Removing roof assemblies

Guys,
on my 94 wagon, the roof structure of my car starts to rot. Unfortunately, I´ve no garage, the car is outside all the time. Now I want to remove all assemblies to make them clean, remove moss and mud deposits underneath, clean and polish the roof, put some conservation on it.

Could you tell me some advices about this work? Are there any risks to damage parts alike clips, seals or other plastic parts what are difficult to source? What time should I take into account? Which parts has to be removed first? Do I have to remove something from inside the car with removing the roofliner ( what I definitly don´t want to do)?


Thanks a lot for your advices!

The vista roof on the Buick does not allow for removal of the rack. There is a support for the rear of the window that will leave an unfinished area. The option you have is to remove the vista window and replace the area with a piece of sheet metal. The rack is held down with screws into "rivnuts" along the sides. The rivnuts often will spin in the roof instead of the screw turning out. There are no more of the rivnuts. The center strips are held down by wellnuts. The roof has ribs under the center strips. You can get the wellnuts. If you decide to remove the vista window, you will need a headliner from a Caprice wagon because you will not have the window and trim for the hole. If you are removing the headliner, you will be removing most of the upper interior parts, including the rear reveal. The small locks that look like Phillips head screws in the reveal are nearly impossible to find, and the clips are easy to damage. There is probably more, but you are looking at a monumental job.

Fred's right - a major pitb. I had asked a different Fred about dealing with the inevitable rust on the roof and just wanted to remove the black strips in the center and he said because of the way they're attached, if you don't first remove the headliner inside, the screws will just spin and not come out. So if you need a new headliner, it's a great time to do both jobs.

Let me clarify the situation.

The rivnuts on the rails are riv nuts, and will often spin in the body instead of the screw coming out. They are metal, and act like a pop rivet with threads in the center. They will often push through after removal of the screw. If while Removing the side rails, the Rivnut spins, you will have to remove the headliner to replace it/them. You can get oversize Rivnuts with larger diameter screws, but the originals are no longer available.

The ones in the center are Wellnuts. Wellnuts are rubber, and will come out while twisting them, or prying them, but they leave a large hole. You can get Wellnuts, and replace them with little effort. You do not have to remove the headliner.