Let the Sun Shine

It might seem as if having a sunroof put into the roof of your SUV would be a little intimidating. After all, the job does involve cutting into the roof, a proposition that does not allow for mistakes.

However, there is nothing to fear with this type of installation, especially if you take your vehicle to a reputable shop to get it done. The owner of this Ford Explorer Sport Trac wanted to add a sunroof to his vehicle, but wanted to make sure there wouldn't be any mistakes.

He took the truck to Webasto Sunroofs, in Santa Fe Springs, California, where the knowledgeable and very capable installers spent about four hours transforming the Sport Trac's topside. We followed along as Raymond and Sean performed this installation.

Because the Sport Trac seats...        read full caption Because the Sport Trac seats two rows of people, there are two sets of dome lights that keep the interior well lit. The new sunroof would have to fit in between the lights.

Raymond and Sean covered the...        read full caption Raymond and Sean covered the seats and the steering wheel, and removed the top of the center console, reducing the chances of damage to the interior. Then they removed the rear light fixtures, the sunvisors, and the grab handles. Raymond removed the molding from the A-pillars on both sides and removed all interior molding from the inside of the door frame.

Once the interior gear was...        read full caption Once the interior gear was out of the way, the headliner could be removed. Raymond and Sean took it down and put it aside. They would get back to it later. Once the headliner was out, Raymond was free to remove the front dome light.

The next part of the job was...        read full caption The next part of the job was up top. Raymond cleaned the roof, used a stencil to center the item, front to back and left to right, and then used a yellow china marker to mark the correct position for the sunroof. Once he double-checked the location, he cut the roof using an impact air chisel and electric shears.

Next, he removed the roof...        read full caption Next, he removed the roof piece and sanded the newly created edges, making sure that the sides were straight and smooth. He then put primer all the way around the edge to prevent rust.

He put the sunroof in place,...        read full caption He put the sunroof in place, test-fitting to make sure the space was big enough. Once he proved it was, Raymond put silicone around the edge to prevent leaks. He scraped off the excess silicone and used solvent to remove the rest. Silicone is very messy, and it took several steps to remove all of the excess. Raymond then checked once again, this time from underneath, to make sure that the sunroof was centered. This was the last chance for minor adjustments.

Once that was accomplished,...        read full caption Once that was accomplished, he bolted that part of the sunroof in place and ran the power for it to the ignition.

This install was a little...        read full caption This install was a little tight, so the typical zip-tie-for-the-wires solution did not work. They used duct tape and glue to secure the wires, and Raymond made the fuse easy to access and labeled it "Sunroof." He grounded the wire and tested the switch. The sunroof opened properly and he continued with the install.

With this installation, the...        read full caption With this installation, the bracket of the sunroof would be hidden under the headliner, as would the motor. Because of this setup, the old headliner was covered with new headliner material. This material matched the original headliner color. Before the sunroof frame was installed, Raymond lightly sanded it so the glue (and the headliner) would adhere better. At this point, Sean got to work on the headliner. He measured and marked the size of the hole that they would need to cut in the stock headliner, sprayed glue on, and put the new headliner fabric in place.

Sean pressed and smoothed...        read full caption Sean pressed and smoothed the new fabric on the rear of the headliner, leaving the front unglued. He trimmed the excess fabric and wrapped the rest around the edges, marking where the holes would need to be placed when reinstalling the headliner in the vehicle.

He cut the headliner, but...        read full caption He cut the headliner, but not the fabric, where the sunroof was to go. The fabric would later be wrapped around the sunroof frame.

Because of the location of...        read full caption Because of the location of the sunroof in the vehicle, the bracket that holds the rear dome light had to be turned around, making sure the light would clear the sunroof once everything was put in place.

Raymond sprayed glue on the...        read full caption Raymond sprayed glue on the inside of the roof, preparing it for the headliner. He also bolted the sunroof frame in place and put the sunroof motor cover on.

Sean and Raymond carried the...        read full caption Sean and Raymond carried the headliner over to the Sport Trac and put it back in. They put the bolts in at the stock locations to reattach it to the roof.

Raymond used more silicone,...        read full caption Raymond used more silicone, this time to prevent rattling. At the edges of the sunroof, he used spray glue to wrap the fabric around the edge, cut the excess, and pushed the edges of the fabric under the rim of the sunroof frame.

Raymond and Sean bolted the...        read full caption Raymond and Sean bolted the rear and front dome lights back in place.

Raymond ran the switch inside...        read full caption Raymond ran the switch inside the fabric through to the interior, tested the switch to make sure that it still worked, and pressed it in place.

After a final inspection,...        read full caption After a final inspection, Raymond was happy with the results, so he and Sean put the top of the center console back on, and reinstalled the sunvisors, grab handles, and molding. Raymond ran compressed air through the interior to blow any dust out, and used Windex to clean the windshield

The entire process took a...        read full caption The entire process took a little more than four hours. It gave this Sport Trac a new look and now provides its passengers with a great way to feel the wind blow and see the sun shine. Even though the silicone took an hour to dry, the sunroof was ready to be used as soon as the installation was done. In addition, the Sport Trac could go straight to the car wash without any fear of leaks.