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I have a leak at the front corners of the t-tops, big surprise I know, however, following the FAQ on this site I had just completely removed all the weatherstripping, etc, etc, repaired all the rust in the channels, etc etc, and I thought I had it licked. I have made a lot of progress my back seat no longer gets wet however my driver's seat still gets dripped on and now my passenger leaks also. I thought I had it licked like I said sooooo..... I'm either overlooking something obvious or I just don't have a clue anyways I would appreciate any help with this, Jeff
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T-tops are known for problems like this once they start leaking it seems like they never stop no matter what you do. You could try making them hold down tighter by adjusting the pins
I solved my T top leak problem by installing self adheasive weatherstripping purchased from Home Depot around the perimeter on the glass tops. The size was 3/4" wide by 3/8 thick approx. So far it has worked. I cleaned out a little rust and the existing rubber molding first.
Dude, I am right there with you. I spent a long time this summer doing my t-top seals the right way, thought I had the problem solved, but nope, still leaks.
me too... I even replaced the center as mine was rusted more than bondo could repair... but still leaks similar to yours... I wanted to be able to put a headliner back in, but at this rate I don't know if thats gonna happen... has anyone had any success with fixing these?
T-tops and Third gens are like an oxy moron, they should have never been introduced.
__________________ The facts expressed here belong to everybody, the opinions to me. The distinction is yours to draw...
A rcent sudty funod taht it deosnt meattr waht odrer the lerttes of a wrod are in, the olny imopraotnt tihng is taht the fsirt and lsat lerttes are in corrcet poistiosn. Unfaertontely, tahts not the csae for evryhtieng in lfie………………
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish, and he will sit on a boat drinking beer for a life time
do you ever take the t-tops off?? if you never do, then i say silicone that bastard shut.. just do a clean job and no one will ever notice the silicone..
T-tops and Third gens are like an oxy moron, they should have never been introduced.
No way, the whole reason I bought a bird over many other sports cars was for the T-Tops. I drove mine only on nice days so I don't get what the big deal is- not like these things are safe in the rain.
No way, the whole reason I bought a bird over many other sports cars was for the T-Tops. I drove mine only on nice days so I don't get what the big deal is- not like these things are safe in the rain.
True enough, but not everyone has a garage for thier 3rd Gen. I've spent alot of time and money to try and get everything sealed up but nothing has worked so far, of course then again I've basically replaced everything back to stock and I have a feeling these things leaked even when new.
Relating to driving in the rain: checkout Goodyear Eagle F1 GS/D3s. I upgraded wheels/tires from the stock rims/Goodyear Eagle GTII(worst tire ever) to 17" Rims and the GS/D3s, best wet and dry traction I have ever experience in any car, quite impressive for 8.5" w. Sorry know thats unrelated to T-Tops but it seems that with good tires wet traction really doesn't have to be an issue.
no doubt, I don't have a garage space for the bird and as luck wood have it I'm using the bird as my daily driver. sitting on wet seats and smelling that nasty wet dog smell gets old quick. I have to work on my car on weekends and nights since I'm daily driving it. i'm reasonably intelligent, and heck I've worked as an auto mechanic for the last 14 years of my life and I can see no reason why these &^%%&^^ t-tops are still leaking!!!!!!!
like i said I followed the FAQ on this site and well.... i have plenty of car repair experience, including body work and water leaks etc etc. I have the feeling I'm overlooking something really really simple or these things just leak no matter what!!! anywho... it would be nice to sit on a dry seat
i solved all my ttop leaking problem when i took the ttop its self apart and reglued (silicone) the latch back to the glass. it never was the weather stripping. when you take it apart you will see where you need to apply new selent and dont skimp, thats why they leaked to begin with. hope this is helpfull.
ure not talking about the handle are you. and in response to that adhesive weatherstripping, do you have any pics? id love to see because i think thats all i need because my seals are in awesome condition.
Got a pic of the piece you are talking about, so I am clear?
