Install Sunroof/Moon Roof

[afnan]

My accord does not have sunroof. I plan installing. I have one donor car but that is 88 model accord. Question is

1. If sunroof is not installed in a car, do the company leave the connection ports there or there is entirely different roof for sunroof?
2. can i install that sunroof of 88 accord be installed with little modification ?
3. Anyother car whos sunroof can be installed ?

[Raf99]

My accord does not have sunroof. I plan installing. I have one donor car but that is 88 model accord. Question is

1. If sunroof is not installed in a car, do the company leave the connection ports there or there is entirely different roof for sunroof?
2. can i install that sunroof of 88 accord be installed with little modification ?
3. Anyother car whos sunroof can be installed ?

I did a lot of research on this, so I'll help out...

1. The roof in your car does not have the support brackets and bracing that a cb7 with a sunroof has. So all ports, connections, bracing, drain holes, hoses, wiring, etc, need to be done
2. You can install any sunroof in the car with modification. Little modification would be if you want a manual sunroof. They still need to weld brackets in the roof to support it or have something to bolt it to.
3. See question #1. You could also cut the roof off a cb7 with a sunroof, but then you're talking about removing the front and rear window, running wires, hooking up to fuse boxes, running drain piping, making holes, etc. So it can be done, but it will take a lot of work.

In the end, yes it can be done. It will take a lot of modification

[Raf99]

Pics from a manual on this page:

http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=4044

[gloryaccordy]

Would be seriously cheaper/easier to buy a CB with a sunroof and transfer everything over

[Crazy88]

Just get an EX and avoid accidentally butchering your car.

[deevergote]

Every aftermarket sunroof I've ever had the displeasure of encountering has been awful. All have been very obvious that they were aftermarket installs. Bulging roof liner, ugly switch placement (that can be fixed by using an OEM switch), buckling metal around the sunroof, peeling molding/weatherstripping, and worst of all... leaks.

I agree with those saying that if you want a sunroof, buy a different car. You'll be much happier with it. EX/SE models come with other nifty features as well.

[jasen klems]

I work for an automotive upholstery shop and we wont install an aftermarket sunroof at all. They all leak pretty soon after installation and it is a pita to find where they leak from. We work on aftermarket sunroofs all the time as well. If u want to spend the money to install one go cut the roof off of another car (along with all the wiring and supporting stuff and have that roof put on ur car instead of what u got. A body shop is not going to be cheap in this case and more than likely u will need a new windshield and back glass. Also there are other body related things like paint and body work. I wish u the best of luck but i wouldnt bother doing this myself nor would i go aftermarket either.

[ThatOneAccord]

I've heard plenty of stories of people getting aftermarket units installed and the results are flawless and no leaks. You just have to go to a shop that specializes in sunroof installations. Webasto has a list of installers that not only install but also sell their units. There's a place in Austin that specializes in sunroof installation and repairs. And they do wonderful work and I'm considering taking my CB there to get a sunroof installed whenever the funds come my way.

It would be too difficult for me to find a cb with a sunroof. It would have to have ivory interior and be a coupe. Most cbs don't have ivory interior and coupes are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Especially in that combo. I'm lucky for even finding my cb (lx coupe, ivory interior)

[Joey GT-R]

It would be too difficult for me to find a cb with a sunroof. It would have to have ivory interior and be a coupe. Most cbs don't have ivory interior and coupes are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Especially in that combo. I'm lucky for even finding my cb (lx coupe, ivory interior)

You can easily find ivory interiors generally as most get rid of them because of the work needed to keep them clean. Or, it would be much cheaper and less worrisome to just have a custom interior done than chopping the top on your car.

[ThatOneAccord]

You can easily find ivory interiors generally as most get rid of them because of the work needed to keep them clean. Or, it would be much cheaper and less worrisome to just have a custom interior done than chopping the top on your car.

It would probably be easier if I just found an ex coupe, and swappedy interior in. But that's not very desirable to me and I would actually rather take my chances on getting a sunroof installed over custom interior or flat out hunting down a specific combo that damn near doesn't exist anymore.

[Raf99]

And I've always wanted a sunroof in my non-sunroof car. And I know the best option for this is to cut the roof off a SE and put it on my car. But I would think for a body shop to do this would be very difficult. The front and rear windows would have to be removed and in the end all windows would have to line up as well as windows that roll up. They would also have to install the drains, and there are 3 of them. Routing the drains through the body with gromets, tubing, and electrical work would have to be done proper. Not doing one of these things correct would lead to a disaster down the road.

So does one think that they could cut the roof off without taking the windows out. I mean cut a square section out of the top and do not cut into the A,B,C pillars?

[ThatOneAccord]

And I've always wanted a sunroof in my non-sunroof car. And I know the best option for this is to cut the roof off a SE and put it on my car. But I would think for a body shop to do this would be very difficult. The front and rear windows would have to be removed and in the end all windows would have to line up as well as windows that roll up. They would also have to install the drains, and there are 3 of them. Routing the drains through the body with gromets, tubing, and electrical work would have to be done proper. Not doing one of these things correct would lead to a disaster down the road.

So does one think that they could cut the roof off without taking the windows out. I mean cut a square section out of the top and do not cut into the A,B,C pillars?

It's called grafting and ACVW guys do this all the time when they want ragtops in their beetles. The usually find a donor car with the ragtop, cut just the ragtop out and graft it into the new car without cutting the pillars. Grafting is desirable for them instead of cutting the pillars because the window sizes changed so much throughout the beetles history. 53-67 beetles all (maybe 3 variations or so) have different sized side windows, and front and rear windshields. And most ragtops come from late 40s to mid 50s beetles, again radically different window sizes.

Us CB guys don't face that obstacle. Ultimately grafting seems to be viable for us as well. You just cut what you need, usually a larger area than nesseccary, measure up on the new car and weld it in after cutting off the excess.

Sunroof equipped CBs have roof bracing so it might be better if you just swapped the entire roof section because you might end up cutting into the braces if you go with grafting. ACVW guys don't have to worry about bracing. The beetle is fairy stiff, but offers no roof bracing at all. Even for regular sunroof sedans. But the beetle is kinda body on frame so there's that.

[turbosneezinCB7]

I know this is an old thread and all but i would rather cut the roof up and put in either an oem or aftermarket one...and the end of the day you can always patch up the leaks or just line out your cuts before you cut them..i know thats more said than done but when i do this in my non sunroof lx i will post up a thread because it seems like you guys are really scared to do this

[Jarrett]

No one is scared. They're just sensible. Why do this when I can get on Craigslist right now and find 20 different reasons you shouldn't. There are tons of these cars for sale. If you look hard enough you might even find one in better condition than your current one. A factory-installed sunroof will be of much better quality and after selling your current car will cost you much less.

[deevergote]

I've seen professionally installed aftermarket sunroofs that looked like total crap.
A car that didn't come with a sunroof from the factory shouldn't have one added. It just causes problems, and it NEVER looks as clean as a factory sunroof.

EX and SE model CBs are not expensive. If you want a sunroof, buy one of those, and sell your DX/LX.