MG-Cars.info

Welcome to our Site for MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey Car Information.

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MG Y Type - Refitting YA sun roof panel

Hi Everyone
I have posted this problem before and thought I had the solution but I havent!!
The handle when closed should have moved 90 degrees from the starting position . With the roof out of the car it does , with the roof in the car it stops at 45 degrees . When it does this it is still possible to lift the rear of the roof to the correct position, ie flush with the main roof. The roof slides as it should
The problem would seem to be the guide is fouling the mechanism somehow . Has anyone gained access to the mechanism at any time , or have any idea how it actually works ?
The guide in my car has a gentle bend along its length , is this correct or should it be straight?
My thinking is that the guide is slipping over or under the round bar which lies across the roof to lift the rear and jamming it.
Anybody else got any ideas or thoughts?.
Sorry its a long one folks . Any help greatly appreciated .

Thanks a lot John B y4424
J K Bowman

John, I hope someone with experience answers your query soon. I have a nicely re-upholstered sunroof ready to instal - BUT - in renewing the headlining in the sunroof, trimmer and I both overlooked the need to ease the guide or "centralising rod" (WSM page 259) into "the slot in the rear face". The slot appears to be just slightly to the passenger side of the centreline, and so I guess the procedure will be to make a small nick in my nice new headlining, in the rear edge area, in line with the slot. I do not know whether my original sunroof had a nick cut in it at manufacture, or a sewn "buttonhole" - can you say what you have in your sunroof material? I can find no mention of how the centralising rod enters the sunroof panel, in the archives or in other literature. I think for current or future restorers this will be worth clearing up.
Yours,
John.
J P Hall

Hi
you know my car ;-)
should i risk to open my sunroof
i know i had a little problem to turn around the handle too
i think it was the position of the roof
perhaps i find some time next dys to test it

also i have installed some rubber on both sides a D profile

last weekend i drove the car fist time about 80km/h fast
and it was really quite in side
look to my blog
inside i have material for insulation, it was a realy good idea

i will help you if i can
my english is not so good so sometime it is difficult to find the right words to explain it
FT Franz

Hi John
Mine was just trimmed around the opening for the guide ,nothing as exotic as a sewn in buttonhole. I gave it a mm or two around the hole so it cant get snagged into the slot . If your material is tacked each side of the slot at the rear of the roof it is no problem and when finished it is well out of sight under the rear of the roof.
For refitting i gave mine a smear of grease and with a rolled towel at the front to protect the roof, and me inside i could guide it in without getting grease on the new lining.
I would suggest you check the handle is in the open position ,dont ask why! and fit the two front slides before you try to slide it back.

Cheers John B y4424
J K Bowman

Although this article covers the removal of the sun roof, it may help cast some light on your refitting I hope.

https://www.mg-cars.org.uk/imgytr/technical.shtml#Sun_roof_removal_of

Paul
Paul Barrow

John B - do you have a sloop?? - or are you too young to remember the Beach Boys. Back to the sunroof - am I right that you made a cut in the sunroof lining near where the slot actually starts, which is about 65mm inboard from the rear edge? or did you cut at the rear edge where the ply strip is. It may not matter - but it's always good to learn from others.

Paul - yes, have spoken to Tony and read his article.

Franz - your willing offer appreciated. I wish I had not recently thrown away my old headlining, where there would have been a witness mark! Stupid, as I never normally throw anything away. Ask my wife.
John.


J P Hall

Hi John
Yes i do remember the Beach Boys and yes my nickname at one time was "Sloop". Moving on......
I fitted the lining to my sunroof as a whole making sure I tacked it into the wooden strip each side of the slot for the guide.
I then cut out a small panel in the lining the width of the guide and just to expose the opening . This does not effect the tension in the lining and is hidden behind the main roof lining when the roof is closed.
To go back to my original problem , it was caused by the runners at each side at the rear of the roof having got bent at the wrong angle at some point. A lot of adjust and trial fitting later and the back edge is fine .At the front edge the roof panel appears to be high left of centre, but level at the corners . I now find the fault lies with the roof panel over the windscreen which is malformed and i suspect was lead loaded at the factory to bring it up level.
We live and learn .Have fun
Regards John B
J K Bowman

Ha - thought so! If it makes you feel any better, I was dispatched to a boarding school in Suffolk in the 60s, where on account of my surname I was known as Albert. Better than Hall Minor, which was the other option.

