Chevy Colorado Ragtop Install - Let The Sunshine In

The template was taped down and three screws were drilled into the roof in spots that were indicated on the template. Then, a triangular hole was cut into the ceiling as a starting point, and the saw continued to cut from there, spiraling out to the edges of the sunroof, as indicated on the template, and stopped when the rectangular hole cut was completed.

The remains of the template were pulled off and the edges of the cut were smoothed out. Mounting holes for the deflector were drilled and enlarged in front of the hole.

The square ridges in the roof would prevent the sunroof from fitting flush against the sheetmetal. Therefore, foam cubes were plugged into the gaps created by the square ridges and a putty-like sealant was rolled over and along the edges of the hole to make the sunroof as watertight as possible. Glass cleaner was used to clean away unwanted sealer residue.

The sunroof was laid onto the hole in the roof and was secured to the underside of the roof with brackets all around its border.

Silicone was squirted along the borders of the sunroof as an extra measure to ensure the sunroof is watertight.

This cosmetically appealing plastic trim was put into place, along the edges of the sunroof and on the underside of the roof. A switch was installed in the ceiling to operate the sunroof. The wiring for that was routed along the edges of the sunroof on the underside of the roof, then secured along the way with dabs of silicone. Wiring from systems other than the sunroof, which ran along the ceiling, was rerouted and secured the same way.

Next, the wind deflector was installed.

And there you have it, a newly installed ragtop sunroof. The headliner pillar covers, door panels, and other components were recovered with suede in last month's Truckin' Vol. 34, No. 4, so now the interior is completely tricked out.