The summer issue of The Star profiles a lovely '82 240D, and reprints the spec-sheet for the car as available on the US market.

They mention a MANUAL SUN ROOF in addition to the power one.

Has anyone seen a W123 with one of these? How hard would it be to retrofit into a dead power sunroof? The manual sunroof on a friend's fintail seemed a robust piece of work that would be hard to wear out.

Very curious.

I have a manual sunroof on my 81 300D parts car. I am thinking that would be a major job to swap with a power version. Don't really know.

Yup, my 84 300TD has (had -- she's now sold) one. VERY nice, if you ask me. I'd take manual over electric any day.

Chris

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

My 240D stick is manual sunroof/manual windows. The roof is fantastic. Just reach up , twist the handle, snap it back, twist to lock. Its done in one easy motion.

No cables or motors to worry about. Doesn't stick.
I wish they were all that way.

I haven't really looked at it but I don't think it would be hard to retrofit into an electric. Just need the donor car.

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

All of the 123 wagons have manual sliding roof mechanisms- there was no place to route the cable and house the motor in order to power it. I am glad!

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94 E320
71 350SL

The manual 123 sunroofs in the sedans is like the sunroof in the TD wagon, I haven't done a side by side comparison but conversion to a manual sunroof should be cake...

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Over 21 years I owned several:
w108
w110
w111
w115
w116
w123
w124
w126
w212

I looked at an old Euro sedan a few years back, and it had a manual sunroof...

My 240D is manual sunroof too. Just what rs899 says Just reach up , twist the handle, snap it back, twist to lock. Its done in one easy motion. No hassle and no worries !

Mine is an '82 240D Euro with a manual sunroof. Works great! It is a precision device and closes like a hatch in a a submarine.

mine is closed with silicone...caulk that is. maybe next year i replace everything. it was nice when it was open.

i had am 80 jetta with one of those smoked acrylic wind deflectors. are those still available? for the benz?

My td is manual of course and wouldn't trade it for the world.

My glass man tells me rust will form when silicone caulk is used on metal. He has seen silicone used in the installation of windshields resulting in rust only where the silicone was applied.

Just thought I'd pass the info along. Wouldn't want to see your sunroof rust

Cheers,

Bill

Sounds like all you guys like the manual sunroof. More power to you. I wouldn't convert my power roof.

Motors are not hard to come by, and the system is not hard to repair. Mine worked, but barely. I replaced the motor with no improvement. I took it apart and cleaned and lubed the cable and it works like a champ.

I used chassis lube so I will probably be doing it again next summer. do it right, use the right stuff and fergetaboutit for years.

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69 220D not running
79 240D parts car
80 240D Beater runs everyday
81 300TD temp disabled cooling problem
82 300SD sweet

The electric sunroof in my wife's 300D is slow and gummed up, despite replacing the cable and using gleitpaste. The manual in the 240D is head and shoulders easier to use and more precise. As someone said above, its a precision instrument, like closing the hatch on a sub.

I really hadn't even given a thought to converting the 300D to manual until this thread popped up. But the next time I see a manual sunroof in the boneyard, I will take a look and see what needs to be done to effect the change. I think its not much more than the handle mechanism.

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

I have a powered sunroof in my w123 coupe. 2 door.

However the cable is kinked and no longer available anywhere. Can't use the sedan 4 door one unfortunately.

Any advice ?

I have the power sunroof in my 83 240D. It's been closed and weather tight since I bought the car a few years ago. I will not tempt fate and try to open it. At least, not until every single other "issue" with the car has been addressed (which will probably be never).
IMHO, the sunroof was the most idiotic option ever designed for any car.
"Hey guys, I have a great idea, let's put giant hole in the roof (directly above the driver and passenger) and seal it with a sliding panel of metal or glass. What could possibly go wrong?" SMH