Taking the roof off

[Jackonicko]

How easy is taking the roof and frame off? How much trim do I need to remove? Is there a gumby guide anywhere?

[clemo]

difficult.
glued in at the rear.
hood straps.
front plastic cover may snap.

not a home diy job

[Jackonicko]

Sorry, I should have been more clear - I mean taking the whole roof off as one, including the hood, frame, header rail, etc.

J

I had understood that some trim needed stripping out first, but I gather (thanks R!) that even that may be unnecessary to access the four (?) bolts involved.

How easily can the clamps be removed from the header?

[Dave Eds]

In one piece it's not difficult, but you'll need help as it's heavy and cumbersome to lift on your own, and you risk damage to the bodywork of the car.

[Specky]

Dead easy...

unclip the front...

Remove the four bolts at the rear...

Roof off...

The clips are a five minute job to remove as well...

TTFN

[Jackonicko]

Thanks chaps! So the faff is in adjusting the fore and aft bolts to stop the rear part lifting at speed?

[Nige]

Jacko, Easy to take off as said, just 4 bolts in the B Posts to undo. At least a 2 person job to lift it clear of the car, helpful hint is to remove the aerial mast before you remove the roof as it gets in the way and you may also want to remove the rear deck (roof cover) to make access easier.

Most important thing of all though is to get 6 long bolts and fit them into the 6 roof adjustment bolt holes (fit locking nuts to hold them in position) as that will ensure the roof goes back on in the same position as it came off and will save hours of adjustment when you put it back on.

[Jackonicko]

Thanks, good tip.

It will, however, be a different roof going back onto the car.

[MattDon]

i tried this recently, and on off is easy, a little tip that helped me alot was to lower and clamp down the roof before tightening the bolts too much, the part im stuck with is adjustment, the newer roof isnt the same as the old one, it sits abit lower (ie less head height), the passanger side fits great but the driver side is a little too far out and the material is a bit loose. I didnt find it too difficult to remove myself, but it does help that im quite a big lad. be careful not to loose the nuts down the hole (like what i did )

[Nige]

Thanks, good tip.

It will, however, be a different roof going back onto the car.

In that case no worries.