Sun Roof!

[Ranger97XL]

So I want to put a sun roof in, I currently do not have one and was looking at hopefully putting in an aftermarket pop-top. Manual not electric just a basic sun roof to help get a little more ventilation in the cab. Has anyone done this? if so how did it go?

 

[RangerRocker]

So I want to put a sun roof in, I currently do not have one and was looking at hopefully putting in an aftermarket pop-top. Manual not electric just a basic sun roof to help get a little more ventilation in the cab. Has anyone done this? if so how did it go?

You stole my idea. lol, jk. I was actually thinking about doing that same thing today. Someone please respond to this.

 

[AllanD]

Long ago... around ten years ago... I installed a factory explorer popup into my 1987 supercab.

the Explorer sunroof has drain hoses at the four corners and I was
pleasantly suprised to find that the internal structure of my roof was
actually clearanced for the route the hoses had to follow.

AD

 

[koda6966]

Just pop one out at a yard and put it in.

 

[nitrofan1]

OOOOOOOOOO................scary but go for it. Cutting a hole in my roof is not an option. But please take pics so we can see how it done!

Good luck!

 

[AllanD]

Tell you a secret

Piling the tools on a plank across the bedrails isn't scary

Making sure you have a fresh abrasive cutoff wheel and sawsall blade isn't scary.

Making that first hole in the roof? Oh yeah

But I'll say this the third or forth time you take a sawsall to the roof
of your truck you get over it...

My current ranger was the eleventh truck I put a sunroof into
and it was relatively speaking the easist to do.

The hardest was my first truck, my 1979 Toyota.
My 81 toyota the ink wasn't dry on the paperwork
before I had the masking tape out to start marking
where the hole was going to go.

The only reason my Ranger waited until the fourth month I had it
to get a sunroof was because I bought it in february.
Standing along side the truck on a milk crate perched
on a snowdrift in 40mph winds with a sawsall in my hands
just doesn't do it for me...

I waited until warmer weather.

MY next Ranger?
since it currently has a sick 3.0 in it and an electric shift t-case
(with auto hubs) there's a bunch of stuff I'll need to do before I
even transfer the title. A first gen Explorer sunroof? Yep, it's on
the "necissary" list.

What isn't is pop-out side windows.

those were not worth even a tiny fraction of the aggrevation
let alone the expense.

I've decided I'm too old to drive sweaty in a vehicle without A/C.

a sunroof is extreemly useful for evacuating the hot air before
the A/C gets going.

BTW, the explorer one with the removeable sunshield panel?
nice. a chunk of reflecive foam (one of those windshield screens people use to hopefully keep their car cooler) cut to fit between the glass and the sunshade? worth the cost of the hand cramps from using scissors.

AD

 

[fastpakr]

Is there a moonroof that would fit a regular cab?

 

[jaymegriffiths]

Long ago... around ten years ago... I installed a factory explorer popup into my 1987 supercab.

the Explorer sunroof has drain hoses at the four corners and I was
pleasantly suprised to find that the internal structure of my roof was
actually clearanced for the route the hoses had to follow.

AD

I love the idea of modding a sploder pop up to fit a ranger, but what drain hoses where there? and did the explorer roof have the same shape and curves as the ranger? enough that a decent body worker could blend the two well enough to look factory?

 

[koda6966]

x2 on the side windows. They let in some air but it's not worth the effort it takes to open them. I only use mine once or twice a year.

Now if I had rear passenger seating, I could see that changing.

I can see myself cutting threw my next vehicle to add in the pop roof, or a moon/sun roof. I love having it. Makes summer so much cooler. Thankfully, my current ranger already had one.

 

[mawagner]

i love the idea of this but does anybody have any pics of the process

 

[AllanD]

I love the idea of modding a sploder pop up to fit a ranger, but what drain hoses where there? and did the explorer roof have the same shape and curves as the ranger? enough that a decent body worker could blend the two well enough to look factory?

There's no modding, you cut a hole and bolt it in.

the early rangers and Eddie Bauer bronco2's were available with the exact same sunroof.

the only thing the Explorer brought to the party was a glass panel
with a black border and a removable sunshade that mounts to the
glass.

The frame for the sunroof has hose barbs at all four corners fr drain hoses that run down the "A" pillar and just behind the door and exit the floor through holes punched in the seal gromets in those locations.

Doing it isn't rocket surgery.

for me the hardest part was making the first cut in the roof.

My issue with the side glas was all the stuff (interior panels)
that needed to be removed to access the back side of the glass.

And after they are installed they do aid ventilation a little, but not nearly as much as the sunroof does.


AD

 

[jaymegriffiths]

There's no modding, you cut a hole and bolt it in.

the early rangers and Eddie Bauer bronco2's were available with the exact same sunroof.

the only thing the Explorer brought to the party was a glass panel
with a black border and a removable sunshade that mounts to the
glass.

The frame for the sunroof has hose barbs at all four corners fr drain hoses that run down the "A" pillar and just behind the door and exit the floor through holes punched in the seal gromets in those locations.

Doing it isn't rocket surgery.

for me the hardest part was making the first cut in the roof.

My issue with the side glas was all the stuff (interior panels)
that needed to be removed to access the back side of the glass.

And after they are installed they do aid ventilation a little, but not nearly as much as the sunroof does.


AD

I didn't really know what the purpose of hoses on a sunroof but now i get it. my question is, can you just feed these hoses through the roof and into the a pillars, and just take the plastic off and feed them the rest of the way? could and special modding necessary?

 

[AllanD]

You cannot depend on the glass panel to seal against the frame

You can "wish" it were so as most aftermarket sunroof mfg's do,
but it's wishing, not reality

Accept this is fact.

Now accepting this as fact the sunroof frame is actually larger than the glass panel and an integral drip tray is JUST beneath the glass.

there are TWO seals that ride against the glass, the outer seal
that TRIES to keep water out of the interior and the inner seal
that only holds any water that leaks past the outer seal in the
drip tray.

the drip tray has four 1/2" diameter vinyl drain hoses,
one at each corner to allow the water to escape from the drip tray.

Now do you understand?

If you ever lived with a pop-up sunroof that only had one seal and didn't leak it also had a strong "Cam latch" that compressed the seal... but infortunatly you couldn't adjust the opening it was either open or closed with no middle ground.

With a sunroof with a low tension latch (like the scew knob of the Ford)
and a "soft seal" you can adjust the position of the glass panel and thus
"tune" the angle of the open roof to reduce the wind noise.

AD

 

[jester77]

Just trying to find one to purchase online, not having much luck? Any recommended websites? What would be a good brand of aftermarket sunroofs?

 

[jaymegriffiths]

Ok i assume the hoses can be fed through the roof with little to no modification then.