Help with an electric sunroof needed on a 64 356C Coupe

[dan klauber]

My car has an electric sunroof and it is a 64C Coupe. Does anyone know how rare this option is and if these sunroofs typically work? Mine is not working and I need to find someone to fix the roof. Hopefully, I can find someone near Saint Louis, Missouri. Has anyone had any experience with eletric sunroofs? Do they normally work okay or are they a constant source of frustration? I think it is a rare option but I like things to work even if they are used on occasion. Thank you!

[Bruce Baker]

My car has an electric sunroof and it is a 64C Coupe. Does anyone know how rare this option is and if these sunroofs typically work? Mine is not working and I need to find someone to fix the roof. Hopefully, I can find someone near Saint Louis, Missouri. Has anyone had any experience with eletric sunroofs? Do they normally work okay or are they a constant source of frustration? I think it is a rare option but I like things to work even if they are used on occasion. Thank you!

The test is to find the thread on this Talk List of about a year or so ago where good information was provided and even diagrams were disseminated...I believe the main protagonist was Roy Lock.

There is fairly good info in the Workshop manual supplement.

Hey, my C had a sunroof and that worked great (but that was in '69...who knows how it would work today!)

Seriously, the electric roofs were also able to be manually operated and a special tool was provided in the kit. If the manual mode doesn't work, one or both operating cables may be broken. If the roof works manually and the motor works, it's usually the clutch. If the motor is dead....well.....that's a problem unless it's a fuse or a bad connection.

Unzip the headliner and see what's what ... it may be the universal short drive cable from the motor to the transmission that's kaput. Those roofs are not a CONSTANT source of frustration, they are just OLD and things wear or break. Fix 'em and they work again just fine.....and something somewhere else will break.....get used to it (At least it's not a gas heater...)

[Roy Lock]

Bruce, thanks for the plug.
I have a sunroof coupe. When I was driving it, I never had an issue with it. I had converted my car to 12v. The motor was out of a 911 sunroof coupe. As I recall, the motor is the same size and fit as a 6v motor.
There several issues with electric sunroofs.
If your battery is low, it will operate slowly if at all. It may need help.
If your cables out of adjustment, the same thing but also it may go back unevenly from side to side.
If your grease on the cables or pinion gears is old or not there, the samethings happen.
Make sure your drain tubes are clear of debris.
When driving on the freeways, I always opened the rear quater windows.

You can do a profile on my name and see all past postings on sunroof parts and system.

As Bruce says, there is a good source of information in the B/C Workshop manual.

[Bob Forman]

I'd like to ditto Dan's request except for the Seattle area. Anyone here you would trust to repair a reluctant sunroof. Mine goes back and forth well but will not close fully.

[Dick Weiss]

Over 10 years ago, I worked on a S/R gearbox which lost it's 'connection' between the gears due to a worn-out bushing for the output-mainshaft which 'moves' the cables.
I made a new bushing for it and it worked fine ever since; the car is somewhere eastward.
BTW, the bushing 'wore out the bore in the case which required a rebore for the eplacement oversized bushing diameter. Having a Unimat machine to do this=Priceless!

Dick

[Emil Wojcik]

And Dan, yes, it's a somewhat rare option and sunroof's bring a premium should you ever decide to sell. Well worth fixing.

[Richard Grant]

How long to replace sunroof gaskets

[Larry Brooks]

I've owned a few 356 electric sunroof cars over the years including one of the first factory built that came in a 1959 built 1960 356B. It was a different and a bit more complicated design with the motor in the engine compartment, but had the same problem that stops most of them - stuck drive cables.

The later design with the motors in front of the roof are really pretty simple. If it was my car I would take it apart, check, clean & lube the cables and test the motor and drive gear. If the motor isn't working there is a place in LA that can rebuild them. Fine tuning them isn't my favorite job, but I've always managed to get them working reliably.

[Tom Keating]

I had new cables installed a few years ago. I also had the gearbox cleaned out. Do not loose the button covering the handcrank hole. They are not available.
Look at the articles: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=45139 There are 2 small screws holding the panel holding the headliner to the panel. Some cars had them, some do not. My belief is they came from the factory with the screws.
If the short drive cable needs to be replaced, you will need the number on the end of the cable. They came in different lengths. I am thinking that a couple of vendors now offer them . Leoni's books have electrical diagrams etc... Also factory manual.
These guys did my sunroof motor a couple of years ago. https://eurtonelectric.com/contact..
Tom 64 SR coupe

[jule block]

I second don’t lose the button. I never had one and can’t find one. Would someone post pictures and dimensions as I have not been able to find mention of them. Maybe I can create one.
Jule

[Tom Keating]

Look around the older BMW or 60's Ford Thunderbird ads for Golde parts. You may find the button cover

[John Brooks]

Bob

Give me a call on your sun roof

John Brooks

[Brad Ripley]

Tom said Do not loose the button covering the handcrank hole. They are not available.
Correct, the rubber cover for the screw is NLA from Porsche.
For the record, numbers were:
Golde 488 434 689
Porsche 356 644-564-657-50
Porsche 911 901-564-663 05 Aase Sales may have this one $24.

[jule block]

Brad, thanks for part number and source
Jule

[Jeffrey Vogel]

when I had my S/R SC the roof was very slow, after checking and servicing the cable drive and motor connection, I found that without the inner panel it worked ,100% better. so I looked at the sliding tracks and eventually made a different inner panel of very thin flexible plastic that did not bind in inner track (saving the original panel of course). The S/R not only worked perfectly but I gained 1/2 of head room