Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

Stumbled across your sunroof project while searching for a solution to my own sunroof issue. I've got to say, a very admirable project! Brave to say the least. Just wondering/hoping, did you keep hold of your sunroof motor drive cables? The ones that run in the track that push the glass back?

Still waiting for the painter to have space in the spray booth. In the meantime I'm sorting the interior.
The old roof lining had to go- it was made to accomodate a giant sunroof mechanism which isn't there any more, and I could use the headroom.

2mm MDF sheet, cardboard shipping tubes for the radiussed corners, and fibreglass to hold it all together: One issue is that with everything being different colours (cardboard, wood, fibreglass filler), it was a little difficult to see where the lumps and bumps were. So I painted it. And filled the dents. And painted some more. Of course the auto upholstery supplier I use is out of the beige roof lining fabric and won't have any more until late August- so I'll be driving around with a primer grey headlining for a while. Ick.

I've also taken the opportunity to fit sound-deadening felt to the roof. It's already much quieter, even without the roof liner in place. Moving the air conditioning duct meant I had to modify some of the interior panels, which means I have to re-cover them. When I got the van the interior colour scheme was a fetching combination of grey, tan, and nicotine stains. I'd re-covered all the panels so they matched (and to hide the disgusting staining), but the vinyl I used isn't available any more, so now I have to re-cover them all again with new vinyl.
I'm not really complaining. I'm still having fun.

Finally.
Painted, and now it can go outside in the rain without melting. The roof is ridiculously clean and shiny though, I'm now looking at the rest of the paint...

Refitting the interior is a little sad, as the roof lining is still in grey primer. The upholstery supplier is out of beige felt to match the rest of the trim and won't have more until late next month, so for now I have to put up with this harlequin mess:
The air ducts aimed at the sunroof glass work really well- the glass can be really hot and you just don't feel it. They're also nice when they're aimed at the back of your neck.

Nearly done. The black paint around the windows was a little tired, and the shiny new roof didn't make it look any better, so I repainted it. Primer, paint, then replace the graphics: Then of course the shiny new black paint made the stone-chipped front panel look awful, so I painted that too- and the trim panels below the headlamps and front garnish. (grey-green primer in picture.) I have a set of tyre pressure sensors to install in the wheels, so while the tyres are off... you know the drill.
Don't panic, I haven't turned into a matte-black-wheels redneck, that's just the primer- the wheels are going to end up gloss black, because I'm a *classy* redneck. I'm also getting rid of the icky plastic fake beadlock bolts and replacing them with *stainless* fake beadlock bolts.

Damm Growler that's some freaking awesome work!


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Oh dear. They've turned out a little more blingtacular than I anticipated. Oh well, they'll look fine once they have some mud on them.

That van is going to look so great you're going to have to sell it so you can start allover again as you have little to improve @ this stage. Oh - did I miss your engine problem fix or did it just go away!

At this rate I'm never going to be able to afford to sell it, I'm going to have to drive it into the ground. Which isn't a problem .

The engine fix is on its way from Korea right now- a brand new D4BF engine. I'll document the swap when it happens.

Looks great Growler. You had me laughing at the matte black red-neck thing. I bet that van is going to feel like a rocketship with the new engine in it.