Sunroof drive apparatus and related sunroof assemblies for use with vehicles

An assembly for a sunroof of a vehicle, comprising:

• a sunroof panel;
• a rail extending in a length direction of the vehicle, the rail including multiple guide channels to receive and guide movable sunroof components;
• a guide block attached to a part of the rail between a first end of the rail and second end of the rail opposite to the first end;
• a bracket beneath the sunroof panel and supporting the sunroof panel, the bracket including a first end and a second end opposite to the first end that is a pivot point of the bracket, the bracket configured to pivot about the pivot point relative to the rail to change a state of the sunroof;
• a link in the rail removably connected to the guide block, a first end of the link pivotably coupled to a part of the bracket between the first and second ends of the bracket, the link including a first pin positioned at an intermediate portion of the link;
• and
• a drive shoe in the rail slidably coupled to the link, the drive shoe having a link-facing surface and a first slot extending into the link-facing surface, the first slot having a first section, a second section, and opposed first and second walls extending along the first and second sections along an interior of the first slot, the first slot being configured to receive the first pin and guide the first pin along the first slot to control an angular motion parameter of the link, the drive shoe also including a link support shoulder projecting away from the link-facing surface in a direction toward the link, the link support shoulder having an edge extending coplanar to and intersecting the first slot first wall along at least a portion of the first slot first section.