83ho86tpi

I gave up trying to re-seal my t-tops after the 5th friggin time! I am a diy mechanic but the t-top leaks are rediculious. I cant even get anyone to install new ones and give me a warranty, I called 7 places today and they told me "no way! we dont do them". I consider myself above the amature mechanic since I have restored several cars and in the past I have worked for a repair shop, I had to swallow a lot of pride when I called for a bid to fix it, I have not had to ask anyone to help me fix a car for 7 years! The Shops here seemed proud to announce that they did not do that kind of work, I mean its stupid and sucks if i cant even pay someone to do it. I have read various articles on to put them in, well, I have not got it to work yet! It leaks in at least 1 of the 4 corners each time. Im gonna give it one last try and try to close off the gaps at the 4 corners before sealing it up realy good with something like winshield or roof sealant. I swear if i get this to work I will tell everyone that I am a mechanical fix-it ***!! I just wanted to share my frustrations and see if anyone-else is going through the same bs. If I conquer this thing I will put it on my website with instructions to help others.

napalmdemos

I now your frustation, I also had this problem that the old seals was leaking so I replaced them with new and it still leaked. I decided to use silicone under the new weather stripping.
The stuff is called GE household glue, its dries clear doesnt shrink ,waterproof,and flexable. Looks good and doesnt leak at all (even when I take it through the auto wash in town).
Hope this helps

83ho86tpi

I bought some GE black siliconeII best quality sealent for outdoors. Im gonna re do it this weekend, one last try. Thanks for the sealent recommendation.

rocky383

Good luck. I know that can be a bitch.

dankhound

My t tops only leaked when i first got them. One thing i didnt notice about them thou is the fact that they actually seem to stick to the seals after about a week. One thing i dont do is clean my seals. They were very clean when i got the car and they leaked but after awhile they got dirty and never leaked. Might want to try that. GL

bnoon

All that means is that whatever leaks you had are now clogged with rust causing dirt and grime. Good job.

83ho86tpi,

My original 1986 seals leak only by the window where the T-top seal meets the A and C pillar seals, and even then only if it's hit from the under side at close range with a power washer... I had to remove and reseal them though...

I used the GM silicone sealant too. I put down a good layer near the corners of the seals where they meet the body, and where every little nook and cranny that I though water could get to. I applied the sealant to both the body of the car and to the seals themselves. It took two tries to get it sealed right. It seems that the two rearward, inner edge seals were the worst offenders and took the most goop to seal. Good luck!

5150RS

I went through the same thing with my t-tops. They didn't leak when I bought the car. But after about 6 months they started leaking on the corner in the back. So I took it to the local chevy dealership they said they could fix it with ease. I got the car back and it still leaked and also started leaking on the front corner as well. So they re did it for free. The first time cost alot of money!!
I got it back again it still leaked. This continued for about 3-4 more times. Then the last time I took it in they said the problem is the car had rust under the seals. Which was why it kept leaking. They gave me a rough estimate of $2500 to fix it. Which I am not gonna pay. This spring I am gonna go to a few body shops to see how much they will charge to fix the rust and replace the strips. But like you said I'm sure they will be like , yeah we will put the strips in but if they still leak it's your problem.
So I don't know what to do either I love my car and I love my t-tops but the leaking is about to drive me crazy. I have been thinking of trying to put new strips in on my own. But I'm not sure if I can do it.

3GTAs1TA1Z28

To replace the t-top weather stripping try checking at This site
http://www.yearone.com/serverfiles/f...ain2.asp?cat=g
That should take you right to the page if not go to www.yearone.com and enter the site click links on the lright then there should be a logo for third and fourth gens click that then on the left click body then weather stripping its like $30 or so

As far as replacing the actual T-tops get in touch wth Safelite auto glass they got mine (expensive at $750 each) but they can get them

84 1LE

iTrader: (9)

Heres how i fixed my old seals.Worked really good for some 5 years B4 i installed new seals.Take some thin plastic(blister pack type)or thin board.I used bilister pack.Cut 4(1 for each corner that leaks) templates to match the shape of the corner seal.Wrap masking tape on both sides of template(silicone wont stick to masking tape).Position template in front of corner seal leaving a gap from 1/16-1/8(gap should be just slightly more than the gap between your t-top & body corner seals).Fill the gap between corner seal & template w/black silicone.Wrap masking tape around corner seal & template so silicone doesnt leak out.Let it set overnight.after silicone cures remove masking tape & carefully remove template.The silicone should stick to the corner seal ,but not the masking tape.If needed fill any pinholes/imperfections.Let that cure also.Afterwards reinstall your tops & check for gaps/fitment/leaks.Do this for any other leaking corners.It worked very well for my C&C t-tops.Till i found some one that sold new C&C kits.

83ho86tpi

Im redid my t-tops but have not water tested em yet. im going to have to test them tomorrow even though it will only get to like 38* tomorrow temp. I was going to wait for warmer weather to mess with the ta but the brake master cylinder started to leak on my daily driver today, not good!!! Its leaking where it bolts to the brake booster on my riviera, thats going to be a pain to fix/replace and work with the picky ABS. I will opt to try and take the ta out of storage if it does not leak and save the riv to fix for another day when I have more time. I feel pretty confidant that redoing the entire ta t-tops seal with GE silicone fixed it. I hope I dont jinx it by bragging about the job i think i did. It would totaly suck to have 2 cars but not be able to drive either one.

