Sunroof... what to do what to do???

[irish gerry]

hey all,

i'm a bit stuck what to do with my sun roof..tintop sliding.. you guys know the score lol

basically it wont open it's jammed solid,

i would love to have it working properly but heard horror storys about the cost of cables etc,

my next option was a fiber glass roof i seen advertised in a mag, which is this one. does anyone know what they are like also is it a good option??

http://www.riveria-roof-company.co.uk/roofs.html

another option been told is to us the proper sunroof and slide it manually and lock it in place with some sort of pin system..

or just seal the thing up is the last option lol..

as you can tell i'm stuck and as you can tell i'm new to this so any info or pointers would be wonderful.


cost also comes in to it here, the van has just been put in to get all the body work done so buying new cables at this moment in time would be tight..

my roof as it is at the mo

 

[Araon]

to be honest if its a cost situation seal it as a temporary measure then sort it when funds permit.....

 

[scott wilson]

**** bru that looks bad. But you have the most desireable option on your bay so keep the faith....i have a scrap roof arriving in about 5 weeks also sealed like yours maybe ther are some parts there for you

 

[Guest]

if you cant fix it the rivera roof would be the easier option as your cutting more metal out rather than trying to smooth it in.

i like the rivera roofs nice lines not to bulky and a good sized aperture, i have no idea on quality

 

[Dan]

Mine was jammed when I got it - I used a piece of 4x2 placed on at the back of the sliding section and judiciuos use of a wooden mallet - it soon came free - I then pulled it back while someone else turned the handle anti-clockwise. As soon as there was a hint of an opening, I sprayed a shed load of WD40 both onto the cables and the sliding rails.

I've got a couple of spare sunroof sections (the actual sliding section that fills the hole, not the aparture) if you need one. One has a couple of pin holes in it, but the other 2 are generally fine...

Dan

 

[BigG]

Most of them are sealed because the drain tubes rust and leak and the original seal was never meant to be watertight, do like Dan says and try to coax it open you may find it actually works, alternatively try to un clip the front of the headlining under the roof panel, it should slide back and reveal the brackets that hold the roof panel in place.
Keep us up to date with your progress mate.

Dan, how much you looking for your roof panels, mines got a bit of a kink in it and I may be after another one if I cant get it straight, any pics?
cheers.

 

[BigG]

Forgot to mention the sunroof hole is the exact same as the opening for a westy roof if you fancied going the pop top route.

 

[HotVWheels]

I removed all the silicon keeping my sunroof tight, cleaned the drain holes, and now it slides open manually quite easily (the mechanism was removed by the PO.) This very afternoon I was driving with the roof open and it started raining. I couldn't reach the roof from the driver seat to close it, so I just braked hard and Presto! it slided forward, so that I could reach it. I still need a way to keep it closed though, thinking of pulling it tight with a bicycle toe clip strap, so that it can't be opened from the outside. (Yes, I have locked the keys inside before, and had to climb through the roof - got some strange looks from the other people in the parking lot :wink: )

So far it has stayed dry in rain when closed, although I can feel cold wind coming inside the Bus from the sides when driving with the roof closed..

 

[paul]

Stick with it,use the wood,take your time and get it open,nothing beats driving around with the roof fully open.Cables can wait until you can afford them-mine slides manually and is put back with two bits of wood to level up when shut.drain tubes can be a pain especially the front two as they go through two 90 degree bends ,One of mine had rotted through after year of sludge sitting in there-nothing that a lot of hacking about and plastic pipe and jubillees couldn't fix!
so now i have the bonus of a sunroof and a dry bus!! All I need to do now is replace the headlining,but before that i need to paint the roof......and so it goes on....

 

[HotVWheels]

Soak the draining pipes after cleaning in hot water for a minute or two, it makes them soft and much easier to install back in!

 

[jenna_uk22]

i'd looked at those riviera roofs and as my dad was near by with work he dropped in to have a look but wasnt too impressed. great idea although there is lots of filler involved in fitting... dunno if thats what you'd expect but it put me off. sticking with my pop top for now... taped it up t'other weekend :lol:

 

[irish gerry]

thanks for all the replys

the guy doing the body work has managed to open it about an inch lol so slowly but surely fingers crossed.

i would love to keep it right and have it working as the sunroof was a big reason why i brought the van..

will get some photos next week and keep you guy posted.


i'ii need to do my homework on these drain pipes now

thank for all the help....you lot are to nice lol 8) :wink:

 

[Dan]

Stick a welding rod, flattened at one end, into a drill an push it up the tube to dislodge any rubbish that's stuck in there. If they're too far gone, I've heard of people using flexible hoses to replace them...

 

[BigG]

I used welding rod on mine and went straight through the metal on one of the right angles, thats where they rust the most so be careful. PO filled the middle drains with silicone and filled over the exit holes :shock: . my next job.
Found B&Q had a good selection of hoses and joining pieces that married up to the existing plastic joining tubes if that helps.

 

[irish gerry]

thanks very much for all the top tips, i'ii need to look in to the drain pipe side of things as there was a pool of water behind the rivers seat area when it was out side for a while..

here is my dreaded roof grrrr :wink:

can anyone point me in the right direction of where the sunroof cables run???
should i be able to see them easy enough?? i've looked but not sure, there probably right in front of where i'm looking :shock: :lol:

 

[67 BAY]

Seen a sunroof riviera roof fitted to a mate's late devon,he thought it was ok(rose tinted gigs).To put it politely it was KAK, edges and hole looked like they'd been chewed by rabid beever.

 

[BigG]

The cables are located on the lip of the opening where the sunroof sits, unbolt the roof panel from the four brackets (if you can) and lift it of, the cables sit in a plastic track that runs down the sides and across the front.

Haynes manual for the type4 engined bays has a good section on sunroofs I'll see if I can scan the page.

P.S. it dont look too bad under there :wink:

 

[irish gerry]

Seen a sunroof riviera roof fitted to a mate's late devon,he thought it was ok(rose tinted gigs).To put it politely it was KAK, edges and hole looked like they'd been chewed by rabid beever.

cheers dude this is the kinda advice i'm after....i'm staying clear :wink:

 

[irish gerry]

The cables are located on the lip of the opening where the sunroof sits, unbolt the roof panel from the four brackets (if you can) and lift it of, the cables sit in a plastic track that runs down the sides and across the front.

Haynes manual for the type4 engined bays has a good section on sunroofs I'll see if I can scan the page.

P.S. it dont look too bad under there :wink:

thanks mate, greatful for the pointers,

the 4 bolts you talk of, are they hidden or should they be easy to spot, had a quick look and couldn't spot them..

thanks again for the help really greatful

 

[TexasAirCooler]

irish gerry,
Here is a pic of what it will look like on top with it open.

Here you can see part of a broken cable in the corner or the opening.

Here is a pic of the slid track.

Sorry I can't show you any cables, mine are broke.
You have 6 drains. 2 at the front, 2 in the middle and 2 at the rear.

Hope this helps you some.