sunroof transplant back in...not so simple

[B-Hive]

I was going to adjunct my "chat" post but as there were technical encounters of the third kind, I thought I'd post here instead...

So yes with both sunroofs side by side on the driveway I soon realised (to my dismay) that the 16V donor roof was not directly interchangeable with the roof/headlining that's just come out of the TRi.. with 6 of the 8 securing points being different...

This combined with the fact that the donor unit had been stored in an area that was renovated with copious sandstone cutting and grinding...end result sunroof mechanism full of sand and grit...

There's no such thing as a free roof!!.

Patience prevailed and once the mechanism was cleaned, it was then I encountered the fit differences!!!

Decision made to drill new relevant holes into the roof/heading was the best option vs drilling new holes in the car!!! Side by side this job was easyish....

Drainage hoses were the next issue...I decided to maintain the existing fronts in situ and reglue them into the donor roof....I did this because, once cleared, the hoses drained well and were in place... The rears I decided to use the ones on the donor roof as they were tight and secure and routing them down the C pillars was easy enuf...

All this in ready, it was time to reposition the new roof...But having no extra hands to offer assistance this job became quite a task as I was now working against gravity!!!

Pillows and cushions worked so so to raise the front and rear ends, but the bulk of the progress was achieved by tight wiring the front end around the open roof cavity and the door/roof frame.. With the glass in the central position this took enough weight off the unit that allowed me to lock in the rear most two bolts...(only compatible holes)

Fortunately my measurements for the new holes that I drilled were accurate and then with much trial and error managed to get all the roof bolts in one by one...not a doddle by any means especially doing it solo..but I proved that it can be done...

Everything in place I then blew 5 fuses, before thinking somewhat laterally and discovering that the stereo power wires were shorting...(nothing to do with the roof motor/relay/wiring..)

All that sorted... the transplant was then complete and very successful.....

It was as rewarding as it was frustrating...

So now I have a lovely fully functional non leaking sunroof on the TRi......happy camper..

So tech info for swapping roofs.....

1) have help..but can be done with one person
2) All BX headlings/roofs are NOT the same
3) Electrical issues may be unrelated to the job at hand!!!

[Vanny]

Now that is rather interesting. I had always thought that sunroof headlinings where the same, and thats after seeing quite a few of them. But come to think about it, they have all been 16v headlinings!

I've just had a check on the Citroen Parts list and it only lists one part number with the roof lining, but with two different colours of trim (macadam light grey TS 96062431 and bluish grey 96062431 TD).

How very odd!

[docchevron]

early and late.
I think the hole positions changed about mid 1989