Roof Inner Structure and Sunroof question....

[RamThis]

Ok guys, do all the Accord's inner roof structure have the bolt holes in them for a sunroof to be mounted?
I have not pulled the interior from my car yet, but have it out of the donor car. The sunroof just bolts up to the inner roof structure with what looks like four bolts, maybe six I didnt look real close for any in the middle. Anyway, If my car has the capability for me to bolt this in, I will cut the hole and transplant the ring of roof from the donor car and put this sunroof in lil blue.

[RamThis]

Ok here's some pics of the sunroof assembly with the headliner removed. The headliners are different, this one dips down to make room for the sunroof assembly, reducing the headroom some. For me at 5'8", it's not a problem. But for tall people like my dad at 6'1", it might not allow adequate headroom.

So, any idea if these mount points are on all the Accords roof structure?

Anyway, here they are...

Front bolts
http://www.dodgetrucks.org/gallery/data/500/100_4070.JPG

Whole Unit
http://www.dodgetrucks.org/gallery/data/500/100_4069.JPG

Passenger Side Rear bolt and drain tube
http://www.dodgetrucks.org/gallery/data/500/100_4071.JPG

Rear of Sunroof Assembly
http://www.dodgetrucks.org/gallery/data/500/100_4073.JPG

[RamThis]

Aww come on guys!! Someone has to have had the headliner out of the two different kinds and noted whether the substructure is the same or not!!

I do have the sunroof assembly completely out of the donor car tonight. I think tomorrow I might start pulling interior from my car if no one knows and find out for myself how hard it would be to transplant the sunroof once and for all...

[shepherd79]

i don't think many people though about just tranfering sunroofs. you just have to pull the interior and look.

[Hash_man_Se_i]

Ya i've kind of wondered about this before... all I've had are 3g's with sunroofs so I can't help you out on the question but i'm curious to hear the answer.

[2oodoor]

Me too, I want a sunroof, and if the infrastructure is there and alll Ihave to do is plasma cut or saw a hole, dress it off and prime, that would be excellant.... From the way the pictures look, and judging by modern manufactor line techniques, I dont think the line change would be different for hardtops and sunroofs, thus that means yes the mounting and stucture would be the same on both cars, BUT I AM NOT SURE. I wish I knew too, Im watching this thread

[RamThis]

Well after close inspection of my donor car, it looks like the substructure under the roof skin may be special to a car with sunroof, not just the upper skin. There is a lip around the front and sides that exists in both the skin and the substructure, and I pushed up on my headliner in my car to feel if it was in my substructure and I didnt feel it in there. Not looking good. But, as long as the BOLT HOLES are there, the hole can be made. That is the million dollar question.

[HondaBoy]

i just recently repaired my dented in roof. i was thinking about installing a honda sunroof when i had the headliner off. i dunno if thats worth doing, but i may get some function out of it. i love the one in our '02 accord.

[RamThis]

We have one in the Teg and I love it, and since I have one on my donor car, I figured if it's not TOO much hell to make it work, then I'd like to transplant it in. If it comes down to cutting off roofs or something, I may just let it be. Just gotta get to stripping down my car now....

[HondaBoy]

does that sunroof assembly weigh very much? i was wondering that.

[BITESIZE]

Surely there is someone on here that has put a sunroof in a non existing car.

[MessyHonda]

Surely there is someone on here that has put a sunroof in a non existing car.

i think Toneloc5145 has one on his LX

[carotman]

I have a brand front roof structure (directly from Honda) that will allow me to install a sunroof. The only problem I might face is the rear part of the roof. The sunroof bolts there and I'm not sure if I have the bolts on the rear part of the roof.

I really would like to know if they are there or not.

[Vanilla Sky]

i have a DX that i think i have the headliner out of. i'll check later this evening and get back to you guys.

it's a sedan, by the way.

