Making My Own Sunroof Parts
#21
So I have been lacking on the updates on the developments here! Embarked on the project 2 months ago, It's been 2 months and a few cents over $4406 later, and here's what's to show for it... (Coulda bought a used 300 for cheaper at this point.) Much more difficult that one could imagine to get this all just right. Check out some pictures attached. Have done a stress test under heat conditions with the test pieces. the drain channel support picture is the most interesting finding. You can see the amount of stresses put on the arm when it is in place and under tension from the sprung main lever assembly. is under a constant state of trying to tear and torque itself out of there. This happened with no added heat to the car, it was simply just installed and left out in the sun for 2 weeks bolted together. You can build better if you don't know what the problem is right!? I have a video of the test pieces installed and fully working the whole mechanism, check it out here:
After that testing I printed the drain channel support and the slider section for the cable in a Nylon Polyamide material, good to melting point of 200 degrees C, It's high strength and high elongation at breaking point. I also got the o so crappy driver arm finished in aluminum. The assembly of the driver arm and the slider piece fit together nicely, which is good news! The tolerances on the cable attachment are so finite, it has been hard to get that figured out perfectly and it still needs work to minimise my post processing of it.
SO the news on the does it work, and does it fit?! I installed the new Aluminum and Nylon Polyamide assembly in the car the only piece I did not use was the driven slider the cable clips into, as both of mine were ok, but I did use both drain channel supports, and the driver arm. Tested the assembly by hand, everything seems smooth, so bolted up the motor and low and behold, tilt and slide both worked flawlessly. Tried it about 5 times with no issues. All I really have left is to see how the new material holds up to the heat.. So will leave it in the car for a week of hot sun and see how it all goes. If all is solid on the western front, I think we are in business boys and girls!
Stress Test with Regular Plastic 30% infilled
Slider cable attachment
The New Aluminum Driver arms Left and Right
The sliding driver assembly (all new parts)
New Nylon Polyamide Drain channel support installed
SO the news on the does it work, and does it fit?! I installed the new Aluminum and Nylon Polyamide assembly in the car the only piece I did not use was the driven slider the cable clips into, as both of mine were ok, but I did use both drain channel supports, and the driver arm. Tested the assembly by hand, everything seems smooth, so bolted up the motor and low and behold, tilt and slide both worked flawlessly. Tried it about 5 times with no issues. All I really have left is to see how the new material holds up to the heat.. So will leave it in the car for a week of hot sun and see how it all goes. If all is solid on the western front, I think we are in business boys and girls!
Stress Test with Regular Plastic 30% infilled
Slider cable attachment
The New Aluminum Driver arms Left and Right
The sliding driver assembly (all new parts)
New Nylon Polyamide Drain channel support installed
Last edited by Genetic_Billionaire; 07-08-2020 at 11:54 PM. Reason: added a link
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#22
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Twin Waters, Sunshine Coast, QLD. Australia.
Posts: 436
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G'day Crafty One,
Well done with making all those fiddly bits, a lot of work there.
Re your comment about the spring in the mechanism putting the whole thing under constant stress, I replaced my channel support sliders years ago and for the life of me I couldn't see what essential purpose that spring served so I disconnected it and secured it out of the way. The sunroof still functions normally in all operations and has done for years.I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on that subject.
Cheers,
Jeff.
Well done with making all those fiddly bits, a lot of work there.
Re your comment about the spring in the mechanism putting the whole thing under constant stress, I replaced my channel support sliders years ago and for the life of me I couldn't see what essential purpose that spring served so I disconnected it and secured it out of the way. The sunroof still functions normally in all operations and has done for years.I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on that subject.
Cheers,
Jeff.
#23
I'm glad you mentioned that you have been running with them fully unsprung for years and had no issues. I wasn't going to mention it, not in my place to point it out if I haven't tried and tested it to be true. I think this is exceptionally valuable to help a few people to come to their own decisions. Because I too was worried about the pressure that spring applies, I (so far) have met your idea and Jag's in the middle. I have over rotated the spring (carefully) with some vise-grips by a fair amount to stretch it from it's original position, and now when it returns to it's seated position in the grove of the arm, I'd say I cut the pressure in half. I figure I ain't going to Kansas anytime soon, don't need it to be too hard.
- Lee T
Last edited by Genetic_Billionaire; 07-09-2020 at 12:27 AM. Reason: missed a section!
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watto700 (07-09-2020)
#24
The bell crank is more like pot metal and many it seems have snapped them trying to bend the arm a bit. Bending the post is more successful but really entails removing the metal roof to get leverage access. A positive attachment to the slider would fix both the broken parts and the dislocation problem.
