How to remove headliner w/ sunroof?

[yieldsign2]

I need to pull the headliner out, and I have an 89 RRC with a sunroof. I've tried this on an 88 with sunroof and really fubared the headliner plastic if I remember correctly.

What is the procedure?

[ArmyRover]

OkieRover.com

there you go...

[hermanpj]

basically you just have to remove the sunroof switch panel, sunroof finisher strip, rear mounted speakers, handholds, sunvisors, rear belts, c pillar plastic trim and spare tire. there are also a couple of fabric covered nylon rivets. last thing you take out is the rear dome light as it can hold everything else up for you while you work around in a circle. then slightly bend the headliner downward along its longitudinal axis as you are pulling it out.

once the headliner is out, you need a buddy to get the sunroof headliner panel out bc you do have to remove the sunroof. its pretty straightforward though, you just disconnect electrical leads, disconnect sunroof drain tubes, and unscrew the mounting screws that secure the sunroof assembly to the roof panel. make sure to unscrew the bracket which holds the sunroof motor and control unit from the roof - take it out still mounted to the sunroof. you want to unscrew this before the rest of the screws bc the bracket will get bent if it has to hold the weight of the sunroof assembly.

when you get down to two screws on each side, take out your headrests and lower your front seats as far back as you can. put some towels over the tops of your rear seats. while you hold one side and remove those screws, your buddy holds the other side and then removes his two screws. then you'll be able to lower the whole assembly like reverse bench press, and carefully guide it back behind your heads to rest on the towels on the back seat. then you take turns holding the sunroof and moving back row by row until you have remove the assembly out through the back.

once the assembly is out you can back the glass all the way up using the manual key.

you will now have the opportunity to ruin the cheap-ass plastic tabs that hold the sunroof headliner panel in its track. they are theoretically removable by prying out thin metal retaining springs. however i have yet to talk to anyone who didn't break them and they are costly and rare item at dealerships. no biggee - just make new tabs out of small pieces of scrap metal and screw them onto the sunroof headliner panel in approximately the same locations as the original tabs.

this is also good time to check the sunroof gasket that runs around the glass panel. mine was cracked and i discovered the metal underneath was badly rusted.

[yieldsign2]

Wow thanks pat for the very informative write up.

[hermanpj]

you bet.

follow this link to the 3rd page of my 'interior redo' thread. the first pic is of the metal tab i made for the sunroof headliner panel. you can see the tab is screwed into the plastic frame of the panel, and the tip of the tab exteds under the sunroof track, which is what keeps the sunroof headliner panel from pushing up out of track when you open and close it.

Update on Re-do of my 1991 Classic interior