[Vanilla Sky]

ok, i compared parts cars.

my 87 LXi sedan with moonroof has a slightly different roof frame than the 88 DX sedan. there are no mounting points. in the LXi, there is a notch in the frame rail above the B-pillar that isn't in the DX.

i'm sure you guys could go aftermarket fairly easily. retrofitting a stock would prove to be a problem, at least in the sedan.

[RamThis]

ok, i compared parts cars.
my 87 LXi sedan with moonroof has a slightly different roof frame than the 88 DX sedan. there are no mounting points. in the LXi, there is a notch in the frame rail above the B-pillar that isn't in the DX.
i'm sure you guys could go aftermarket fairly easily. retrofitting a stock would prove to be a problem, at least in the sedan.

Damn.....

Well bad news or not, thanks for the info lol.

[RamThis]

does that sunroof assembly weigh very much? i was wondering that.


Yeah it's pretty heavy, I'd say a good 30 or so pounds. It takes up the roof from the front to almost all the way back, it's one huge mofo. Once I took out the two remaining middle bolts and had it setting on top of my head, I started to lower myself down with it balanced on my head, and I started to think removing it by myself was a bad idea. I had HELL getting out of the car and handling the sunroof gently so I didnt bend anything, and I have no seats in the car, and the doors are off, it was cumbersome as hell.

Probably best to have a helper to hold one end for you and help balance it and such.

[RamThis]

Looks like it's time to figure out if I can somehow use the roof structure in my car and modify it by welding on some attach points, or if I can just cut out small parts of the roof from underneath and weld em into my car or not. I will probably get the interior pulled from my car this Sunday or Monday..... To be continued..... :bong:

[Vanilla Sky]

personally, i'd go with a quality aftermarket unit. may be more expensive, but they're meant to be put in cars that weren't designed with the provision for one. i'm going to put a fixed one in my nissan truck.

[lostforawhile]

def go with the aftermarket one,it will be lighter and probably just as good as a factory one from twenty years ago. materials technology has come a long way in that time frame. also with the old factory one,all the rubber seals and electrical parts,moving parts etc. are all that old.

[RamThis]

It's all about the Benjamins fellas. Or more correctly, the LACK of the Benjamins......

If I can't make this unit work that I already have, the car will not have a sunroof. I just dont have the extra money at the time to do a good aftermarket one. If I were to get one, I would get one that pops up and slides back like the one on my Teg. And after pricing one for my Dodge Ram about five years ago, at $1200 installed, it would be worth more than the whole car it was going into. Nah. I'll stick with wishing I had money to buy a car with one already in it LOL. Sucks being broke. :violin:

[88Accord-DX]

If the demensions are the same, with the sunroof closing properly and all.

Seems like you worried if the bolt holes will line up to attatch it. If the holes don't line up. You could drill some new ones where they hit on the bracket & tap them out for any thread size. Just a thought.

[RamThis]

Well main problem is, the skin itself cannot be tapped as it's not thick enough to support but maybe one thread. The donor car's attach point has pinch welded nuts on the backside of the skin. This is where I think my problems will start lol. If it's easy enough (or should I say, not too hellishly hard to do...), I think I could cut these parts out of my donor car, and graft them into my new car. Of course, it's all moot until I actually get my interior out tomorrow or Monday and find out exactly what it's all about in my car....... :nervous:

[88Accord-DX]

Without all the trouble of doing that. I wonder if you could just make some kind of mounts to mount it too. Your looking at some serious work in cutting out that frame it's attached to.
Of corse you would need to make precise measurements and all to make it happen. I don't know what kind of fabricating skills you got, but anything is possible with fabrication & such.

