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Wed Oct 28, 2009 6:00 am

I was going to message SGKent directly as looking at previous sunroof threads he seems to be the man!
I have got myself a new sunroof headliner and am stuck in getting it to fit,I understand that it slides in the bottom track and is fixed to the sunroof by the front clips only but am finding it impossible to get in position.
Is there a technique i am missing.
Thanks Paul

Wed Oct 28, 2009 6:27 am

Paul - can you describe what you are trying to do? Into position can mean a lot of things.

Whatever you do, do not under any circumstances pry on the sides of the inner linner.

to put it back in you grease the cables and stuff both tracks with the cables. Put the tracks back in without screws. You can mount one track if you want to or wait. You lay the inner panel into the sunroof opening and push it back as far as it will go. Put it in the lower groove. You then screw the tracks down and put the plastic parts on but leave the gear out for now. You lift the sunroof in from the top (above the bus) and set it down. The cable protrusions go into the spots made for them and you swing the spring clips to lock them in place. The front brackets are put on. They sit in the upper grooves. Then you slide the sunroof closed by hand and adjust the height at the front and back with the adjustment screws. To open it again you slap the back with your palm and it will drop, then slide it back by hand. Open it about 6" and then pull the inner panel forward until it aligns and push the clips at the front up into the outer panel to join the two. Make sure the whole assembly slides easily by hand. If it is too stiff lube it with silicone spray, white grease, whatever works for you. Then when it slides freely you can put the gear back in, adjust the cables evenly and put the crank back on. Just remember - if you have trouble sliding by hand once the back drops, the cables will have a worse time. The easier it slides by hand the easier the cables will work. Make it too stiff and the cables will break again. You can use candle or surfers wax on the outside seal to lube it. Common reasons it won't slide in the tracks when you are done - burrs in the tracks from prying, bent inner panel, new headliner too thick at the folds (headliner and foam and glue). If you replaced the headliner, make sure it is as thin as possible where it wraps over, especially where the seams are.

Wed Oct 28, 2009 6:50 am

Wow! Thanks for such a quick reply,I was trying to fit the sunroof liner in place rather than store it in the shed until spring-thanks to your post it looks like to big a job to tackle, there is probably only 3 hours of daylight left over here in the UK and this looks like a job that may need a bit of fettling to get right. so into the shed it will go,then using this post and Bentley I will see if I can get it all together.
regards Paul

Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:42 am

yes the top and side rails have to come off to put the inner liner back in.

What I do is lay a blanket on top of the bus. Then pull the outside section and lay it on the blanket. Do the work on the cables, rails, inner section etc then put the exterior piece back on.

What happens is that 99% of people who work on a stuck sunroof can't figure how to get it open or that inner piece off and they pry on the sides. All that does is destroy the inside panel and make it unable to slide. The inner and outer parts are held together only by 5 or 6 "V-shaped" clips at the front and the siderails on the sides.

Hope you enjoy it in t he spring. Make 100% sure that the drains near the front tire are open and not plugged.