Sunroof - THANK YOU - that extra bit of detail is what I have been seeking. It doesn't seem to rate a mention anywhere else, and is important to anyone retrimming their sunroof!
Importantly, and the subject of your Original Post (sorry) - I'm very glad you've identified the cause of your sliding/sticking problem. I know only too well how it "grates" when you can't find out WHY something is going on. Must come with the Car Restorer gene, given only to a select few.
Yours,
John H.
J P Hall

Hi John
After many months of farting about with the sunroof on mine, using almost every conceivable sealing concept short of witchcraft, my sunroof still leaked. As I was - and remain - desperate for the headlining to be replaced (waiting for slowest coachtrimmer in England, who's had the car since September - yes, September) we couldn't think of the lovely West of England cloth being spoilt. So, we've sealed it up. And we're also having a vinyl roof put on it, as it's of the era c.f. Riley RMA, RMB etc. So at least we know now that when she plays up in the rain, and we're sitting there like lemons, at least we'll be dry lemons.
Consequently, I should have a spare centralising rod available should you need one.
Owing to an incident on a stag do down the old Horninglow Mile in Burton-upon-Trent in the 80's - in those days we had fourteen pubs to tackle - when I attempted to catch a ball over my head it was observed by my so-called-mates that I had the resemblance of a moose, and the entire party fell about laughing at this jolly wheeze for some time, in fact much of the remaining evening during which time I had been rechristened "Moose", to which I am still referred to to this day. But to be fair to those dear lads, we were all rather sloshed.
We're having the headlining done so that you would never know that it had ever had a sunroof. Now I know that sealing it up might not appeal to the purists amongst us, but I'd be surprised if most of the scrapped Y types weren't scrapped because the sunroof failed.
All the best,
Andy
A J R Felthouse

Hi
your car has no garage ?
you use the car in the rain ?

i had dismanteled the hole car,
the problem was in the back there was the tube was installed,there was the hole for the water and all the rust was following the water

i think
if all tubes are installed correct you will not have a problem with the rain

only if petrus is really angry

don t close it
FT Franz

Good story, Moose.
Eerily, my old Uncle Cyril Campion, who picked me up at Whitsun in his YB, came from Burton on Trent. Small world.
Re. your sunroof - I sympathise and respect your decision. Franz is right about the common cause of leaking being the disintegrated drain tubes or the stubs themselves, but your solution is just another way of skinning the cat. The old RM Rileys and Rover coupes looked pretty cool with their vinyl roof - but be aware that they could also trap moisture underneath! Here's one for you to think about: fit a Webasto sliding sunroof as well - out of nostalgia I fitted one to my BGT, and it's superb. It would look fine on the Y, and does not invite leaking problems.
Back to the shed - very near the end of full restoration, and tackling recalcitrant trafficators - of course they worked perfectly on the bench ...!
John.
J P Hall

Hi, I just can't get to the bottom of why my sunroof leaks. Any ideas?

Mick Smith

Thank you Albert.
Not related to Alan Campion, who I played cricket with as a boy in Barton-under-Needwood? He'd be in his eighties now.
I have spoken to the coachtrimmer, Mossy, who used to fit Webastos for a living. He says that the aperture is too wide and will not continue with the curvature of the roof itself.
But if his information is as reliable as his timekeeping on this project ( "Six weeks" on 3rd September 2021, the lying hound) then it would have been an idea, if he hadn't just finished the headlining yesterday.
It is at times like these that I remember my Tennyson: " For all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: "It might have been""
Still, at least we'll be dry lemons.
All the best
Moose
A J R Felthouse

Hi Mick
mine was not so bad as this one

first i would cut out the blue part to see what is under it
then cut out the red part and make it new
;-)
can be done i think
and in future:
don t use the car often in the rain
my body was laying on the side when i have done it
look to my blog and you see some more




FT Franz

To the Great Moose of Burton under Garment: no idea about the various Campions - Cyril was in Harwich (HM Customs) for years, but fell off his perch years ago, would have been in his 90s by now. Lovely man.
John.
J P Hall

Hi Franz
Sorry, forgot to reply that our car has not been garaged since we bought it. We did try a tent, but it tried to escape one night in high winds and we decided not to bother again.
It is my ntention to use our car as much as we can, and that means wet weather and frost and what not, not that we're thinking about that right now. So, I fancid radials in winter and crossplies in summer. And hence the new thread on modern wheel possibilities.

Hi Mick
We're sealing ours up. Two years of my life have been taken up in trying to get the sunroof to not leak, and life's too short.
Thank you for the boot catch, but it disnae fit right.

To the Mighty Albert of the Land of the Queens, the Great Moose of Burton under Garment sends greetings.
A J R Felthouse

Hi Guys
I had a webasto in my MGB GT and I am not surprised it wont fit a y type . However since originality doesn't matter to you you may find a 1980's glass tilt/remove roof panel may appeal to you. I fitted a few of them in period and it wasn't difficult. Mark thrice and cut once and have a wee before you start cutting .

My YA first leaked for me in about 1971. I removed the rubber seal and found not a lot of metal so i applied copious amounts of filler and painted it with roofing sealant and no rubber seal.. Never leaked again .
Fast forward to recent proper rebuild and the bead blaster left me with hardly any front trough. Other three sides perfect so it was a pro welder , beyond my skill level.
Not been tried in the rain yet but I am optimistic ............ John B

J K Bowman

I have a good spare sun roof panel here in the US. Shipping will be expensive ... but there arent many about!

Paul
Paul Barrow

This thread was discussed between 06/03/2022 and 15/05/2022

MG MG Y Type index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG MG Y Type BBS now