Installing aftermarket sunroof / vent fans or other openings in 70 series

Post by **SonicAdventure** » 06 Oct 2018, 19:01

Hi everyone I have a base mode V70, no sunroof. I’ve been watching lots of tiny house / camper videos on YouTube, which has got me thinking.

I never really liked the idea of aftermarket sunroofs because I think they compromise the strength of the unibody construction. However, I have thought about installing a smaller square vent fan with a smoke colored plexiglass dome in my car where the sunroof would be. I’m not so much interested in seeing the sky as I am getting different types of cross ventilation in the vehicle on warm days. My AC is hit and miss and honestly I’m not going to spend the money to repair it. But for around $80-$100 maybe less, I could put in a nice vent fan, which would probably be nice in all kinds of weather. It would be a bit of a conversation starter also, as I’ve never seen a powered vent fan installed on a passenger vehicle and it just seems like a fun project. I could run the power wire for the fan down the driver side door pillar trim and into the OEM power bank up under the driver’s side dash.

Let me know what you think and if anyone has ever installed these type of camper fans before and have any suggestions or tips. Thanks.

Post by **SonicAdventure** » 06 Oct 2018, 19:18

https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Vents-and-F ... /9106.html

I was even thinking about something like this. Simple but would do the trick. No power fan is really needed, and my car is black so it would match.

Post by **JimBee** » 07 Oct 2018, 21:48

A couple of concerns to keep in mind. Models with a factory sunroof have a stiff corrugated steel band that runs under and up against the roof panel and across the roof right behind the sunroof opening. This band ties in to the top body rail on both sides providing support for the quite flimsy roof panel. The base model must have something like that, too, or the roof pan would collapse, but not sure how its configured in the base.
Also, make sure whatever you install is perfectly water tight because you won't have a drip pan under it (above the headliner) so any moisture getting through the roof will soil your headliner.
Good luck!

Post by **abscate** » 08 Oct 2018, 05:26

We had a guy in Buffalo in the 1970s who would put a “ sunroof in any car” for $99.

Channeling back to that era is still a windfall for my therapist.

Post by **SonicAdventure** » 11 Oct 2018, 15:44

JimBee wrote: ↑07 Oct 2018, 21:48 A couple of concerns to keep in mind. Models with a factory sunroof have a stiff corrugated steel band that runs under and up against the roof panel and across the roof right behind the sunroof opening. This band ties in to the top body rail on both sides providing support for the quite flimsy roof panel. The base model must have something like that, too, or the roof pan would collapse, but not sure how its configured in the base.
Also, make sure whatever you install is perfectly water tight because you won't have a drip pan under it (above the headliner) so any moisture getting through the roof will soil your headliner.
Good luck!

I had the same concerns as well. I’ve had the headliner out twice on my car and I believe the steel reinforcement you are describing above the front passenger head area is there even in non sunroof vehicles, as there is a jump in the headliner in that area.

That said, this vent is fairly heavy gauge steel and it bolts on with 10 bolts I think. If anything I would think that this vent would add some structural ridigity to the flat roof area where the sunroof would be, as it would add a 2” high raised area to a large flat surface that once bolted it would probably better withstand a sudden shock to that area like a falling branch better than the flat factory steel would. This is just a guess, I’m no engineer...

Post by **JimBee** » 11 Oct 2018, 20:15

You might want to swap in a headliner from a car with a sunroof, so you'd have a nice neat opening on the inside.

Post by **SonicAdventure** » 11 Oct 2018, 21:20

JimBee wrote: ↑11 Oct 2018, 20:15 You might want to swap in a headliner from a car with a sunroof, so you'd have a nice neat opening on the inside.

Would that even work? Isn’t the sliding door attached to the sunroof housing? I’m not against it in fact I think it would be a great idea as I could always get access to the bolts for the vent and make repairs if need be without removing the headliner. Just not sure that the sliding part would work if there was no actual sunroof mechanism.