Shaving 240 Rain gutters

[Sinbad the Sailor]

I was just about to do this yesterday but my friends dad said that they were integral to the unibody and would ruin the structural integrity of the top of the car. Does anyone know if this is the case? If so could you just chop them and then weld the two pieces together. I really want the car to look more streamlined and I want to get rid of those rain gutters. I know that there will be problems with me getting wet when it rains but I don't care. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[schaff70]

I'm willing to bet they have no structural function. They are there to keep rain or water from running off the roof into an open window. Personally I would keep them, one thing I hate about the newer cars is the lack of rain gutters. Whenever I come to a stop in the Land Cruiser, any water on the roof runs straight down into the open window, even if it's only cracked a little bit.

[fidel]

the gutters are were the frame is welded together. unless you have some metal to reinforce the area behind the seam and are a realy good welder i wouldn't do it.

i too hate cares with out gutters.

[pwschuh]

I asked this question about 15 years ago I was told that the only way to do it is to shave them with a saw and then to follow like an inch behind the saw with the welder to stitch the wound back together. Otherwise your top will peel open. You would need to put a bunch of new metal in there and then grind it down so that it looked nice. A lot of work that has to be done just so.

[Jordan]

just leave them... they look just fine. give em a new coat of black paint... there are many more things you can do to make it look streamlined. like lowering, wheels and tires.

[JohnMc]

It's the main seam that attaches the roof panel to the sides of the car. If you look, it's been spot welded in the bottom of the channel along the entire length. It's part functionality (rain gutter!) but probably more just a manufacturing artifact. it would have been more difficult to use a hidden, interior seam, so they just left it out in the open and claimed it was functional.

Sort of like the rear windows that don't go all the way down. It's because the rear wheel intrudes on the door, and the glass won't physically fit all the way down, but they like to claim it's a 'child safety' window!

[Stereophile33]

try it and see.... Just weld it up and show some pictures.
Jonathan

[tjts1]

Its been done a few times in sweden. But the area has to be re weded.

[volvorod85]

It holds the roof on, which keeps the car together, heh...look real close, there are spotwelds all down each rail
Mark

[stylngle2003]

just shave the roof off

[Inc3pt]

just shave the roof off

CF roof FTW!

[blacknite3]

I have just recently done this to my 140 wagon but I'm not yet to the point where I have tested the car for structural integerity. I cut the gutter of a little at a time and welded the seam back along the way and learned alot about welding along the way. In fact I cut off too much at one point near the windshield and the roof panel started to push out from the rest of the body. I don't think this it will affect the structural integrity because there are other supports that run from side to side along the roof. Look at what the dome light attaches to for an example.

I actually don't recomend doing this unless you are certain that you are willing to accept the consequences. Mine were so rusty that I thought this was the easier fix, but am have second thoughts now. I'm sure after I apply finish smoothing it out and shaping it with bondo it will be fine, but I'm still nervous.

Just my two cents. I'll try and post some pictures later.

Patrick

[towerymt]

http://biphome.spray.se/christian.henriksen/c20r/1wingl.jpg
http://biphome.spray.se/christian.henriksen/c20r/1wing2l.jpg
http://biphome.spray.se/christian.henriksen/c20r/1rearl.JPG

http://biphome.spray.se/christian.henriksen/c20r/1frontl.JPG

http://come.to/c20r

[V8BRICK]

yep, I plan on doing it to my 142 and rewelding the cut, looks so much cleaner without them and that's the theme for the 142, eventually lol

[Hank Scorpio]

damn thats ****ing HOT!! Seriously!

[speedn_j]

i wonder if theres any leakage when it rains

[neptune]

I wonder how much worse the wind noise is too? You'd probably want very tight weatherstripping on the doors.

I was kind of thinking it might be cool, until I saw the pictures of the blue one. Not loving it, but I have strange taste.
It would be cool to find a way to fill in the little triangle between the c-pillar and the bottom of the pop-out side windows. The gap looks awkward on that blue car.

[isaac]

C20R is the hottest 242 ever built, and I never knew why. It's the absence of raingutters.

[towerymt]

You guys are crazy. Best thing about a 240 is being able to leave the window open an inch and not get wet when it rains.

[Poik]

Where the hell do you get that damn cowl? Do you have to make it yourself? Besides the center wiper, it even looks like the vents are flat and not recessed. But maybe I just have bad eyes.

[stylngle2003]

looks like a smoothed/molded stocker to me...maybe the earlier style?

[SwedishBrick242...]

You guys are crazy. Best thing about a 240 is being able to leave the window open an inch and not get wet when it rains.
Indeed, but thats not quite as bad ass as what you can do in a miata. Throw the top down and go over 55 mph in the rain and you don't get wet. :-D

[isaac]

You guys are crazy. Best thing about a 240 is being able to leave the window open an inch and not get wet when it rains.

An inch? I left mine down all the way in an hour long deluge driving through Gainesville and didn't get wet at all. It's something I brag to almost everybody about. So far I've converted 4 people I know to driving Volvos.

[towerymt]

An inch? I left mine down all the way in an hour long deluge driving through Gainesville and didn't get wet at all. It's something I brag to almost everybody about. So far I've converted 4 people I know to driving Volvos.
An inch while stopped. Or while the car is sitting in front of my house and I've forgotten to roll up the window. While moving, it's hit or miss whether the windows down will work. But at highway speed, front passengers will certainly remain dry with the window partly or entirely down in many a rain storm.

[tjanson]

looks ugly w/o gutters

[speedn_j]

i've seen pics of that blue car in the past and never noticed it didin't have raingutters.

[volvo-slyder]

the grille / eye lids are rice along with the front bumper

the best thing i think is the trim less winshield

the side molding isn't even shaved

[Matt Dupuis]

Up until I saw that blue car, I thought shaved rain gutters would look good. Now, I realise that it's part of the car and the car just looks odd without it. I feel the same way about an original Mini, with it's multitude of exposed seams... it's freakin' goofy looking without them.

[mikep]

I asked this question about 15 years ago I was told that the only way to do it is to shave them with a saw and then to follow like an inch behind the saw with the welder to stitch the wound back together. Otherwise your top will peel open. You would need to put a bunch of new metal in there and then grind it down so that it looked nice. A lot of work that has to be done just so.
That's the real deal. And I agree that it doesn't look as good as I thought it would.

You guys are crazy. Best thing about a 240 is being able to leave the window open an inch and not get wet when it rains.
Oh yeah. Old Corollas, too.

Besides, SCCA says you can't do it for any Solo class except modified.

Prepared:
A. The external shape of the body may only be changed where
specifically authorized. Standard window openings, rain gutters,
or approved facsimiles shall be retained. All external trim and
model identification may be removed. Grilles may be removed
or substituted.

[socalsean]

I'm with the last 2 posters.......that blue car looks.....hmmm.....too different to say the least. Haha..I don't even want to comment on the body kit or the offset of those wheels.

I've seen it done on lots of old skool hot rods but on a 240 I truly think it needs to stay on.

[ElPiloto]

I think that most people would not even notice that the rain gutters are gone unless it was pointed out.

Too much work for so little.

[Sinbad the Sailor]

Well I'm going to wait on it until I learn more about body work and then re evaluate the car. I just like how it looks so streamlined.