How to rebuild the roof on a Freelander 1 - pictures

<span>Removing the glass: The black plastic trims are prised off at each side to expose the screws holding the glass panel. The glass frame is seriously rusted.</span>

<span>The three Torx screws holding the glass roof’s metal frame to each side are badly rusted and cannot be removed.</span>

<span>The roof panel will have to come off using unconventional means. We start by tilting the roof and pulling the seal off from the rear.</span>

<span>The rusted frame under the glass roof has lost its bond with the glass, as such we can easily separate the two at the rear.</span>

<span>The right side and front of the glass is also carefully prised from its rusted frame – the glass is bonded only to the rust.</span>

<span>The left side bonding was intact. Steve sliced through it using cheese wire – sawing from inside to outside of the frame.</span>

<span>With the glass removed, the rusted frame was still attached to the lifting mechanisms on each side, and would have to come off somehow</span>

<span>One screw did release after soaking in easing fluid and carefully working it back and forth to avoid dislodging the threaded insert behind.</span>

<span>The other five screws were rusted solid, so Steve used the angle grinder with cutting disc to cut the roof frame from the lift mechanisms.</span>

<span>The remains of the steel backing frame for the sunroof glass could now be lifted off, and discarded with the old glass.</span>

<span>That still left a strip of metal around each screw, which we used to lever the screw round. Now the screws turned, but they weren’t undoing…</span>

<span>… because the screws are threaded into these brass inserts set into the plastic lift mechanisms – they’d loosened and started spinning.</span>

<span>The only answer is to fit new lift mechanisms before installing the new roof frame – if only it was that simple, but here goes.</span>

<span>Removinf the lift mechanisms: To access the motor behind the headlining, the sunroof surround trim is prised off, allowing a slight drop in the headlining.</span>

<span>The centre lens is sprung out of the lamp housing, and two 8 mm AF bolts removed. Wiring is unplugged as the lamp is released.</span>

<span>Now we see the sunroof motor. The assembly is held by three Torx25 screws. This one is accessible through the lamp aperture.</span>

<span>To fully remove all three screws, we gently pull the headlining down and work through the gap using this cranked Torx key.</span>

<span>The motor is now lowered away from the cables’ gearbox, in which we see one of the two cables. The motor rests on the headlining.</span>

<span>Before removing the lift mechs, rust debris is picked out with a screwdriver and mopped up using a magnet and vacuum cleaner.</span>

<span>With the lift mechs pushed to open position, the wind deflector front corners are pulled back, then lifted to unhook the wire stays.</span>

<span>With the lift mechanisms pushed to tilt position, these two Torx20 screws are removed from the rear corner of each lift mech.</span>

<span>When removing the outer screws, there is a cam located under the head, which needs to be prised outward and saved for reuse.</span>

<span>At each front corner, two screws are removed from the cable guide plate before prising the plate loose and storing for later.</span>

<span>The frame is now prised away slightly to release the tab (arrowed) on the inner side of each mechanism, freeing the mech.</span>

<span>The mechs, with attached drive cable, are removed while firmly holding the cable tube (bottom left) to prevent it pulling out.</span>

<span>Fitting the lift mechanisms: Britpart supplies Genuine Land Rover lift mechs (part number EFI100021 (RHS), EFI100031 (LHS), costing £130 each including VAT.</span>

<span>When fitting the new lift mechanisms, it’s important to ensure the cable tube is not pushed into the body, or its grommet dislodged.</span>

<span>The cable is fed down the tube towards the sunroof motor, as the lift mechanism is lowered into its position on the roof tray.</span>

<span>When seating the lift mechanisms, the tabs need to be engaged under the edge of the sunroof frame at each side.</span>

<span>With the lift mechanism in position, the raised collar on the cable tube should locate in this groove in the lift mech base.</span>

<span>The guide plate is refitted, ensuring the groove in the underside of the guide (inverted here) locates over the raised collar on the tube.</span>

<span>The screws are now refitted, with these cams under the rear outers. Then the motor, interior light and headlining are refitted.</span>

<span>Finally, the surround trim is refitted from above, where it is easier to locate the clips into the steel roof frame – rear edge first.</span>

<span>Fitting the glass roof panal: The new steel underframe (replacing our rusted item) and glass are supplied as a Genuine part one-piece bonded assembly.</span>

<span>The glass and bonded frame are fitted from the top, tipping up at the rear to position the front edge first, then gently lowering.</span>

<span>With the panel seated, the six screws are entered through the steel frame and lightly screwed into the lift mechs.</span>

<span>After checking and adjusting on top to confirm the glass panel was level at the corners, the six screws were fully tightened.</span>

<span>Finally, the finishing strips were refitted over the screws on the roof frame. Luckily, they clipped on, despite the larger screw heads.</span>