[lostforawhile]

Well main problem is, the skin itself cannot be tapped as it's not thick enough to support but maybe one thread. The donor car's attach point has pinch welded nuts on the backside of the skin. This is where I think my problems will start lol. If it's easy enough (or should I say, not too hellishly hard to do...), I think I could cut these parts out of my donor car, and graft them into my new car. Of course, it's all moot until I actually get my interior out tomorrow or Monday and find out exactly what it's all about in my car....... :nervous:
all those spot welded nuts were put on before the roof structure was even on the car,then the skin was put on top. theres no way to reweld them in place. have you thought of keeping your eye out at the junkyards for a late model car with an aftermarket sunroof installed in it?

[RamThis]

Without all the trouble of doing that. I wonder if you could just make some kind of mounts to mount it too. Your looking at some serious work in cutting out that frame it's attached to.
Of corse you would need to make precise measurements and all to make it happen. I don't know what kind of fabricating skills you got, but anything is possible with fabrication & such.


I used to build F-16's for almost four years, my fabrication skills are up to par I think LOL. At least, dimensioning and tolerancing. I'm used to working in machinist scales, and dimensions of .001'ths.

[RamThis]

all those spot welded nuts were put on before the roof structure was even on the car,then the skin was put on top. theres no way to reweld them in place. have you thought of keeping your eye out at the junkyards for a late model car with an aftermarket sunroof installed in it?

I was actually thinking of cutting a square chunk out of the inner structure around each attach point that I could weld into my roof, so that it would have the raised mount point with nut already in place. Then my only next concern would be the hole in the roof, which would not be a problem really, that's easy fabrication there.

Still again, gotta get my interior out so I can see what the course of action will be depending on how it's set up.

[Vanilla Sky]

why not look at the coupe's moonroof? ALL of them were installed after the car was built. it may have a slightly different mounting system.

[lostforawhile]

I used to build F-16's for almost four years, my fabrication skills are up to par I think LOL. At least, dimensioning and tolerancing. I'm used to working in machinist scales, and dimensions of .001'ths.I am too and I tried this once in an old prelude it was a nightmare and never worked out. too much structure was built in at the factory to change all of it. better go aftermarket.

[lostforawhile]

why not look at the coupe's moonroof? ALL of them were installed after the car was built. it may have a slightly different mounting system.
I might do that myself. good idea

[RamThis]

Thanks. Worth a look if I deem this project more than I want to fool with.

[RamThis]

Well, with the interior out of my car today, I can see that they made two DISTINCT substructures to the roof. Odd too, I would have figured the japs would want to save manufacturing time and money by making a single all in one piece that works for all cars. Guess not.

Looks pretty easy to make some quick mounts for it though, so tomorrow I will pick up a MIG welder from a friend, and grab up some sheetmetal from our scrap pile at work, and start fabbing up some brackets. The very rear crossmember under the skin looks as if I can just cut it out of the donor car and weld it right into my car for the rear bolts. Shouldnt be too hard, just alot of measuring.

Pics will come later, and definitely will have pics of the mods to mount the roof.

[MessyHonda]

Well, with the interior out of my car today, I can see that they made two DISTINCT substructures to the roof. Odd too, I would have figured the japs would want to save manufacturing time and money by making a single all in one piece that works for all cars. Guess not.
Looks pretty easy to make some quick mounts for it though, so tomorrow I will pick up a MIG welder from a friend, and grab up some sheetmetal from our scrap pile at work, and start fabbing up some brackets. The very rear crossmember under the skin looks as if I can just cut it out of the donor car and weld it right into my car for the rear bolts. Shouldnt be too hard, just alot of measuring.
Pics will come later, and definitely will have pics of the mods to mount the roof.

wow...i wanted to get a sunroof on my dx after i saw it that they put a aftermarket one on pimp my ride....i went online and they cost like 700 bucks...so i was like screw it...good luck with yours

[RamThis]

If the brackets are as easy as I'm thinking they will be to make, you could probably make the mounts from my pictures. I will do a "how to" on it if it turns out good, will save alot of folks lotsa money if they can just get a JY sunroof and wire it up after welding in some mounts and doing a little body work to the roof.