I pulled out my sunroofs AND drain tubes since they were still intact and preferred not to risk breaking them off their plastic nipple things. I didn't realize how tricky it would be to reinstall them down the a-pillar. SO, after scouring the internets and coming up short, figured I'd share what I did for any future searchers to hopefully find and improve upon.

I ended up running a fish tape from the hole the door wiring harness runs through, up through the a-pillar and out the top of the hole near the roof. I taped the fish tape and tube together, then ran it back down and out the wiring harness hole, then disconnected the fish tape and folded the remaining bit of the tube back into the harness hole. All good and drains great! It helps to have a [willing and able wife] pushing the tube through while someone else pulls the fish tape out the harness hole.

Really important... you can't/shouldn't do this with steel fish tape. For one, the steel will scratch the paint inside the a-pillar...which you won't be able to repair if rust begins to form as a result... and also the end of the fiberglass fish tape - which you should use instead of steel - is more of a bullet shape rather than a hook, so it's easier to slide forward AND backward. It won't get caught or stuck like a hooked end would.

 

You sir, deserve a noble prize. I have been looking for months to find a solution, then I find this nugget of wisdom. Thank you.

 

Haha glad it helped!

 

I literally just finished my new headliner, and with it, I removed and resealed my sunroofs and purposefully snapped off the plastic nipples, drilled out the holes, and threaded in brass hose barbs. It never crossed my mind to attempt to save the plastic fittings - there is simply too much at stake once you put in the effort needed to replace a headliner. Good on you for getting yours done. While I was there, I installed 4 12v slim LED pucks. The interior lighting is excellent now.

 

I tried running the fish wire but it only went a certain length then got stuck, but because of what you showed me I decided to pull the pipe as I would be able to run a new one. I appears that the vehicle had been repaired in the past and a welder worked near the end of the pipe, melting the end almost shut

 

DUDE. That’s insane. Gosh ya just never know the history of some of these cars.

 

Hi there, what size brass fittings did you use?

 

I believe that it was 3/8 Barb x 1/4 NPT Male Pipe fitting. I picked up a few sizes to get the best fit with the drain line. I used a hose clamp for the line and drilled out the plastic corner/nipple piece to accept the threaded hose barb, then siliconed it as I threaded it in. I ran ample amount of water over the sunroofs to check for leaks. I also resealed the sunroofs to the roof. Be sure to blow some low pressure air through the drain lines to ensure that they are clear of obstructions.