83ho86tpi

Its all good, the seal is watertight! Heres how I did it. 1) clean off t-top rubber seal and the place where it mounts on the car. I used a razor and screwdriver to remove the big goo pieces and a stiff nylon bristle brush / hard toothbrush with gasoline to remove the rest of the old glue on the sills (time consuming process). (you may want to use something other than gas if you have real nice paint) 2)remove t-top black t-bar and clean under there. I cleaned off the little rust and repainted the t-bar at this point. I made a rectangle seal around the t-bar out of "liquid nails roof repair with silicone" 2$, waited 1/2 hour for it to dry a little and then lightly screwed the bar on a little. I put the liquid nails stuff on the t-bar where it seals to the t-top rubber, im sure GE silicone would also work fine here but I was afraid id run out of it. I then used the "GE silicone II black for window/door 6$ to make 2 beads around 1/2 inch, 1 was under the inside t-top lip (horizontal surface, next to the body) and the 2nd wad in the t-top sill (bottom of vertical surface), the beads should be close enough that they will wind up touching eachother when you squeeze the t-top rubber seal in place. I made sure to fill up the gaps in the middle by the t-bar with the GE and then screwed the bar down all the way. I did the entire roof sills then with the GE and then put the rubber t-top seal in the first side I started on, since it had dried some. Make sure you get the rubber lips to fit in the slots. I then used what was left of the GE stuff to fill in all the body to rubber t-top seal gaps that I saw, especialy in the corners. Then when I was done I put the t-tops in a garbage bag (to keep them clean and from sticking) and set them in place WITHOUT locking them in place. This squeezes out the excess silicone, push them in place and LEAVE them on. You should be able to see that some of the silicone bead has come out everywhere. I let it dry for a day or two and them carefully trimmed the excess off with a razorblade to make it flush with the body / rubber. It might have looked better if I had used my finger to smooth out the excess instead of using thew razor afterwards. Im sure it wont leak as long as you make sure you can see that there is a complete seal of silicone between the body and rubber. Some light rubbing compound removed the excess silicone film I got on my paint.

Marc 85Z28

iTrader: (3)

All I did was install a new GM weatherstrip kit. No sealing or adhesive

Worked wonders for me...

Abubaca

iTrader: (3)

I did mine.

Completely removed the old stuff. THAT was a pain! The stripping was easy, but all the residue took a few hours. I then dry fit the new weatherstripping. I HIGHLY recommend this, because it's not as easy as you think to see how it all fits. Once you see how it lines up, you can go back and lay down your sealant. (I used 3M weatherstrip sealer, as recommended by the kit). I used a 2" putty knife to work the inner parts of the seals down....until you've done it, I know that part doesn't really make sense!!!

...anyway, it works GREAT now. NO WATER! I know that I NEVER want to do it again though. I'd also tape off the windshield supports/A pillars, and the upper portions of the "B" pillars. That adhesive is bee-otch to get off!

Keep in mind that if the car is old, the natural flexibility of the frame may have twisted the car.....and you may never get a good seal. My buddy had an 86 Monte Carlo SS and you could actually see into the car the gaps where so big! He raced the heck out of it though.....that might of helped

83ho86tpi

Hey Marc, thats awesome that yours was that easy! I wish mine was. You might want to remove the black plactic trim pieces that run along the sides of the window to see if your car will REALY leak or not. You will know what 4 pieces I am talking about because each one has a hole in the top where the t-top latch goes through. I found out these pieces will catch any leaks or drips in the 4 corners and channel the leak down the side of the body trim where you will never see it. The bad thing about them is that some of the water can also drain to the side of your door interior skin and go even lower to the underneath of your carpet without you knowing it. Then it just rots there. I saw it hapen on my car the first time I redid and water tested it. Im not trying to make you parinoid, I just think its worthwhile for people to check that out. I just wanted to REALY make sure its water tight before I put all my new interior parts in. Its my opinion that a LITTLE water drainage there is ok as long as its minimal and does not reach your other interior parts. Good luck man! I dont claim to be great at fixing this (5 trys is not great), I hope my experience can help others. Im just glad that I got that nightmare fixed!!! :lala:

83ho86tpi

Also thanks for the posts from everyone to keep me motivated to get it done.:yourock:

CaysE

Back from the dead...

Marc, how did you install that kit without adhesive?

camaro88sc

hey guys, my and my dad just tried fixing my t-top leak 2day. We first took off all the weather stripping, then cleaned it with razor blades(took a while). Once we got it nice and clean we dry fitted it and figured out were we wanted to put beeds of adhesive. So then we got started with the adhesive. Now 2morrow we are gana test it to see if it leaks still(the leak has been driving me crazy) I hope it worked

3gc

Would anyone be willing to show with an editor where the problem areas are that need more adhesive? I'm ordering new seals tomorrow and should be installing it in a week or so, and i want to get it done right the first time.

