Leaking Sunroof

dcurtis

10 Year Member
Jan 19, 2006
688
7
39
Does anyone know of a place to get the sunroof weather striping for less than 150.00 plus shipping, I need the one that goes on the glass and the only one I have found is around 150.00 plus shipping, I really on't want to pay that much for a piece of rubber.
 
eBay, perhaps?

You might give some of that flowable silicone sealant a shot before blowing the cash on new weatherstripping. Grab a tube from any auto parts place for less than $5 and use the screw-on tip to get it as far in there as you can. It's worked for me in the past for leaky windshields and such. Just make sure you get a nice, even, solid bead in there. You might have to re-apply it a time or two right after it cures because it can sometimes leave little gaps when the silicone flows down or gets sucked down into the joint, but otherwise, it wouldn't hurt to try before spending the big bucks.

Also, you can buy some of that butile ribbon sealant like they use for windshield installations, unbolt the sunroof, scrape all the old gunk off, carefully lay a bead of that stuff around the top and bottom halfs (or heck, even a thick bead of RTV might work), and see if that works.

Anything more than $50 for weatherstripping is kinda nuts, IMO ... but then, my car's kind of a beater, so I'm not quite so anal about details like that. :D
 
who said anything about unbolting?

I don't think the silicone will work...i'm nearly positive it won't since the seal on the glass has probably rotted and is falling apart...mine was.

I got my new weatherstripping kit (glass weatherstrip + the part that goes on the car to glass) as a kit from 50resto.com. Here is a link: http://www.50resto.com/products.aspx?searchkey=sunroof&category=MMUSTANG, Scroll to the bottom of the page. Mine for the glass was trim to fit (no big deal), but the one for the body was NOT trim to fit (I got the $89.00 kit.)

HOWEVER, if you don't need the inside weatherstrip (my old one was fine), I would suggest not getting the inside (car to glass) one...at least not from 50resto. The one I got was about an inch short and it doesn't fit all the way around, so there's a gap that's noticeable on the inside of the car. I'll reinstall my old one and trash the new one when my headliner goes back in. The glass strip has been on for about 4 months and seems to be fine so far.

The hole for my factory sunroof is a little off, so the weatherstripping (new or old) doesn't fit right up against the corners very well, so water gets down in there. The car was designed for that however, which is why it has the drain holes down in there to drain water to the ground if it gets past the weatherstripping. HOWEVER, I found that, although my drain lines are working, water was seeping inside the car and leaking around my trim. You know the little yellow things that the little prongs for the sunroof slide into? Water was getting in there and leaking down into the car. I found that out after I pulled my headliner and went and washed the car and watched where the water came in at. I then removed the yellow things and used silicone on them and put them back. I have yet to get the car back out as I broke a piece to the sunroof, but I will have it back out shortly and I anticipate no leaks.

You may have a similar issue. Unfortunately, you have to remove the headliner to get at the yellow things. I can take pics if you need me to.
 
while we are on the subject, does anyone know if a sunroof was an option on the '93s. I have one in my hatch (leaks like hell, pisses me off), and people tell me it couldn't of been a factory job because they didnt have that option in 93. etched into the glass is some name plus 1992 so if its not factory it was sure as hell done as soon as the car was bought..
 
My Mustang Red Book indicates that there was a flip-up sunroof available on the 1993's as well. Who told you there wasn't?

Here are some pics of mine (mine is factory 100%):

Here's the glass w/ new weatherstrip:
pic.php


If your "hole" cut in the roof is rolled and looks like this, it's probably factory:
pic.php


Here are the yellow things I'm talking about that the water seeps in through:
pic.php


As you can see, I removed mine, scraped the gasket, and reinstalled w/ silicone:
pic.php

Note, Be sure and get a good amount of silicone on the bottom portion...I think that's primarily where the water gets in.

50resto is GREAT, but the body weatherstrip in their $89.00 kit was not long enough. I didn't trim it at all, I just put it on:
pic.php

Note:The Glass weatherstrip is great. Mine was trim to fit, which is not a big deal. 50resto has super fast shipping and generally is a good place to get parts. This is the first issue I've had and I DID NOT contact them as I'll just reuse my old one since there's nothing wrong with it.
 
while we are on the subject, does anyone know if a sunroof was an option on the '93s. I have one in my hatch (leaks like hell, pisses me off), and people tell me it couldn't of been a factory job because they didnt have that option in 93. etched into the glass is some name plus 1992 so if its not factory it was sure as hell done as soon as the car was bought..

They were a factory option but maybe your car didnt originally come with one and a previous owned had an aftermarket one installed.
Ive seen aftermarket sunroofs on fox bodies before.
The glass is a different shape and size than the factory sunroof.
 
Another good tip for making the sunroof leak free is to CLEAN THE DRAINHOLES!!

There are 4 of them on each corner. They tend to clog with debris the the water drains slowly or not at all. They the water backs up into the "moat" and you get leaks through old weatherstripping.

Make sure all 4 lines are clear. Blow them out with compressed air or run something down them. Pour some water in and make sure it drains quickly.

If you get all the drains working properly, that usually takes care of all the leaks. They require periodic maintainence. I just shoot some compressed air down them ever now and then to clear them.

With that, new weatherstripping and sealing the yellow slots up, my sunroof is leak free.



As for sunroof numbers, they were available on all 79-93 Mustangs and were available on early 79-82 coupes. I've seen a coupe with a factory sunroof...really weird looking.
 
I guess mine was an aftermarket piece, then. Totally different design. I was under the impression, before, that I'd been running a ruined factory sunroof before I yanked it out and put in an all-new (and larger) one...
 
This is the reason so many of us argued with dealers back then. The two I bought new had to be hardtops, one I ordered, but the dealer had my second one, just like I wanted, but with a sunroof. He gave me 17 reasons why it was so hard to get one without, but I didn't want to get rained on in five years, made him search, get what I wanted. Those things are a hole in the roof, no matter how you cover it.