No, NOT that one - "RUST". Although I did probably say that other one when I was cleaning and treating the weatherstrip seals today with silicone grease. As I flexed back the seals for the glass tops to grease the undersides, I found a spot of RUST under the inboard side of the LH top. Not adjacent to the exterior center bar, but just under the roll of the seal in the interior side of the car. I probably also said or throught "WTF?"

I know that I live in the Salt Belt, and that the car is 17 years old, but it only has 48K miles, is always in the garage, and has only been caught in the rain about six times that I can remember. The rest is car washing, waxing, covering, and putting away. The rust appears to be only on the black trim piece in the interior. Soooo...

Are these still available? The ones in the yards around here are probably worse.

Is there a permanent fix to this? I know I can stop the rust and clean the seals, but what is the prevention for future damage?

I searched the archives, but couldn't build a search criteria good enough to get what I wanted without viewing 300 posts about what I didn't want.

Any tips? Even the underside of the floor pan is rust-free. I hardly expected to see this start from the top down, but...

 

Vader do you have a pic of it? Can the piece be remove and stripped and repaired? You think maybe the rust started from leaving water in there after you wash the car?

 

I know exactly what you mean! I have entirely removed every last bit of weatherstripping for my Iroc for my restore and some of the channeling pieces were riddled with rust. Granted the condition of my car was pretty bad, but it was a southern car all its life. I am lucky because all of it is off and I took everything down to bare metal and it will be recoated soon. I think even though the seals hold water out from inside the car, it still puddles inside the sealed area and has nowhere to go once it gets in there.

Sounds like it's the T-bar insert on the center that installs with multiple phillips screws that is the rusted part on your car. Very typical for every T-top thirdgen I have owned, but they have seen more weather then yours! I think that part is indeed still available. Other then that, there are 2 pieces that hold the weatherstipping in for the T-top sections on the door area. I ordered a complete weatherstipping kit from Hawks and it does come with 2 of the metal channeling parts, (windshield to door area) but the ones for the rear are the one that you will need to try to find if you need to replace the channeling sections. I am betting you can still find them. Be really careful when removing them if you have not already because they are fastened with many phillips head screws and sealed to the body with what I assume to be a silicone based sealer and also sticky " foam" type sealing strips. They will bend very easy if all screws arent removed and I even used a heat gun on them to loosen the sealers. You will no doubt ruin the seals just taking the parts off. I don't see how they could be effectively saved. If you want some pictures just let me know..

 

Yes, it's on the black 'T' insert, but how does it come out of there?

I've only found a couple spots (indicated by arrows) but I don't want it to spread.

 

Looks like you found the screws in center already. The tricky ones are the ones hiding under the weatherstripping at the front and rear.

Total of 10 screws hold that thing in. 3 in the center section per side, 2 at the front and 2 at the rear.

Here's your picture with the green arrows pointing to the ones you are having trouble finding I bet.

 

Vader,

I have exactly the same problem-minor rust spots I'm now probably going to take it off, clean it up and spray the whole thing with a matt black paint. This will be another winter project.

It's an ideal place for water droplets to sit undetected.

 

yep I have the same problem, Im so glad that that piece comes out, I thought I was sol, my car is the samn thing Vader not even surface rust on the floorpans and then the rust on the tops I was like WTF?? Im glad you asked this question and thanks to Mike C for the knowledge:lala:

 

Mike,

Thanks for the tips. I'm guessing I'll have to "un-bond" the weatherstrips from the center to access the screws. I'll get clearer photos of the process (and damage) for reference. Since I've always done the annual silicone grease treatment (like the factory requires) the seals may have a chance of coming off in one piece.

 

Well, good luck with it then all you guys. That weatherstripping is a royal PITA to take up though. The bonding agent used under it is like freakin cement, and even when i used a heat gun on mine i couldn't get them to loosen up and come out without ruining them. But, I knew mine needed replaced anyway, so I didnt take much time before getting violent with em!

You a Packer fan Vader? Thought you were in Bears territory!!

Keep us posted!

 

:hail:

 

O.K. Another "idiot" question. Are the seals bonded at the corners only, or around the entire perimeter? I've got some sections loose, and it appears that the seal is held to the body by a channel. Is there advesive in the channel? I really don't want to tear the otherwise intact seals (they're like new). They seem to be really fighting me at the top edge of center "T" bar and bottom edge (roof section) around the front and rear.

Oh, yeah. I'm not really a fan, just an owner...

 

O.K. I got the seals out intact, after devising a "tool" to release them without scratching the paint. It's not as bad as I feared. I've got photos and should have an instructional *.PDF file together in a few days (yeah, another one...).

That 3M Weatherstrip adhesive was being stubborn, and someone at the factory was extra liberal with it in the corners. That didn't help.

A little cleanup and repaint of the center bar should save it for another 15-20 years or so.

Thanks for the replies and help.

 

I dont have ANY rust, wanna trade straight across, my rust free car for your high 11 car, seems fair to me

 

As of a few hours ago, I don't have any ruat, either.

I've got lots of photos, and will put some kind of pictorial essay together in my spare time so that others with this affliction have a better idea of what they're getting into. I was going in mostly blind until Mike lent his experience. The seal attachment at the center "T" bar was a bit of a mystery, until I got into it. It looks like the outer piece is stainless steel, but the rest of the four pieces of the assembly are plain steel. Too bad that a little more stainless wasn't used, so I wouldn't have even had this problem.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

MikeC,

Yes, I'm amongsat the FIBs and flat-landers, but there are a lot of Green/Gold fans around here.

BTW - I WISH I had an 11-something second car. The closest I get any more is high 13s in the wife's Impala.

 

Loking forward to reading the pdf!

 

Vader,

Did you ever finish that .PDF file?

 

dude are you worshipping vader?

 

haha no. you see the big green G? Thats my team, the packers. 1-0 baby

 

if you have to have rust that is the best spot for it since it is replaceable and avalible new still. i got an gm new one off ebay so they do show up every now and then.


jeff

 

Those black pieces must be the cheapest metal on the entire car. I lucked out and found a near-mint one in a junk yard. Sand, prime & paint later, it's a brand new piece.

Which leads me to my point. If yours isn't rotted right through, you can repair it instead of replace. If you sand blast the rusty spot, run a thin coat of filler and repaint, it'll be as good as new.

 

Can you point out the SS part? I have replaced the T-bar molding before, with a new GM piece, and I didn't notice any stainless. Just curious.

 

Vader...

I may have an answer to why your black piece may have rusted. One thing I have noticed in junkyards is some cars that have been sitting there a loooong time without T-tops seem to be fine, but other cars that are new arivals, seem to have more rust. I think what happens is there is so little ventilation & air circulation up there and when the tops sweat just a little, and it begins to rust the metal, because the moisture has no place to go...

Its a theory, but I have pulled mint condition bars off of junkyard cars that were competely striped of everything else.... (the one on my car is case in point...) that reminds me I should remove the tops to take a peak...

John