Firstfives.org

Anyone know the procedure for removing the manual sunroof?
Thanx,,,,Greg

You can Google search previous posts if you run into *#@! particular snags.

Manual and electric are the same except for the motor. (?)

Open the roof a few inches, enough to get your fingers over the white vinyl frame. It fastens to the metal frame above it with about six pegs, arrowhead push in deals. If you're lucky, a smart yank downward in the middle of the frame will pop a few loose. At least from there you can work on the ones toward each side or open the roof a dab more to see them from the top, opening. They do get rusty, crunchy, scary until you see how they work.

Once unfastened it's a wiggle game to slide the vinyl covered frame back, still above the headliner but free of the actual sun roof.

With the panel out of the way you can see the cables and brackets on each side. Little hex nuts, bolts that have to come off, and the chrome flat plates on each side that cover the cables.

Do remember what you take off when to reverse the procedure for assembly. One of my previous posts had a bear of a time getting the cables to retract without bowing before they were covered with the plates. Turned out the roof and panel needed to be wiggled by hand, aligned better.

As usual, pretty simple, except for the funny business from not paying attention during take apart.

Thanx Ted! Was all this from memory? Wow!
You mean I can goggle on firstfives? Wow#2! How can I go to related posts? Of course I'm asking this before I double check.
The sunfoof was propped up in the rear by a 1"X1" peice of wood, about 15" long, so I figured that's all that was there. I did a Justin Case search & Wow; I'm amazed that I found the front rails, and the corner rails with all the screws except for one in a box in the boot! Everything else seems to be there.
Now ALL I need is the alumunum gasket that fits around the front (I have it, but yuk), and the same for the rear that fits onto the body, and the cables.
I heard that the mid-eighties Volvo B42 or whatever it is, fits, except that their cable is a lil too long. Can anyone confirm or deny this?
I know from this website that the sunroof is suppose to allow the carwash water & rain to be guided to the holes & down. (I so dislike sitting in the car & taking a shower when I took one four days ago)So, If I can straighten out the aluminum gasket I have, Do you think I can glue it to the front of the sunroof enough to work? How tall is it suppose to be?
It's still in one peice. I know, and I will check Rosallina! Beat ya to it!
Thanx to you & everyone else who chimes in,,,,Greg

realoem.com has the exploded parts view. Without a together example to copy, making a roof from a box of parts might be like assembling a rubic's cube from a box of little blocks.

The steel top has a gasket that circles it that will obviously leak less if brand new, soft, installed, glued properly. When old, the question is how hard, knicked, crunchy is it, to allow how much surface tension dripping around the headliner frame. That's what happens, droplets form on the back edge of the headliner.

Having done the total auger out of the drain tubes, it's not quick and easy. A bunch of little crud globs, stray nut, screw falls down the little holes in thirty years. Totally clean drain tubes mitigate the drops forming on the headliner a great deal, but the new gasket is probably necessary for few drop driving in monsoon conditions.

Greg, IIRC you have an early car, so things may be a bit different. They used 3 different ones on E12s, the early slide back only, the 77-79 raise or lift in back with the motor in the back and the 80-81 raise and lift with the motor in the front. I only have experience with the latter two, but I do have the book if you get stuck and need a couple of pages scanned.

The seals are to keep the heavy stuff out, there are drains too. Test them by pouring water in the recesses and see if it drains out well before it overflows. Alignment is important too, even with good flowing drains I've found if the roof is too low in back I end up with water in the rear footwells even though it drains when I test it, it seems it can only keep up with so much. And lastly there is a long shot I really hope you don't have. I had a 633 that leaked. Turned out it was a Texas car, gulf coast, and the drains were rusted off the back of the sunroof tray under the headliner. Not good. That one took me a while to take care of.

Thanx for all of your tips Tom & Mike. The front edge on the car is rusted, so, I just bought a small, fine wire brush wheel to use in my Dewalt. I expect a mess, but, maybe I can tape a catch-all under the sunroof. Hey, I think that'll work! Here I go Grippin' again! Did you say masking tape only; got it. Now where's that battery,,,,.
You would've laughed to see me goin' down PCH yesterday duckin' the rust & Medford needles! The sunroof was open 'cause it wasn't in place 'cuz it was at Werkstat & I felt the urge to drive it home while I unpitted the rails with Blue Magic & steel wool and to ponder my next move.
My next move was to vacuum out the area under the top behind the sunroof before drivin' it. I just might've found a name for my '75; 'Country'.
Side streets only when I took it back, except for that short & slow jaunt over the #710 bridge! Honk if you need to, dude!