Morley

Ihe purple arrows are the corners at the T top trim, be sure to fill them with Silicone (black) so no water can seep from one side to the other.

The blue arrows are where the roof rails end and the rear window seal retainers begin. These will also need a sealer in all of the nooks and crannies after the seal is glued in place.
I used Permatex Ultra Black Weather strip adhesive on mine and am VERY happy with the results. I ran out of it when it came time to do the new trunk weather strip and all I could find at the parts store was 3M weather strip adhesive, it didn't hold a damn thing.

One thing, be sure to clean all of the glueing surfaces of the seals with Alcohol before applying the glue, they come with a powdery preservitive on them that must be removed.

Morley

Might help If i put the pic in here too huh?

3gc

Thanks. That makes me think of another question. The t-top seals, do they have a plastic peice with a hole for a screw at the four corners where you made the blue arrows? I now they were there when I took the seals off but i'm hoping that they come with the new ones.

Morley

Yes, they should have all of the factory screw holes (mine did) and plastic flanges.

TA

iTrader: (1)

I had similar problems, and used the black silicone to "build up" the mashed old seals to make them work. Peel the seal back where it is leaking, use tape or something to hold it up, clean the seal and the top of the car, run a thick bead of silicone where the leak is, let it dry. When you take the tape off the seal, that portion will sit "higher" and make a seal with the T-top. It worked fine for even heavy rain, but would weep slightly if a high pressure hose was directed right at it.

I sold the car to a friend, who is still leak free after 5 years.

Troy
So Cal

3gc

I orderd the weather stripping monday and got an email from GMpartsdriect yesterday saying that the order was cancled becuase of "NO STOCK OR SPRINT" so i emailed them and they told me "No stock or sprint means that at this moment gm ahs no stock or other sources to get this part. And if you would like to check back in 30 days you can see if there is stock at that time."

I would like to get my car back on the road earlier then this, anyone know of a place similar to gmpartsdirect that might have it in stock? That part is supposed to be stocked by gmpartsdirect but i guess they ran out.

CaysE

GM doesn't make weatherstripping for our cars anymore. You can get them through Hawk's.

CaysE

double post

3gc

Well that really sucks, all the parts from hawks adds up to nearly $400 compared to the $185 at gmpartsdirect. They do still cary some weather stripping though, i got new door weather stripping from GMpartsdirect two weeks ago.

3gc

Just checked thirdgenresource. They have all 8 peices for $265, once gmpartsdirect reimburses my credit card i'll order it from them.

CaysE

Hawks has the 6-piece kit (not sure what the extra two pieces are) for $269. I recommend calling Hawk's and inquiring about it. Let them know about TGR's 8-piece kit and ask why Hawk's only has 6.

I don't recommend buying from TGR (aka Fbody Motorsports), as I've had lousy experiences with them. Not terrible, just crappy.

3gc

I had a lousy experience with them a few years ago and haven't bought from them since but i figured it might have gotten better. But i'm not trying to turn this into a tgr bashing post heh.

CaysE

I ordered some parts a month ago... still waiting.

I just realized that you're the guy that's painting his car silver. What happened with your current weatherstripping? I thought you had new ones already...

3gc

I have new door weather stripping and reused the hatch weather stripping because it was in good condition. I removed the t-top weather stripping and never ordered a new set.

83ho86tpi

I re-used t-top rubber from a parts car since it looked almost as good as new, I thought Id try the cheap route first, spent 30 bux trying different sealers out till I got a tube of GE black outdoor silicone. It worked great but I had leaks from the tops not sealing to to the rubber and the window not sealing tight to the rubber. I think many people might have this problem even with new rubber. You have to adjust the t-top latch holes and mounting brackets. You may also have to adjust the rubber strip in the glass t-top to meet the top of the window. Then you might have to take the door skin off and adjust the window in or out and from side to side to fit to the rubber tight (like 14 different bolts in here!). Oh yeah, the black plastic triangles are adjustable too. Basically, every darn thing is adjustable several different ways, if you spend enough time and get good at it you will have a good air and watertight seal. I found a copy of new t-top rubber instructions that described how to adjust the t-top glass to fit tight and even to the rubber (good reference, you might need this). I used my Haynes firebird repair manual to find out how to adjust the door glass to the rubber seal (the other important reference you might need). It took me several attempts and many hours to get good at this, but now I can get one perfect. It almost made me wish I had a hardtop!

3gc

How did you manage to remove the weather stripping without completely ripping it apart? When I removed mine the longest peice I could take off was about a foot long.

Also, I ended up ordering it from thirdgenresource. Hopefully I don't get screwed.

83ho86tpi

I was lucky enough to find a car that recently had new rubber put on it and the installer had not "super glued" or over glued it on. I used a flathead screwdriver with a wide head and tried to scrape under the adhesive while I lightly pulled the rubber away from the body. I used a razorblade to scrape most of the glue off the rubber when it was removed. If you pull slowly while you scrape it probably wont tear. If it tears apart, it was probably too old and rotten to use anyway. Fun Times.....