T-Top Leak Fix

The t-tops in my 91 Camaro leaked horribly for 2 years. Outside the car looks great, but inside the moldy smell and the dampness always made me feel bad about my ride. I took some action a few months ago to solve the problem. My method is not by any means perfect and may not work for everyone, but if you are desperate about fixing this glaring error in our cars then read on.

Materials:

1. Spray on rust-killer/converter, any brand
2. Several tubes of clear or black silicone (I used the huge cauking tubes of it)

From what I have found, t-tops never leak where the weatherstrip meets the t-top itself, rather where the weatherstripping meets the body. GM made very simplistic errors in the design that I attempted to fix with silicon sealant, but a fiberglass sculpter might have better results.

Procedure:

1. Your headliner is probably anihilated from years of moisture build up. Remove it now and dont replace it until you are confident that you have no leaks.
2. Pull up old weatherstripping. If it is in need of replacement, now is the time to do so. If it looks ok, then take care when peeling it up not to damage it. If it was held on with sealant carefully peel the remaining sealant off the weatherstripping and the car’s body.
3. If your car was like mine, then the little lip on the outer edge of the weatherstrip landing has almost completly rusted away. Use your rust killer to remedy this and to keep the rust from doing anymore damage. This is one of the flaws in GM’s design. They did not provide the water any route of escape, so the trapped water rusts the metal surfaces around it.
4. The black peice that sits between the t-tops needs to come out for repair. Remove the screws that hold it to the "T" bar. Prying may be needed, because it is sealed down to the body of the car. Inspect for rust and kill as needed. Mine had several pin-hole rust-throughs that leaked down to the passenger compartment. I repaired these with little spots of silicon.
5. Break out your first tube of silicon and slather it all over the spots where the black piece meets the body. The most important of these is at the very front and back, where you see a gap between the peice and the body. Fill that up and make sure it seals very very well. This is a major source of leaks. After you draw the bead across the gap, run your finger across it to make the silicon flush with the metal around it. This will help the weather stripping seal better. Wait for this to dry completly before proceeding.
6. You will notice that you have a gap between 2 corners of the black piece on the inside edge of where the weatherstripping sits. Make a dam with silicon to stop water from leaking through there. How ever, if you procede with this next step then this really isnt necessary, but i did it anyway.
7. Assuming all of the rust has been eliminated, and everything around the t-top ledge is bone dry, it is time for the big step. Make a nice healthy bead of silicon on the seating ledge, under that lip that probably got rusted out. Use excess, it cant hurt. After that I made a zig-zag pattern on the ledge itself, from one edge to the other. Now locate where the t-top ledge starts to curve down (going from the middle of the car to the side). Put a thick bead on the very end, where the ledge ends. Be sure to go all the way across and under the lips on the sides, and again, dont be stingy with the silicon. Apply EXTREMELY healthy amounts of silicon to the middle corners of the t-top (where it meets the center piece). You will notice that the black peice over hangs the seating edge and leaves a gap. I filled in that gap on both sides and up in the tight spot where the black peice comes close to the body. Then I used my fingers to make slight inclines down to the weatherstripping. This prevents water from trapping back there. That might be hard to picture, but you’ll understand when you see it.

   Do one side at a time because silicon dries fairly quickly.

8. Put the weather stripping down into place, being sure not to disturb the silicon too much with excessive sliding. If you applied ALOT of sealant (like I told you to), then some should have squeezed out and is visible on the top side of the seating ledge. Since this is our water’s escape route to the outside of the car, we dont want any obstructions to flow. Before the sealant dries, use your finger to smooth it out. This is good because it offers another surface to seal from. Before anything drys too much, put the t-tops into place and apply a little bit of down pressure to makes sure the t-top will seat nicely, but dont secure it all the way down with the lever as this might displace too much sealant. Allow about 10 hours to dry. I let mine sit for 2 days just to be extra sure.
9. You are not done yet. Peel back some of the weatherstripping near where it meets the window. Notice that the seating ledge stops almost an inch and a half short. If you have the headliner removed, sit in the car and look up and this spot from the underside and you will probably see the sky. This is yet another GM blunder, and the biggest reason for t-top leaks. You will have to seal the gap with silicon. (If you are good with fiberglass, you can forge an extension to the ledge and have a more reliable fix.) Make extra sure to apply up the sides and attend to every possible water entrance. It is EXTREMELY important to you dont block off the area so that water can run out and exit outside the window. To do this, peel back the weatherstrip with one hand and run your finger along the lip from the middle of the car out to the side, removing all blockages. This will ensure a clean passage to the outside of the car. It also prevents water buildup and, eventually, more rust.

Tips to keep your T-Top equipped car happy:
This was done to my car and I have not had a leak since. However, to prevent more rust, after a rain or a washing, I take my t-tops off and blowdry out all of the water sitting behind the weatherstrip.

While you have your rust killer, take out your seats and carpet. I was shocked at how much my floorboards were rusted. Use the rust killer to remedy this.

Use silicon lubricant to keep the weatherstripping itself happy. You dont want to seal your leaks for good and then have to replace the stripping. You’d have to start all over again.

Replace your jute layer. Mine had patches of black, horrible smelling mold in the wells under the back seats, and under a rear passengers feet.

Wash your carpet. I sprayed mine with the hose to get all the big stuff off, then i threw it in the pool and pushed it to the bottom. I let it sit there for 3 hours hoping the chlorine would kill the mold. I took it out and scrubbed it with laundry detergent. I repeated about 3 times, then let it hang to dry on the fence.

Take off the door panels and locate mold, if any. Make a solution of bleech and water and put it in a spray bottle. Mist the molded spots and repeat until mold is dead. I knew when it was dead because it no longer smelled and it went from a dark brown to a lighter brown. I used a towel to wipe off some of the mold then blowdryed the area.

Take care of those seats. Get them reupholstered or do it yourself. Or get some 4th gen seats.

If you have any questions, you can reach me via email at wickedcamaro@yahoo.com.