Speedtoys

Can it be removed and replaced?

I have a spare headliner that I want to recover, but that sunroof opening trim ring may be an issue.

merchauser

+1 I think mine is buzzing?

drscottsmith

Glen McCartney

Would be great if you can post some pictures of how it is attached and the fix you are doing with the U-channel. The vinyl on mine is ripped.

TIA

M. Requin

And mine shows a lot of screwdriver indentations where someone tried to pry it off. Info would be very helpful!

drscottsmith

928NOOBIE

Mine is always "creaking" and "bouncing"...the sunroof trim panel always seems to smack against that ring you guys are talking about...such an annoyance..I thought maybe pushing the trim piece downward then tightenig the screws was it..but it really isn't..its such a pain..would love to see someone with a good answer...I hate taking that thing in and out and moving and positioning and this and that..ugh..what a pain this noisy sunroof is to me.

Rob Edwards

Happened to have a headliner sitting on my front porch.

Starting point- The vinyl cover on the headliner/sunroof trim ring is literally glued to the edges of the metal sunroof structure. To remove the headliner from the car you have to peel the vinyl off the opening in the metal, which in this case ripped the vinyl in multiple pieces. I suspect it gets cooked after 30 years of intermittent sunshine. I was trying to be careful, I promise!



The 'L-shaped strip of plastic has a ton (33....) of 1/2" wide staples with 9/16" legs that must have been shot through the plastic strip before it was covered with vinyl or leather.



The strip can be pried out after straightening the staple legs. This strip is/was broken in roughly 10 places before I started prying, and somewhat more than 10 places after I finished removal. The plastic is BRITTLE and appears to have been molded as a single part. No part number that I could see but I didn't pull all the covering. So between pulling the dried vinyl off the metal frame, and prying the crispy L-channel from the headliner, you'd better only be doing this if you have a plan for repairing and/or re-covering the plastic strip.




Cross section of a broken off piece:


18 mm wide, 15 mm tall. So a 3/4" x 5/8" strip of L-channel plastic beading or edging would work.

drscottsmith

Rob Edwards

Hi Scott- hope I didn't step on toes, just got back from vacation myself and figured I could post some pics for posterity (and my own understanding of the pieces). It's a weird design, the headliner must have been put in the car early in the interior installation.

The Forgotten On

It was probably one of the first things because you need to install it before the quarter panels.

My guess was the dash and a pillar trim pieces were just before it.

Anyway, my 89 has a rattle up there but I think it's because the sunroof cover is sagging a bit. Good to know about this info because I'm sure we'll all need it in the near future.

Speedtoys

Exactly the issue I have, ugly as fk.

davek9

Timely thread, just picked up an 86 parts car, sold off the Engine to AO for the Coke car,
Now stripping out what left of the full Leather Interior, Dark Gray in color, notice that the Head liner and this sunroof surround is also in good condition. (also Gray).

I have a Black one that is all cracked/broken up like described here and would like to swap them, is that possible?
I tried to remove the Headliner but it would not come free from the Sunroof section, I was thinking there were screws in the Center I missed?
It was very hot that day 95 plus and I was working inside the car on my trailer in the sun, so I quit before I broke it.

Question: Does the Headliner come out with this surround still in place, looks like it does by the pics posted, if so whats holding the center of the headliner to the roof of the car?
I can't quite picture this instruction: "... To remove the headliner from the car you have to peel the vinyl off the opening in the metal,.. ".

Thank you,

Dave K

Rob Edwards

Yes, the vinyl that wraps around the plastic headliner/sunroof surround is both glued to the upper surface of the metal sunroof cassette, and is then trapped underneath the sunroof rails (at least it was on the last two cars I've removed headliners from...). And the surround is stapled to the headliner itself in many places, and the staples' heads are underneath the vinyl wrap. So to remove the sunroof surround, you not only have to remove the headliner, but you also have to remove the sunroof tracks, unless you decide to cut any entrapped vinyl.

You can see the vinyl trapped under the lateral rails, and (come to think of it) the curved trim piece along the leading edge of the opening.

Rob Edwards

Here's the trapped vinyl, annotated: