Ideally, a roof needs a crown, side to side, like stock. If the factory roof had a crown, and you install flat Plexi, it is noticeable.
You can also get fluorescent plexiglass in at least a dozen different colors. Its funky looking because light that hits it spreads thru it and makes it glow. Without any light source other than normal daylight striking it, it just looks like its tinted. I made a bunch of display stands from blue fluorescent plexi a few years ago for a local manufacturer to use in displaying their stuff at a trade show. Heated it and bent it around a wood form I'd made so it had its own base and stood up at an angle where their stuff mounted to it. The customer made an aluminum base for the plexi to sit in, and used some LEDs in the base. When the plexi piece was set in the base, they had another piece of aluminum sheet that attached and covered the base portion of the plexi so you couldn't see the LEDs. When they turned on the switch, the vertical piece of plexi, holding their part, glowed blue and you couldn't tell what was making it glow. They'd used a battery pack in the base to power the LEDs so there was no power cord. They had several hundred bucks apiece in those little critters, but the owner said it was money well spent because it catches the attention of potential customers at the trade show, and they then stop to look at the glowing display where they otherwise might just walk on by and never notice his product.
Plexiglass=acrylic, lexan=polycarbonate. polycarbonate is more difficult to heat form, if you get it too hot it bubbles. It is what most "bullet proof" glass is made out of, but it weathers poorly (think foggy headlights) Acrylic is more scratch resistant, heat forms better, weathers better, but will shatter like glass when cold. In my opinion neither is a good replacement for glass in a car. Race cars yes.
Great info. My plan is to heat the acrylic to match the lines of the roof. going to see if the wooden roof ribs will stay or go. Over the acrylic will be a snap on 2" pleated vinyl. As far as safety goes that flew out the window a long time ago. The side glass isnt safety glass either. I am piecing together a roll cage though. Gonna try and keep that as inconspicuous as possible.
My brother did a similar thing with his A / Citroen morph. https://www.facebook.com/sigfabrication I should ofg chosen the do it as a feature when I got my burb too but considering using lexan for the side sliding glass. Or does it stcratch to easy??
Well, I tried it in my coupe but the red was too dark and looked black at certain angles. Too 80's like. Wanted it to be brighter like the side winows. Ended up installing a black pleated vinyl roof instead.
Lexan is a brand of polycarbonate. you can fold it cold and hit it with a hammer. but to mold it it needs to be dried for 8hrs. Acrylic (plexiglass) is prone to cracking especially around drill holes if there is tension. It can easily be heated and formedin a basic oven. I made skylights for years so I know their capabilities.
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