W116 Sunroof Removal for Dummies

[-bb-]

PPS - I don't get the Higgins thing.....

Do you remember an 80's American TV show called Magnum PI?

Higgins was a character played by John Hillerman and is the short bloke in that picture.

 

[SELfor50]

Mate, I got a manual winder tool thingy for ya... but I'll need it till I remove my sunroof (just in case). Of course i'll trade it for an hour of your time to get started on the sunroof removal?!

I'm just gonna go with the aluminium sheeting and a few pop rivets for filling the hole.


Our Man Higgins... ol' school TV show. Totally un-related to the suburb.

Good work with the tarp 'support'!

Cam2

 

[Lukas]

Ah, have never seen Magnum PI - I was watching Sesame Street and Cities of Gold in the 80s.

 

[Lukas]

All,

Update on sunroof parts (from MBSpares):

* Front sunroof rubber seal - $35.00 - in stock
* Rear sunroof rubber seal - $24.71 - in stock
* 2x side brushes for sunroof - $67.50 - germany

The foam seal between sunroof frame and car ceiling is not available - the strips from Clarke rubber will be it.

Lukas

 

[WGB]

The side brushes will probably need to be cut to the correct length.

Bill

 

[SELfor50]

Hey Lukas,

What you doing on Saturday mate? You working on the car?? Any chance you can help me gut this sunroof? 6 pack of Australia's finest in it for ya.. (That's VB by the way)

 

[-bb-]

I'll be bumming around on Saturday, so if you need another set of hands... although not expert at ripping sunroofs out... give me a shout.

...I'll even bring some non-VB and show you what decent beer is (basically anything other than VB)

 

[SELfor50]

I'll be bumming around on Saturday, so if you need another set of hands... although not expert at ripping sunroofs out... give me a shout.

...I'll even bring some non-VB and show you what decent beer is (basically anything other than VB)

Game on...

I won't have my mobile on me most of tomoz, but i'll look you up during the day. Sounds like a plan mate, there's a fair bit to do.

Cam.

 

[Styria]

You guys should be coming to Sydney - it looks as though Gleaming Beauty will have some exploratory surgery VERY soon.

Just booking a bed at hospital - she is a public patient and we have to make sure that accomodation and all decks on hand will be organized. Good luck with whatever you guys are going to be doing. Regards Styria

 

[Lukas]

Cam,

Am occupied on Saturday morning sorry (something I'm organising, so I'd better be there), but am free and keen in the afternoon, from noon onwards. Even if you and bb start earlier, would still love to come along and compare rust, etc. Have dropped you a PM with my email and phone.

Lukas

 

[Lukas]

PS - sounds like we can practice before starting on Styria's GB.

 

[Styria]

Does anyone know if Lukas has refitted the sunroof frame to his car - I know he's over in Cambodia for a while, but I was just wondering. Again, what a great set of pics. he put on the discussion board. Regards Styria

 

[BAR]

Was rummaging around in Bunnings today and they have a number of 'brushes' and 'felts' that are available by the metre or prepackaged.

You may just find a suitable alternative. Could be worth a trip. Not having a hole in my roof I'm not in a position to comment as to the suitability of their range.

 

[Lukas]

Hi Styria,

I put the frame back in to the white 350SE about 2 weeks before I left, which would have been start of September. Also repeated the procedure entirely (remove sunroof and frame, de-rust, clean, un-jam, grease, replace worn parts, replace everything) on the blue 6.9, which took 2 concurrent weekends I think.

Note though that I didn't re-paint the whole frame, just the rusted corners / edges. Would have liked to have re-painted completely, but too many corners and ribbed surfaces, and not enough tools or patience either. Maybe one day.

Agree with BAR about alternte sources for some of the perishable parts - the sunroof brushes in particular (which you can't get from Autohaus AZ) were something like $35 per side, but possibly some slinding aluminium window brushes from your local window shop could be substituted.

Lukas

 

[Styria]

Further to Lukas' excellent posts and descriptive photos. Obviously, I have just gone through the whole exercise myself with Gleaming Beauty. I had previously (over some years) removed two sunroof frames from cars I dismantled, but there is absolutely no way that I would remember the various steps, and the order in which parts are removed.

As far as the procedure of removal by Lucas is concerned, I would like to offer the following hint:

It is much easier to remove the Sunroof itself with the frame still attached to the roof body of the car. He had his frame dangling down and it greatly restricts "working room" under the frame. The other anomaly I can't work out is how the frame itself can be removed from the steel tube that houses the flexible cable. That steel tube is attached to the back of the frame by means of two hex self tappers. The tube basically extends half way along the roof section and the frame needs to be pulled clear of that tubing before it can be removed. I know it's flexible, but I found it much easier to remove the front screen and pull the whole frame through the front screen opening.

Otherwise Lukas, thanks again for this excellent thread. Regards Styria

 

[300SDude]

Thanks for showing where the manual sunroof thing is!

My electric sunroof works, but sometimes it needs help closing. I have always wondered why there wasn't a manual backup for it. (Most other cars I've seen have a manual in case the electric doesn't work). Usually it is mounted about where the dome light is in my 300SD.

I'll have to look in my trunk (boot) now and see.

Thanks for the cleaning tips too. I have tried to clean mine with several things and have never really got it as "clean" as I would like it. I'll have to give some of these ideas a try. Of course, my top is white, lol.

PS: Someone on the w116.org forum (Squiggle Dog) took his electric one out and replaced it with a manual one from a different model. It looks REALLY nice and works pretty good from what I understand.

300SDude

 

[Styria]

Hi 300SDude, I have only ever seen electrically operated sunroofs, and these were made by a company called 'Webasto' which, as far as I know, is a British based organization. They also marketed sliding sunroofs constructed of vinyl which open up further than the steel versions. Other manually operated sunroofs could well have been manufactured by other sources.

The opening and closing functions can be serviced to some extent. Invariably it does require partial dismantling of the slideroperation, and the side felts can alsocontribute to tight opening/closing of the roof. Lubrication is the keyword. Regards Styria

 

[300SDude]

Hi 300SDude, I have only ever seen electrically operated sunroofs, and these were made by a company called 'Webasto' which, as far as I know, is a British based organization. They also marketed sliding sunroofs constructed of vinyl which open up further than the steel versions. Other manually operated sunroofs could well have been manufactured by other sources.

The opening and closing functions can be serviced to some extent. Invariably it does require partial dismantling of the slideroperation, and the side felts can alsocontribute to tight opening/closing of the roof. Lubrication is the keyword. Regards Styria

I agree.....I have not lubed it since I have had it, and I am sure the previous owner hadn't in several years.

How hard is it to replace the seal around it? Mine does not leak (and it is parked in the garage 90% of the time), but it looks like it could use replacing.

Thanks,
300SDude

 

[Styria]

The side felt strips are easy to replace - simply open the roof as far as possible, and you will gain access to four self tapping screws on each side. The rearmost can be difficult. The rear seal of the sunroof itself requires removal of the sunroof from the car. If you're not familiar with that procedure, I can write a step for step procedure for you. The front seal - extremely difficult, and can be very time consuming. There is no easy way for that one. Regards Styria

 

[Michel]

The side felt strips are easy to replace - simply open the roof as far as possible, and you will gain access to four self tapping screws on each side. The rearmost can be difficult. The rear seal of the sunroof itself requires removal of the sunroof from the car. The front seal - extremely difficult, and can be very time consuming. There is no easy way for that one. Regards Styria

I can vouch for that