Quote:
Originally Posted by coincounters
i solved all my ttop leaking problem when i took the ttop its self apart and reglued (silicone) the latch back to the glass. it never was the weather stripping. when you take it apart you will see where you need to apply new selent and dont skimp, thats why they leaked to begin with. hope this is helpfull.
i dont have any pictuers. take off the plastic trim, take off the weather stripping and you will see the entire latch mechanism is glued onto the glass. this is where i found mine to be leaking.
T-tops a mistake?? No way. Give me t-tops over a sunroof anyday. Verts are alittle different...and I like both. However I agree with the guy above...t-tops are what sold me on my car.
My center piece is rusted, im sure the channels are rusted, and i have tears in the weather stripping that someone rtv'd shut. However mine dont seem to leak. Only a tiny bit towards the back that gets the rear seat/floor area alittle damp during a hard rain.
I have new weatherstripping, a new center section, and means to repair any rust on hand. Its going to be my winter project.
Im wondering if chassis flex causes weird leaks. Ive seen some guys with weird gaps in their tops from side to side, almost like at some point the chassis flexed due to an accident or something. A small little fender bender is all it takes sometimes. haha.
i solved all my ttop leaking problem when i took the ttop its self apart and reglued (silicone) the latch back to the glass. it never was the weather stripping. when you take it apart you will see where you need to apply new selent and dont skimp, thats why they leaked to begin with. hope this is helpfull.
hmmm.... i thinks you're on to something... yea its very helpful when you point out my dumba#$edness
Dont laugh but if mine has to sit out in the rain i put black electrical tape on every seam it works great and wont leave sticky crap on the car .. I carry 4 rolls at all times and yes I have redone my seals also
Coincounter THANK YOU some of the water is indeed coming from where you said.
The rest of the leak I did something wrong - I didn't glue my weatherstrip in what was happening is in the center near the Tbar water is coming in there and getting in under the weatherstrip - Out of pure frustration I also ( and I'm not sure if its was necessary or not ) took some RTV and ghetto rigged the crapola out of it. under the Tbar thing in the center at the front and rear the weather strips do not touch. I don't know if factory ones do or not. PO had installed weatherstrip on my ride. Anyhow, I filled the gap between the weatherstrips under the center bar and glued my weatherstrip to the body and holy cow I don't believe it!!! no more water on my seat!!! Doing the no more water on my seat dance!!! ya'll don't have that dancing banana in the smilies......
i cant imagine that if you have redone all the seals correctly that the car would still leak, water can only fit through a space larger than its molecules, so maybe your seals just arent tight enough, or maybe you missed something. also my 84z-28 had its seals professionally replaced by its previous owner, she doesnt leak a drop in the rain. then again ive only driven her twice in the rain.
I too discovered that the t-tops leak in my Firebird not much though which is good. I see exactally how and where mine are leaking and that issue will be resolved tomorrow with some new seals from the Easter Bunny
This rea is known to leak if not sealed correctly. Did you bridge the gap between the top rail and the A pillar rail? There is a channel that runs from the center of the car to the edge. There is about a 1 inch gap and then another channel that runs from the bottom of the A pillar to the top of the A. You need to use windshield rope caulk and bridge that gap. That seals the area from leaking. Here's a pic of the B pillar channel.
The thing with t-tops is to have your interior "Water resistant", LOL. Whey you get ready to redo or replace your headliner, use the newer ABS plastic headliners.
I had the simplest solution ever to this problem. Go to your local hardware and buy a tube of Seal All, or Leak Stopper, or whatever it's called. It's a liquid in the tube, but becomes a hard plastic once applied and dried.
This $3 tube sealed a gas leak in my old truck line and sealed my T-Tops. They leak NO MORE.
For the T-Tops, I found the channel that the rain runs down, found the cracks in the old rubber and applied the Seal All. Problem solved. It dries clear too, so it's hard to see if you're worried about looks.
I applied the Seal All last spring and it was leak free all summer. This year, it started leaking again (a little) around July, so I just re-applied a little bit last month. Honestly, I haven't had it in the rain or washed it since re-application.
anyways I would appreciate any help with this, Jeff ![[R]ogue is offline](/techboard/images/buttons/user_offline.gif)
and yes I have redone my seals also 
not much though which is good. I see exactally how and where mine are leaking and that issue will be resolved tomorrow with some new seals from the Easter Bunny 
