My 88 CRX Si has a sunroof that's rusty beyond repair.

how hard is it to remove?

also.. I was wondering if i could get a glass moonroof off of a 90-93 accord (or any other Honda with a similar sunroof spec to a CRX and fit it to the exact specs of a CRX. I'm not concerned with M4d JDM Weight Reduction yO!, and quite frankly, I think it would be easier to do than try to get a decent rust free sunroof, just to have it rust again.

lmk

thanks!

 

The sunroof comes off with like 4 bolts, it's badass:

 

thanks! looks like i get to pry it open hahah.

 

When you are taking off the "bumpstops" on the rear of the panel... the tiny 8mm nuts and collars that hold them in can very easily fall into the groove where the hatch meets the body... if (when) you lose one, get some duct tape to lift it out of the tight spot.

Also, keep it straight and smooth while you are sliding it on and off...dont jerk or use force, or you could bend the tracks!

 

what about glassing the roof.

 

All I have to say is "probably not". They mount quite differently and function differently too. Remember the Accord glass goes into the roof while the CRX panel goes outside on top.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by K2500 Yo! &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">thanks! looks like i get to pry it open hahah.</TD></TR></TABLE>

NOOOOOOO!!!! Stop right there. Please say you're kidding. Please.

Go look in your toolbag that should have come with the car. There's a little tool in there that has an Allen (hex-head) wrench end to it. That's your sunroof tool. See the little round plastic plug in your headliner, behind the sunroof opening? Pop that out, stick the tool in the hole, and you can manually crank the roof open or closed. Prying the panel open is a surefire way to screw things up beyond repair.

I don't know first-hand how complex the sunroof mechanism is, but I try to stay away from pulling them apart. Why? Because I own the factory service manuals for several Hondas, and the biggest section in any of the manuals is... the one covering the sunroof. No joke. That tells me it's more complex and finicky than the transmission or the engine, or even the electrical system.

If you're just removing and replacing the metal sunroof panel, though, it shouldn't be that hard. It's never *quite* as easy as the manuals make it sound ("Engine Removal: Step 1: Remove engine. Installation is the reverse of removal." ), but it's not rocket science, either. I've got a yellow '90 Si that's got a couple tiny bubbles of rust just starting to come up in the sunroof, and the 'roof is crooked in its tracks just a wee bit, so I'm going to have to tackle it at some point soon. I took the coward's way out, though - I picked up a parts CRX that had a perfect sunroof in it (and only 70,000 miles on a 1-owner black Si that got totalled. ), and stripped the car bare. I'm just going to replace the entire sunroof cassette as a unit. Six nuts and two wiring connectors, and it's done. Of course, I do have to remove some interior trim to do it, and the 'roof panel will have to be repainted, but I need to have a little paintwork done on the car anyway, so it should all be painless. I hope.

Good luck to ya. Keep us posted.

Mike

 

Oh, on your other question: I haven't found a glass panel that will fit. I had an '89 Civic Si with the glass sunroof, but the glass is smaller than the CRX's sunroof, so that's a no-go. I thought maybe a Prelude one would work, but the only Preludes I see with sunroof panels that might be large enough are the '92-up ones with the sunroof that goes out and over the roof (like the CRX's), and those that I've come across have been metal panels.

Whether it goes up and over or down and into the roof is immaterial. The panel goes where the sunroof cassette mechanism tells it to go (at least, that was the idea when it was designed; some of us would say they have a mind of their own!) If you find a glass panel that will fit (or that's bigger than the CRX panel and can be cut down to the right dimensions by a good glass shop), and if it's just a matter of attaching said glass to your existing CRX sunroof mechanism, it will go up and over, because that's what the CRX sunroof is designed to do. If you were trying to fit an entire sunroof mechanism from, say, an '88-'91 Civic Si in there, then you'd have some problems, since it goes down and into the headliner. And it goes too far back for a CRX, so it would be hitting the inside of the rear hatch, if it didn't hit the back of the headliner and tear it up first instead!

Good luck lookin'. I haven't found a glass sunroof panel that will work, but I haven't spent that much time searching, either. I've measured a few and glanced around at some, but haven't really applied myself to it. It's one of those things that, to me, it'd be *noice* to have it, but I'm not going to do a helluva lot of work to make it happen.

Mike

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Kwicko &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It's never *quite* as easy as the manuals make it sound </TD></TR></TABLE>

I did it and it took all of 3 minutes to take off, 3 to reinstall. In this case it really is easy. Oh, and I think the section on automatic transmissions is a little bigger than the one for the sunroof.

And like he said, DON'T PRY ON ANYTHING. If it doesn't move, get the damn wrench, or buy one.

I know the track of the sunroof determines the path, but it also means the mounting points are different. That alone could make it a pain in the ***, unless you're willing to spend a lot of time changing it. To me it's not a big deal, I just open it. It might be worth it to some people. I find that many times the sun is in my eyes with it open, even with a hat on. I don't know if you'll be able to put the pull-over shade in, but that would be a big thought if it were me. But it's not, so good luck. I'd like to see if there's anything that will fit easily.

 

no, i'm not really going to pry it. i'll whip out the sunroof crank.

hmmm i'm still wondering if i can fabricate some glass to the existing CRX sunroof in place of the exiting panels... that would be more weight than designed.... blah... looks like 'm going for another sunroof.

 

I'd suggest a carbon-fiber replacement. Otherwise, good luck "fabricating glass"

 

carbon fiber?? do they make these??

do you have a link???


edit... that would be easier than fitting glass and fabricating the frame to support the weight increase especially with wind resistance.

 

Search carbon fiber sunroof plug. They are all over the place. If they weren't so ridiculously expensive I'd have one right now too... I'm currently in the process of trying to find out a cheaper alternative since my sunroof is pretty much fucked too.

 

Here's a great writeup I saved a while back. Not sure who done the write up but they did a great job.

CRX Sunroof Write Up

 

I hate my sunroof im pulling that **** out and replacing it with some supertinted glass

 

Hey dude. I was thinking of actually doing this b4, using plexiglass. It can easily be cut/shaped and the edges polished. then just get it tinted. i might patent this idea, but ur welcome to try it lol.

 

The Old One at endyn did just that... he used "murgard lexan" and "drape-formed" it over the old roof to get the contour... but he never posted enough detils on how to do it, which makes me think it must have been funky someehow.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Doctor Zagato &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Hey dude. I was thinking of actually doing this b4, using plexiglass. It can easily be cut/shaped and the edges polished. then just get it tinted. i might patent this idea, but ur welcome to try it lol.</TD></TR></TABLE>

any ideas for repairing the unibody hahahahahha

 

don't worry man, im working on it lol. Oh, and folks, don't trust anyone named Dakota....dont know his last name yet.

and i didn't know u liked eggplant?