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

 

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.

 

Hi there Jeff, Interesting you brought that up, I'd like to talk to the designer of it too and see what is up. I also disconnected both of them and tested the mechanism (no sunroof panel attached) to see what changed with the operation. Straight operationally wise the whole thing worked flawlessly. So sat and looked at it more. Thought maybe the counteracting force on the upper side of the riveted rotating point (where the spring wraps around), might assist to lift the weight of the sunroof panel and interior headliner panel attached to it. This might have been in attempt to save parts from breaking initially, but has only served to assist in breaking them as the driver arm now has to lift against the spring AND worse the drain channel support has increasing force in the shape of a bell cure starting to get applied on the pin that pushes through it. So that ruled out the assisting the forces on the mechanism itself from being the reason for that spring. Then I got to thinking one of the things Jag prided themselves on with the quietness and comfort of their cars. There are more than a few design features about the sunroof mechanism and attaching pieces that I noticed are designed exactly for the purposes of keeping it silent above your head. and a few others that are there to keep it secure. I think them springs are there to do just that, stop the sunroof from moving or rattling ever so slightly in any direction while in a tilted position, (or partial tilted), or closed. There isn't really any other reason I can see for that spring to have such a heavy spring force, think they designed for in to be used in twister or something.

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

 

I’m going nuts trying to sort out my sunroof and trim panels. I’d really like a fix to this. I commented on genetic billionaire’s video. Glad I found him on here. I wonder if you and I talked on the owners club on Facebook?

 

Not me on Facebook. What issues are you having?

 

Can’t install the interior trim pieces due to broken pieces of the mechanism. Sunroof isn’t fully working properly.

 

I got that part for $50 delivered to NYC from England. Have yet to install it.

 

Any updates on the parts?

 

Yeah, I'll send you a message on it. Depends what you need really. I have my parts in and working like new. But I wouldn't want to fab something up and send it without testing it first. Maybe I'll hit the wrecker for a broken assembly, so I can test in the tracks.

 

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 .

 

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.

 

Yes they are parts I need , one side available abs the other is on back order. Which I’m going to assume is a way to say no longer available/

That puts me back to doing my own version I think

 

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?

 

So happy to have found you. Are you still able to supply these parts? Thanks Terry

 

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.

 

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 .

 

That’s how my parts came out for those interested.

 

Do you guys see anything else that's broken other than the drain channel support on the passenger side?


This is the side with the broken support channel

I think this side is good

 

This may help if you don't have it...

 

Yeah I saw that but do I really need to do the whole procedure if I'm just replacing the drain channel support?