Not sure how much help I am going to get on this but if anyone has any insight it would be appreciated...


Basically this XJS I am working on has a factory "fitted sunroof", however the car originally did not and someone has chopped the old roof off and retro fitted the entire roof from a later car with the sunroof........ The problem is it is not working properly, the mechanism is not doing what it is suppose to, the shell is being shot blasted so another reason it has to come out..

The lining is all out and I can see the frame work but everything look welded in, is there a way to take the roof section out through the rear window?

Like I said any help would be greatly appreciated....

 

Pictures? I've had mine not out but in pieces...

 

the roof section out? What do you mean? I am confused. The roof is the roof. If you mean the frame..why wouldn't you take it out the door? The entire headliner fits through the door, so any part of the sunroof certainly will

 

Pictures will definitely help. I have an aftermarket sunroof, and I'm sure to have problems with it (that the Sunroof Doctor may not be able to assist with) above and beyond simple leaking.

I'm a bit confused, too, if the headliner can be removed from the doors - why not the sunroof bits? The way I imagine it, it'd almost be easier than the headliner - more rigid, yes, but smaller at least.

 

It can be heavy though. I plan on having my sunroof removed, as the car around it is exactly what I want, just the sunroof makes it a little "tight" for me in the car... And the headliner is a custom job with the sunroof...

 

I have taken pics...... Hard to show really but you will get some idea





I'm not worried about the headlining I have a mould for that which I can adapt for the sunroof

 

a genuine Jaguar factory fitted sunroof by Tudor Webasto is a very rare thing, and was only fitted by express request and was a very expensive option

in my opinion removal of the sunroof could reduce its collector value ,

I have one in my '89 , and did everything to retain it, even though spares are non existent

for those non believers , the jaguar parts manual shows all the sunroof components in the back
and I have the original build sheet for my own car showing the sunroof as a factory fitted option , the car was pulled from the line, had the sunroof fitted, and than put back in the line for completion

the custom roof lining is just that, an extra support arch over the back window, a custom cut front support over the sun visors, and then fabric simply stretched and glued, and tensioned by the cant rails


BB

 

Was that a GLASS sunroof or a METAL sunroof?

Mine is glass and is a Webasto/Hollandia (Hollandia is a daughter of Webasto)... The seller said it was original... Though I always thought different...

 

This is metal...... And it needs to go back in once everything is sorted

 

the glass one is the right one , Webasto branded , installed by a company called Tudor for Jaguar ( should be scratched into the plastic deflector at the front , which can't be seen when fitted )

so your good.....


IMG_1923 by MyPix on Talk Photography



1824 by MyPix on Talk Photography
a metal sunroof was never fitted to an xis, and if anyone has one, its pulled from an XJ6 etc
or aftermarket in the true sense....

if your selling the glass sunroof after removal, i will buy it, as spares would be good to have

BB

 

Okay, that makes me feel a bit better. Is it normal then that there is no 'off the shelf' headliner?

 

yes,

the headliner for ' our ' cars was always sold as a loose roll of material to be glued in

and can be found as part of the parts list for the sunroof from jaguar Heritage

BB

 

So it isn't glass right? It is metal?

Something that rare, it is perfectly normal to have no off the shelf headliner assuming you mean the board. Headliner material itself is easy enough to find. Heck the regular XJS is almost impossible to get a new headliner board itself!

How is it attached? It looks like either spot welds or rivets in that one pic. If it isn't serviceable that is a pretty poor design. If it has indeed been hacked off another car and doesn't belong to the XJS....or even if it does. I would cut a service door onto the bottom of it. I worked on a friends lincoln recently and the whole back came off of it to service it. Would probably just cut out a panel, put foam on its edges to reduce noise and screw it in place. If it needs work you just need to drop down the headliner.

I can't tell from the pics how it is attached. Is it riveted or welded in? Unfortunately I am still confused as to what you want to do. Are you trying to take the sliding part out of the car and are wondering about the rear window, or do you want to take the entirely thing out of the car so it just has the bare roof? In that case you will probably need to cut it out and weld it back in. If you can't weld just hang on to it after body work and take it somewhere to tack it in, shouldn't be too expensive to weld it in a few spots.

 

the ' cassette ' has 'tangs' that meet the edge of the cars inner roof structure, these tangs were wrapped in tape and then large rivets were used to hold it to the inner skin of the framework , from memory i think there are six tangs ( it could easily be eight though as it was three years ago )

there are also four drain pipes fixed , one to each corner

the sunroof glass will come out by fully sliding it back into the cassette

then you can undo the forward stops and then motor it forward to the shut position, then motor it up for the tilt option and keep pulling up while motoring it,

the chrome/ stainless surround is simply held in with a few screws and packers along with mastic sealant ,

the mechanism will unbolt from underneath , and can be removed from the frame

the exploded view in the parts manual gives good clues on how this all happens
http://www.jaguarclassicparts.com/uk...-sunroof-coupe
BB

 

Okay... I built my own headliner out of some boards and original material:



Just need to tidy the front up... Will do that when I change the screen.

 

Because new headliner is on my list of things to do next year, and I too have a sunroof, I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on this thread.

And good grief, an XJS in white with red leather looks amazing...

 

I now have the XJS completely stripped and mounted on a rollover jig...... Curious thing the metal section of the sunroof just drops out and does not seem to be held in by anything? The frame of the sunroof looks like it is held in by a rolled over lip from the opening and not just a cut hole like has been described by the Webasto type....

I only have 1 aluminium bracket pop riveted in and 2 smaller ones at the back...... This one does seem to be a bit strange and I am considering dumping the lot and fitting something else!

 

I'd really remove it... Replace it with a standard roof panel... All best then

 

Hi,

Sorry to join this thread 7 years later... but my car has the same setup as XKRacer. I have an identical carrier (that the metal lid clips onto), and the same cassette structure slung under the roof.

For a while it was caulked as it could not be made watertight, but I am trying to reinstate it.I had a shock when the headliner came down as it is clearly a custom job to refit. But the motor spins happily enough backwards and forwards and I am hoping that it is fundamentally a question of getting the right seal on the lid to make it usable again. Although having said that, the motor is a bit lazy when the sunroof is almost shut - and presumably some oomph is needed with the last few turns of the drive to force it up and into place? Admittedly I was trying it with the engine off, perhaps a few more volts would make it more lively.

So my questions for those in the know -

1) Is sealing a common problem with these roofs and would you know where I can source a good new rubber seal? One of the pictures attached shows the profile of the seal that was previously fitted (now hacked to bits as the roof was caulked);
2) Any ideas what to do if the motor doesn’t forcefully seal the lid in place......? I am hoping not to have to dismantle it as the jobs are multiplying already.
3) Assuming I get the sunroof operational and can then re-headline the car... Are there meant to be custom supports (presumably attached to the cassette and/or car) for the headlining, for the few inches front and rear where it would otherwise be unsupported? The original lining sagged at the rear and now I can see why - it wasn’t stuck to anything, and because the rear flange (that tucks into the window rubber) had disintegrated that wasn’t holding it either... I am happy to have a go fabricating something from thin hardboard, to attach to the front and rear of the cassette, I am just trying to picture what it would look like and if the lining contours would look right.

Thanks for any advice! As others have said, they are a pain but too original and rare to do anything Neanderthal-like to them.

Adrian

The cassette (Hollandia as I understand it..?).

The carrier, seen from above.

Offside rear corner of the lid.

The lid.

Aperture and runners.

The profile of the current rubber seal.