1977 911S sunroof cable repair gone bad

[Orange911S]

I was told that the sunroof in my newly acquired 911 was "funky". That made me curious enough to try it out and proceed to jam it just enough that it would not close properly.

After reviewing a few posts and the technical articles. I pulled the sunroof apart and found that the plastic attachment that is connected to the drivers side cable and holds the small pivoting rod had broken. The one piece that I could find was jamming the track and kept the roof from closing.

This was a positive discovery. Next I had to figure out a way to put this piece in place and keep the rod in its groove so that the roof would open and close properly. The only means that I could think of to bind the metal and plastic was epoxy. I set the pieces and left it alone for a day. When I came back it looked like it had held but running the cable back and forth a couple of times, and having the piece hit the stop post in the channel knocked the epoxy job loose.

With no other options, for the time being, I set up another try of the epoxy and will come back to it tomorrow.

Now, I have a few questions...
Is this plastic piece integrated into the cable?

If so does it have to be replaced as a unit?

If yes, do I have to replace both cables at the same time?

And, are these cables available or do I have to retro fit something from a newer car?

Or, does anyone have a better idea for my lame epoxy fix?

Thanks, we're having a drought and that means good driving weather.

[sc_rufctr]

I'm sorry but the best solution would be to replace the whole cable assembly on the drivers side. It's OK to replace just that side if the other is fine.
That plastic piece is most likely nylon. I don't think the epoxy would stick to nylon.

Our host sells these for both sides. Porsche 911 Sunroof Parts - Page 1

But if you knew someone with a Mill they could mill you brand new ones out of a block of nylon.
It would take some time but certainly doable but I'm not certain of how the cable is attached within the block.

[john walker's workshop]

nothing you can do to fix the old style plastic sliders. the metal slider on the new cable needs to be ground down a bit so it will enter and slide in the aluminum rail. you also need to remove the fuzz on the cable so it doesn't drag severely in the rail. you would think they would make a cable for early and late cars, but no.

[Orange911S]

That is what I thought, but I lost sleep last night thinking up a MacGiver plan that just might work. I will post how it goes.

[Orange911S]

I ordered the replacement cable from our host and will make the repair this weekend.
Just in time for the rain to hit.