Astro Roof/Sunroof Problems - A tough Decision

[Daniel Sanchez]

Hi All,
I own an 84' Buick GN with the factory astro roof, the power roof still works however the glass will not seal all the way leaving me with a leak. I went ahead and bought a weather strip seal a few months ago and decided I was going to take it to a pretty well known local shop to get it adjusted and new seal back on.

Well I got some bad news that they need some replacement parts....You know the ones that are all discontinued? haha ''/. So they are looking just as hard as I am for parts they weren't specific yet on what they need so I assume it's a lot (possibly whole assembly?).

They got her tore down and the only other recommendation they could come up with is unplugging the switch (to prevent accidents) and sealing her up good and tight so there will no longer be any leaks. It's sad but this might be the only way for now for budget reasons and seeing how rare these Astro roofs for ALL the G-bodys are. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions let me know..
Thanks in advance!

 

[LEGACY_GN]

Every once in a while one comes up for sale in the parts section. I almost bought a complete working unit for $200 but the shipping was too much.

 

[87_we4]

Ttaowner has a complete one forsale

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[baby6]

Have the same problem with mine. Let me know what you figure out.....You probably need a whole pan is it is most likely rusted out and they are trippin'.

 

[1987GNASTROROOF]

I also own a cf5 GN and I bought I astroroof as a spare,but I only have the glass and where it sits I don't know if this will help you. LMK.


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[Daniel Sanchez]

Thanks for the replys guys. Still waiting on to hear back from them. And yeah probably is rusted pretty good and they are trippin which is a good thing I guess haha. I will let you know what I find out.

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[Heisenberg]

Easy. Sort of.

1 - Be patient - you may not solve this overight
2- If you're going to drive in the rain, or your car sets outside, invest in A) some Green 2" Gator paint tape and seal it - or B) a small felt lined tarp just large enough to cover your roof while you go to plan B
(Big Lots I think - or wherever)

PLAN B
1 - Since you're not asking a specific "General Tech" question", but it sounds as if you are really asking "who has or where can you get a replacement AstroRoof assembly" I recommend that you move your post to "Parts Wanted"
2 - You don't say what "parts" the unit needs
It's not all that common for the mechanisms to fail, but I suppose.
Is it simply a motor? I am guessing not since you would have said that.
But you probably won't have any success in trying to buy any of the individual internal parts - it's going to be a whole unit - or bust. Usually.

You sure about that "not sealing"? - (assuming it's on one corner - which is typical of them) - that it needs "parts" and not just an experienced hand?
IMHO - I think it needs tweaking (not twerking! ) - but judging you are in FL, and the car may have seen life outside - it's possible it has some internal issues from rain / rust.

You don't say what they are - but you could post up some pictures of the suspect problem pieces.
Is your headliner down and you can get a good look at the Astro Roof unit?
You'd be surprised at how much abuse that pan can take from the weather.
Where they tend to rot is right at any of the 4 corner drain points, those little tubes that are brazed onto the pan that get clogged with gunk . But that is a super easy fix.

Me - I'd pull it, (it's all of about 10 little screws and speed nuts; 4 rubber hose clamps and the wire + a friend!); then buy a small piece of smoked or clear lexan for the hole in your roof and seal that temporarily; get the unit up on saw horses, , then go to work on the Astro Roof unit. Start learning. Get a battery and charger, hook it up - and see what's what.
Remember, if you go that route, don't go running the motor back and forth continuously. You will burn it up with out over current protection. Wait a period of time before going open to closed.

I have seen the used units pop up more than a time or two

I recently bought a 1985 WH1 Astro roof parts car, (From Jacksonville - sorry too late kid) and removed the whole unit for a future spare.

- Either James (ttaowner) or Bob surely have one.
- Bob's recent post = http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/th...ots-of-brand-new-parts-fillers-head-l.399337/
- Contact bweavy at Gbodyparts.com - he has a boneyard of cars, and a whole building of parts.

- Keep looking in your FL CrazyList ads, even for Regular Regals. You guys seem to have a ton of parts cars down there.
- Hit the boneyards - and the online used parts sites - hard.

As far as shipping, when you find a unit, try uShip and keep posting until you get a bid that works for you.
It's a pretty easy item to slide into a spare space for someone running to Florida.
Just ask who ever is shipping the unit to cover the glass with cardboard. They scratch very easily. And / OR - have the shipper pack it in a 2x6 "box" - with a couple of `1x4"'s across where they can screw the unit into to protect the pan and the drain tubes.
If you need the shipping weight, you can PM me - or weigh yours if you take it out.

All that said - you mentioned "budget reasons" - and unless you can get an experienced AstroRoof hand to tweak it, and you really do need to buy a unit (for replacement or parts) - it won't be cheap.
But nothing on these cars really is.

Hope this gives you some hope.
No - you don't go welding it shut.
That's crazy talk!