Sunroof panel removal

Go to the BGB, I recall seeing the procedure listed and looks pretty straight forward

 

Google: celicatech sunroof
it'll bring up results and click the 3rd and 4th links down to get what you need.

 

I know your asking about removal but check this sunroof........ http://www.gt4-racing.eu/index.php/toyota-celica-st162/fiberglass-sunroof-panel

 

open sunroof slightly, pull interior piece down, close sunroof, unbolt 4 bolts (10mm iirc), 2 on each side. lift sunroof.

be aware of the spacers so you get the right height when you put it back

 

Panel clips in, under that you will see 2 bolts on either side with shim plates under them,
don't mix/lose the shims
http://www.st162.net/forum/showthre...ore-jdm-oddities&p=37322&viewfull=1#post37322

 

Hi guys, I haven't posted on here in a while, but in lieu of the Toymods forums being down and for want of a more international audience, I wanted to find out if anyone has replaced the sunroof for a glass panel before. Would it be possible?

It's great to know there's a replacement fibreglass panel available to buy, and for my money it's well worth the effort if I can't go glass. The sunroof, as most people here know, is a right pain in the ass to keep rust-free and knowing that you can get another panel that will never rust as a replacement can only be a bonus.

My sunroof has started to rust again only 5 years after it's last paintjob, and I talked to the guys that did the job this afternoon and they said that the sunroof is most likely problematic due to something he said about the make-up of the panel (I didn't follow it all, painting isn't my thing). But 99% of ST162 sunroof panels are the same.

Anyway I'm going to talk to some glaziers to discuss this possibility sometime this week. I really like the prospect of a moonroof setup instead of the standard sunroof - but right now I'll take what I can get.

 

Hi Andrew,

Having just pulled my own sunroof apart to repair the rust, I think I know what your panel guy was talking about - the sunroof on these cars is made up of the outer panel and the inner skeleton which are bonded together in a few places but there is nothing sealing the edges of the two pieces. The rubber surround is a U-shaped channel, and I think what happens is that when water gets under the seal, there is nothing stopping it from getting between the inner and outer pieces of the panel, and then it has nowhere to go so it just sits there and the panel rusts from the bottom edges up. I think the problem could be solved by applying a bead of sikaflex or any other windscreen sealer around the bottom edge of the sunroof where the two pieces of the panel meet before putting the rubber surround back on, that way you waterproof the inside of the panel.

There's a company called Webasto who claim to make aftermarket glass sunroofs for virtually evey make of car, maybe try them if your glazier can't help - http://www.webasto.com.au/products-and-markets/car/ena/html/8212.html
Their website shows they have an installer in Newcastle and four or five in Sydney.

Here's some pics of a car I saw on eBay a while ago with a pop-up glass sunroof, not sure if its from the company above but would be similar - http://www.st162.net/forum/showthread.php?5593-Pop-up-sunroof&highlight=glass+sunroof

Cheers
Matt

 

Thanks for the reply Matt.

I talked to some people about glass roof replacements today and rule #1 about glaziers and sunrooves is that they will NOT touch anything that is roadbound like a car, truck, etc. because it must be ADR approved and have a stamp imprint on the glass saying so. Places like O'Brien glass haven't touched glass sunrooves in over 20 years, so they were telling me today. Looks like they may have had one experimental mis-hap too often.

The info you've provided I believe will prove invaluable for others looking to do the same thing, because let's face it... we've all got crap sunrooves. If a glass roof isn't your thing then the fibreglass one will do, but whichever way you go, at least you'll never have a rust problem there ever again.

I have heard of Webasto before, but never knew what they did. Looks like they cater for the upper and more modern end of the car aftermarket using Hollandia sunroof designs, and there's a place that's in Brisbane that does these onsite (from what I can gather) so I'll be garnering more info from him tomorrow.

 

Be sure to keep us posted

 

Well, the news isn't great.

I had a chat to this guy through a garbled phone line (yay, thanks mobile phones, but it's the only way he does his business), and while he does glass sunrooves for most cars, he said something about nothing he can get is available for a car of our vintage. He did suggest talking to people on international forums to see if anything else was available, I said I was already on top of that.

So it seems the fibreglass panel replacement is the only way we can go on this. Oh well, I tried...

If anyone else in the US knows someone or a company that can retro-fit our ST162 sunroof with a glass replacement, do speak up please.

 

Just shelled out AU~$160 for a fibreglass sunroof replacement (price includes shipping to my address in Australia). Thanks to Paul (Pawel Woloszyn is his name) for getting back to me on freight charges and for being the only person I know of to get this sunroof panel replaced in fibreglass.

Cheaper than getting a remove/strip/prime/respray/replace done on it, although I'll still need to get the new panel primed and sprayed when it arrives.

PS: sorry for what appears to be a thread hijacking, but I thought this was the most pertinent place for this info to go.