This would also be of interest to the X308 crowd.
This would also be of interest to the X308 crowd.
#26
#29
#30
So I’m about to pull the trigger on pulling down my headlining to pull out my one intact drain channel and model it . Is there any way we can acquire these parts or the cad models ?
Luckily the tilt mechanism metal part is intact on my car so I really only need drain channels .
would love to get this sorted rather than doing it over myself .
Luckily the tilt mechanism metal part is intact on my car so I really only need drain channels .
would love to get this sorted rather than doing it over myself .
#31
if the "drain channel support" is the part you need, before you go there, you might check here:
https://www.jagbits.com/product/HNB1774AA.html
This is the RH part, HNB1774AA. I assume they also have the LH part, HNB1775AA.
https://www.jagbits.com/product/HNB1774AA.html
This is the RH part, HNB1774AA. I assume they also have the LH part, HNB1775AA.
Last edited by nileseh; 04-26-2021 at 08:41 AM. Reason: Error in adding an image
#32
#33
I have been checking the progress on this post and I am in awe of the work you must have put in to produce these parts. It's amazing to see what can be done.
Unfortunately, my 97 VDP has recently suffered a sunroof failure and after taking the roof panel off and investigating, I found a lot of plastic fragments in and around the rails as well as a metal part broken from the drive lever. I suspect that some of the plastics broke away and eventually snagged the drive lever and snapped it.
It looks like I am in the market for some replacement parts up there and am wondering if if would be better for me to pull parts from a junked car rather than trying to source new or replacement parts.
I suspect I could pull the parts myself if I had to, but I am keen on only doing this once and wonder if new parts would be a better way to go to improve life expectancy.
If I am to go ahead, I would consider replacing the following parts as they have all suffered some kind of breakage or cracks.
Main Cam Lever Slot (slots damaged on both sides)
Slider Driven Lever (maybe right side only)
Drain Channel Support (both intact, but seem bent over)
I can imagine the production costs for making new parts could be high, so that may be a factor in deciding whether to pull parts
For now, I have managed to raise the broken drive lever and get the sunroof closed and disconnected the cable for the motor. So at least it's fully closed
Are any of your parts available for sale?
Unfortunately, my 97 VDP has recently suffered a sunroof failure and after taking the roof panel off and investigating, I found a lot of plastic fragments in and around the rails as well as a metal part broken from the drive lever. I suspect that some of the plastics broke away and eventually snagged the drive lever and snapped it.
It looks like I am in the market for some replacement parts up there and am wondering if if would be better for me to pull parts from a junked car rather than trying to source new or replacement parts.
I suspect I could pull the parts myself if I had to, but I am keen on only doing this once and wonder if new parts would be a better way to go to improve life expectancy.
If I am to go ahead, I would consider replacing the following parts as they have all suffered some kind of breakage or cracks.
Main Cam Lever Slot (slots damaged on both sides)
Slider Driven Lever (maybe right side only)
Drain Channel Support (both intact, but seem bent over)
I can imagine the production costs for making new parts could be high, so that may be a factor in deciding whether to pull parts
For now, I have managed to raise the broken drive lever and get the sunroof closed and disconnected the cable for the motor. So at least it's fully closed
Are any of your parts available for sale?
#35
Sorry, I never did supply any of the parts. I modeled most of the parts in the original configuration, but the part I needed I was able to find as a new part at jagbits (noted above) so I never went any further.
There is another string nearby in time in which a file for a printed version of the drain channel (the part shown above) is available as a download. It looks like it has been sufficiently modified to be a good printed part, but I know nothing more of it.
There is another string nearby in time in which a file for a printed version of the drain channel (the part shown above) is available as a download. It looks like it has been sufficiently modified to be a good printed part, but I know nothing more of it.
#36
Sorry, I never did supply any of the parts. I modeled most of the parts in the original configuration, but the part I needed I was able to find as a new part at jagbits (noted above) so I never went any further.
There is another string nearby in time in which a file for a printed version of the drain channel (the part shown above) is available as a download. It looks like it has been sufficiently modified to be a good printed part, but I know nothing more of it.
There is another string nearby in time in which a file for a printed version of the drain channel (the part shown above) is available as a download. It looks like it has been sufficiently modified to be a good printed part, but I know nothing more of it.
yeah that’s the file I posted recently, I found it on Grab Cad quite by accident.
I couldn’t take my prints home on Friday as they were still in the cooling cycle .
they are printed on an HP fusion5200 from PA11
I will have pictures of them tomorrow some time .