things up.
If you want to do anything to the "A" pillars or the upper dash now would be the time to do it with the glass out.
Replace the wiper blades.
If you have an "early" car with the antennae in the windscreen figure on putting in a power antennae.

[r00b]

I don't know where you're cracks are but the windshield will crack if you pull on it when you get out of the car, don't get out that way.
That roof box doesn't look good, even if it is still it won't be for long. You should have it replaced when you have the windshield done.


repairs from DMC Texas

Well there's your problem. Having owned a Delorean for 22 years I wouldn't trust DMCH parts or services on my car. It's best to steer clear completely of the current "DMC" franchise.

[darthmango]

Thank you for your input. I have attached a couple of pictures to show the cracks in the windshield. On the drivers side there is a support bracket right under the crack, which could potentially explain its origin. The passenger side however is significantly far away from the matching support bracket.

I did open and close both doors and I didn't see any movement at all in the roof box. I still have the T-Panel off since I am still waiting on quotes/assessments from other shops.

[ssdelorean]

Your roof box is in WAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY better shape then mine was before I replaced the center section. The bottom was gone and there were holes in the long side where you could see it flex when opening the doors. Just saying this so you don't have to worry about it or call 911 to get it replaced right now. Of course opinions vary. I'm just talking from my experience.

I also agree that your roof box did not cause your window cracks.

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[cdrusn]

My roof box is also rusty but if I open a door and then bounce it up and down I don't see any movement at the box. Since the cost is really crazy I would first use a large bolt in the rear of the roof to better secure it and maybe even preclude the
replacement. I don't have it handy but there is a write up on how to attach the bolts and it's not hard. Also, Eastwood makes a frame rust proofing that comes with a 3 foot long flexible hose that you can use to enter the roof box and spray the coating all over. Be sure to enter from both sides.