Difference between hard top and station wagon roof

I am rebuilding a station wagon rear body to swap onto my hard top. And have been confidently planning to use my existing roof as I have already refurbished, painted and sealed it. Shame on everyone for not pointing this out to me earlier!! It also does not have alpine windows or a sunroof like the station wagon roof I have. Today I removed the station wagon roof ready for removing the rear body and noticed the roof is not the same.



The station wagon roof has an additional lip for the second row door seals that a hardtop roof does not have. I do not really have the time or inclination to restore the station wagon roof as do not want a sunroof. So my options are modify my hardtop roof or buy a non sunroof station wagon roof (seem to be very expensive)

Looking at the parts manual the truck cab door seal is a separate piece (number 2). Does anyone know how this is attached to the roof or have any photos of theirs as this may work to retro fit to my hardtop roof for the second row doors.

Or does anyone have any other suggestions or a station wagon roof for sale?

Unrelated, but you have odd sides on yours. They're like s3 88 sides. They have a vertical, umm, bar / plate externally at the c pillar position.

Later builds just have a fold there.

I'm thinking about how the seal is held on my 110. I don't remember a lip, but I guess it must have one.

I would suggest getting a strip of alloy folded to a right angle and riveting it on. I can't think that 1.5mm and some rivet heads would conflict.

I'm tempted to go look at mine now. Mine has the door seals in place but no trim or headliners or anything.

...are they the old b posts under it?

Did the old / original ones have the rivet on door seals?

julianf said:

...are they the old b posts under it?

Did the old / original ones have the rivet on door seals?

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They are the old be pillars. They are about the only part that isn’t completely rusted away so have held onto them for now in case they are of use to anyone rather than giving to the scrap man.

The door seals are the normal press on defender style door seals.

julianf said:

Unrelated, but you have odd sides on yours. They're like s3 88 sides. They have a vertical, umm, bar / plate externally at the c pillar position.

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They are the original sides for the vehicle it is an ‘88 so is an earlier one. But I know this is not on the later ones and my “spare” sides do not have this. There was a thread recently about them.

julianf said:

I would suggest getting a strip of alloy folded to a right angle and riveting it on. I can't think that 1.5mm and some rivet heads would conflict.

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That’s also an option. But as there is actually a part number for separate seal mounts on a truck cap my plan was to copy however they are attached. And then decide if I modify that part or just use angle as you have suggested.

The other thing I need to work out is if a hard top roof has all the holes in it that are required. I know drilling holes is not the end of the world. But depending on how much effort it is to convert and modify I may be better buying a station wagon roof with no sunroof.

julianf said:

I'm tempted to go look at mine now. Mine has the door seals in place but no trim or headliners or anything.

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Any pictures you have that you think might be useful would certainly be appreciated.

dag019 said:

Any pictures you have that you think might be useful would certainly be appreciated.

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Its dark now, but, if you let me know exactly what you want to see, ill point the camera at it some time tomorrow.

Having been quoted £1350 for a station wagon roof from a chap breaking one on Facebook I am very much back to modifying my existing one! Some pics of the front door seal mount and it is just some angle spot welded to the roof on the hardtop





Now I just need some photos of someone with a truck cab that has the separate seal mounts to see how they are mounted. But it is looking like ordering a pair of truck cab mounts and riveting on is the best bet at the moment.

this is a 2nd row door -



Starts just after the b post.

I can see no fasteners other than the odd pressed indents -



The strip, unlike at the b post, goes under the c post edge -




If you bent up some strip and pop riveted it on, there would be no conflicts, so far as i can see.

julianf said:

this is a 2nd row door -

View attachment 329407

Starts just after the b post.

I can see no fasteners other than the odd pressed indents -

View attachment 329408

The strip, unlike at the b post, goes under the c post edge -

View attachment 329409


If you bent up some strip and pop riveted it on, there would be no conflicts, so far as i can see.

Click to expand...

Many thanks for the pictures. That seems to match what I found looking at the front door one in terms of how they attach. But the position details very much appreciated. I may have found a very battered roof for free on Facebook which if I can get will then dismantle to get the angled pieces. If not will look in more detail at either remaking my own or buying the truck cab ones.

They really are not anything special. If your local hardware place sells overpriced alloy extrusion they may even have some you can attach. Painted in to the same colour as the roof and noone would ever spot them even if they were looking.