A friend of mine picked up a wrecked 2nd gen 4runner with a sunroof recently. I'm wondering if it would be worth stripping the sunroof parts and headliner out of it and trying to get them installed in my 2nd gen (which currently doesn't have a sunroof). At first glance, it looks like it would be a major PITA. Just wondering if anyone here has done this, and what would be involved? Is this even worth considering?

 

I would readily say no. I have a sunroof, but I guarantee installing it would be a huge PITA, like you said, and it would probably never be perfectly watertight.

It isn't just the window, there's a loong plastic compartment that goes behind it where the window slides into. Then you have to install condensation drains from those out to the rear.

I also really doubt you'd be able to cut the roof accurately enough to prevent leaks. And mounting the actuating hardware would also be pretty difficult, you'd have to weld onto sheet metal upside-down. Not easy.

If you really want a sunroof, I'd say put a new body on there.

 

My dad put a sunroof on his 79 pickup. Although it wasnt a sliding one. Just a split kind with the pop up windows. It never leaked though.

 

just spitballin here, but if ur friend is SUPER nice, he might let you cut out (if you have a plasma torch) the area around the sunroof / plastic storing area and then cut the corresponding area out of ur 4runner, and then just weld the puppy in and wire it up and BOOM, u got urself a sunroof that will guarenteed have no leaks.

don't know if it would work, but it sounds feasible if u got the right tools.

 

I thought about it for maybe a minute and then realized that not only will it probably or eventually leak, but its also another thing that can break or be broken. That's probably the only factory option that I won't install on my 2nd gen. Now all I need is the swing out tire carrier (or to make one) and I'll be happy until I can afford a locker.

 

That seems like alot more work...

 

There is another option just cut the whole roof off... cut the a/b/c/d pillars and lift her right off... make sure your cuts are square take it and yours to a good body man and have him pull the old switch-eroo... but this would be mucho expensive...

 

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions. I'm thinking it's going to be more work than it's worth for me to put in the factory sunroof. I'm think I may pass on it altogether, or maybe as a compromise, I might install just the headliner with the sliding sunshade built in, and have someone install an aftermarket popup sunroof over it. I won't have the nice electric factory sunroof but at least I'll have a setup with a sunshade that looks OEM from the inside...