Any tips on how to go about the rest of the HL install? The one in my 88 XJ6 is falling apart and I'll need to replace it pretty soon.

 

Have you got the dark green workshop manual ? These are still available on the internet. Did you take photos as you took the assembly apart ? This is sometimes the best way to handle these sort of things that don't get dismantled very often.

 

What part of TX are you in? I have an 87 Ser III in San Antonio, maybe I can take a look at it and get some photos that will help. I assume I would have to remove the cover on the sunroof? Give me some tips on that if you still need help, and I'll post up some photos.


I found the following info on jaglovers:
http://www.jag-lovers.org/xjlovers/xjfaq/headliner.htm

11. Now remove the sun roof. It consists of two panels, one upper, one lower. Start with the upper, the exterior roof section:

a. Open the sun roof by six to nine inches
b. Remove the four screws from the front flange of the panel
c. Lift this upper panel clear of your car by pulling forward. You are releasing this panel from two spring clips at the rear; don't worry, nothing will go flying around back there and there's no problem in putting this panel back together.
d. You now see before you the lower panel. There are six arms, three on each side, holding this panel in place. The rearward arms are hidden under the deck of the panel and are what the spring clips are attached to. First, unscrew the two nuts on the forward set of arms. Then twist the arms out off the track and free of your car.
e. Next, unscrew the nuts on the midway arms. These arms have lock tabs (bend them flat) on nuts which hold a greased sandwich of plates, wedges and collars. (TAKE NOTE of the hierarchy of these small pieces for accurate reattachment!) Now lift the unbolted arms upward to about a 45 degree angle. This action may cause the connecting collar esconcing the cable to pop off, but don't worry; it easily snaps right back on again with your thumb when reattaching.
f. MARK the position of the plate holding the spring clips. Then remove the bolts on the spring clips, which hold the rearward arms. TAKE NOTE of the configuration of the spring clip and how it fits on its holding plate.
g. Slide the rear arms off the track. Insert a pencil or similiarly shaped tool into the bolt holes of the arm and slide toward you (in the direction of the door.)
h. Lift the underpanel out of the opening. Voila!
i. Remove two screws in the rear of the sun roof which help hold the headliner material on.

12. Renewing the headliner.

a. Once out of the car, pull the headliner material away from the fiberboard.
b. With a soft brush, scrape away all the old orange foam backing. CAUTION: the surface of the board is easily damaged; go easy. I wiped it down with a damp cloth afterwards.
c. Take the clean board and the sun roof to an auto upholstery shop. Have them glue new headliner material on the fiberboard and sunroof. My understanding is, this glueing is something you have should done professionally; they use an adhesive that withstands high temperatures better than the 3M spray glue you can buy at Pep Boys, and they (may) do a better job than you affixing the material. Tip: Take a piece of excess vynl from the cant rail to the shop with you; the headliner material you select should match as closely as possible this color. The corresponding trim colors on Vanden Plas models, I think, are black; so in this case you may have use something else as a color guide. Headliner material comes in 1/4 inch and 1/8 inch thicknesses. Your car was originally outfitted with 1/8 inch stuff, but I used 1/4 inch (because of availability and color) with no problem so far. In fact, the 1/4 inch is softer and feels, to me, more luxurious. Headliner material appears to come in 54 inch widths on a roll; YOU NEED THREE YARDS on this roll. This quantity includes more than enough for the sun roof and rear trim rail. I was quoted $16 a yard.
d. Jaguar uses plastic strips sewn onto the headliner material to hold the sun roof headliner in place. I didn't re-use these strips, just had the shop glue the material over the sun roof edges, again with no problem to date.(The strips were too dried and cracked, anyway)
e. Make sure the headliner is glued over the front lip of the big fiber board about 3 inches, like the way the dingy old stuff was.
f. Ask the shop to trim the perimeter of the board for you, but don't have them trim out the sun roof opening; you should get the big board back with no sun roof opening in the material.

13. Homestretch! Tips for putting things back together, trouble-free.

a. Put the the big fiber board in before the sun roof.
b. Don't trim the sunroof opening until the big board is in place inside the car.
c. The board bends the same way going in; fabric creases immediately and completely disappear when it resumes its shape inside the cabin of the car.(double check that you have the board in the correct position before THE BENDING PROCESS to get it in; easy to get it backwards and do all that heart-stopping bending again)
d. Once the headliner is in position, replace all but the front small holding plates, (over the driver and passenger door) until you screw in the sun visors. You need to get your fingers under the headliner and feel for the visor screw holes. I used a straight edge razor to cut "x" where the sun visor and mirror screws are installed.
e. Use an awl or something similiar to make preliminary holes in the headliner for screws; the material can bunch around a screw.
f. Reattaching the sun roof welting: I bought fresh new welting from British Auto for $17. If you do the same and it doesn't fit, don't try to cut it; it comes the exact size, and you've probably got it in wrong. This stuff stretches and bends. I used a rubber mallet hammer(clean) to help it pound it onto the frame. Color was close to perfect, too.
g. Note that the rear trim rail across the rear windscreen has a top and bottom; don't force attachment in the wrong way.
h. Keep a bucket of sudsy water close by, with clean rags, for frequent cleanings. IT IS SO DAMN EASY TO STAIN YOUR BEAUTIFUL NEW HEADLINER WITH THOSE GRUBBY, GREASE-GOOKED FINGERS OF YOURS!

14. Sun Roof Tips and the TRICK PART (patience).

a. See (h) in section 11, above.
b. Clean the wind deflector at the front of the sun roof opening and hold it depressed with tape to keep it out of the way before putting in the panels.
c. Make sure the exterior roof of your car between the windshield and the sun roof opening is clean and free of dust and grease, or your headliner will instantly soil.
d. Wrap the midway arms in paper towels and tape to prevent grease contagion when putting in your sun roof.
e. Now, getting it in: outside of car, lay the sun roof underpanel down on a CLEAN cloth, headliner facing down. Insert the two (cleaned) rearward arms in the sides, under the ears. Do not bolt.
f. Place sun roof into position in your car,centering it by eyeball. Don't let the arms fall out.
g. Using a pencil or similiar tool, align the bolt holes in the arm with the corresponding openings in the panel deck.
h. THIS IS THE TRICK PART. Bolt the spring and its holding plate onto the arm. Everything is loose and feels awkward at this point. Do not tighten the bolts. Through a clean towel pressed up into the rear sun roof headliner, your fingers can feel the captive nut on the underside rearward arm. At this point, you have one hand on the top of the sun roof, the other reaching into the cabin to the sun roof underside.
i. With one arm (not yours, the sun roof's) bolted and loosely in place, you can now shift the spring's holding plate (and thus arm) back and forth about an inch each way.
j. Now repeat the same step on the other rearward arm of the sun roof panel.
k. Think of the sun roof panel at this point, with its two arms acting like the arms of a vice, ready to close on the tracks. Maneuver one arm onto the track. You know the arm is on track when you can't push up the rear corner of the sun roof with your hand on the underside you're working on; it feels locked, with just a very little play. Tighten the bolts a bit more.
l. Repeat this step for the other rearward arm.
m. Slide the sun roof panel or the holding plate (whichever is easiest) so that the holding plate on one side more accurately assumes the original position on the deck, which you marked, remember, before disassembly. And keep those hands clean.
n. When in final place, tighten the bolts with your wrench.
o. The other arms now attach quickly and easily.
p. Now attach the upper panel,greasing the tabs which fit under the spring clips, and reinstalling the four screws on the flange.
q. If the the sun roof at this point doesn't seem to fit precisely, activate its motor and it adjusts itself.