so it's a bit rusty...ok...it's all rusty. can i have it replaced, or is there a way to fix it myself? also those little black plastic things on the top of the glass, one of them cracked off and it is all rusty underneath...should i just superglue it back on and act like nothing happened

 

I would think there's probably a couple hundred sitting in junkyards around you that are rust free. Do it right and replace it.

 

From what I hear it is an absolute chore to replace that trim. Somewhere in the range of $500 to get it new too. What I did on my RS was I sanded the rust off with some 600 grit and made it nice and smooth. Masked them off and sprayed with black spray paint. I did this to the t-top trim as well. Sorry I don't have any pics of the finished product.

 

That's what I was gonna suggest. Mine is quite rusting, but is dulled from the AZ sun. I was going to wait and so it before a paint job.

 

yes what he said way easier than trying to replace it just sand and paint not hard at all i painted mine with a rust proof flat black and came out smooth i say try that first what do u have to loose and for that button sorry try sanding the rust off and treating it and see if you can find it in a junkyard

 

I would wet sand the rust off then have it anodized or powdercoated.

 

Mine too is horrible looking so I looked into the new price of it, well there are two pieces on your window, they split at the middle....annnnd both pieces are $300 a piece....for a total of 600 new.....its absolutly insane....just sand and paint, thats what im gonna do when I repaint the whole car.

 

What I meant was to replace the whole rear hatch! They can be picked up around here for a 100.00 rust free if you look hard enough. I just figured out there it would be all the easier to find em. Rust doesn't go away, it just hides til another day!
Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

What happens is the paint goes to hell (just like all the other paint on these cars) and the metal gets surface rust. Most of the time you can just sand it and paint it.

Going to a junkyard looking for a hatch is just about pointless. First not many hatches are going to be the same. Between rear window defrosters, third brake lights, rear wipers, 6 different spoiler options plus the no spoiler option, etc its very unlikely you'll find the exact hatch you need in a junkyard. Second just about all of these cars have this problem, including the ones in the junkyard.

As for the plastic trim, I'm assuming you're referring to the caps on the bolts? New bolts aren't that expensive from GM. Just buy new ones at the dealership and be done. You'll probably find that the bolts themselves are nearly rusted through also.

 

i sanded mind and repainted it, it turned out amazing.

 

Sorry for reviving a 12 year old thread, but would you happen to know how to adhere the metal trim back to the glass? mine is beginning to separate at the top. Drew?

 

The GM Service Manual describes a thrilling adventure involving burning the old adhesive, cleaning the glass, using a urethane primer, and fresh urethane to re-adhere the molding.

I would consult with local auto glass shops. My thinking being that there may be improved modern methods, and that I'd rather have someone attuned to handling glass, take on the job.

Of course I could also see DIY types just squirting some urethane in the gap, and crossing fingers.

 

I actually did this recently. I taped off the glass then sanded it down. If you want it perfect you can fill in any pits with some body filler or glazing putty. I just sanded mine as smooth as possible then hit it with some satin krylon. I used the same paint for my drip rails, comes out beautiful. Heres the only kind of up close pic I have.. I wish I had some before shots.

 

 

Yea it looks like there's like a piece of metal in between joining the two together.. On my old hatch I used a bit of JB weld to re-attach the trim to the glass. It worked perfect, never came off again. Just don't use too much so it doesn't squish out around the edges. I used tape to hold the trim tight against the glass until the JB weld dried.

Also I didn't realize this thread was 12 years old lmao. Well might as well add some useful info if its alive again....

Heres a few up close shots of the finish with the krylon. I little bit of glazing putty would make it perfect, but it's really not that noticeable in person. If your trim isn't coming off of the window, just sand down and spray.

Also you can get new hatch hinge bolts from Hawks:

http://www.hawksmotorsports.com/82-9...inge-bolt-oer/

 

thanks man that helps alot, im most likely going to jb weld it when its nice out, i live in ohio, should i apply a decent amount down the trim or just the middle joints? And was there tension on the metal trim when you used jb weld? just iffy on the strength of jb weld.

 

Just make sure you clean the edge of the glass and inside the trim very well. My trim was coming off at the top of the glass. There was no tension on it, I could pop it back on, but it would come off again driving on the highway. You can probably repair it with yellow weatherstripping adhesive as well. You realy dont need much though with the jb weld.

 

Mine has enough tension against it to the point where if i push my finger between it and the body after pushing it back on, it pushes my finger to the point where it hurts. I can see old little rust streaks about half way across the top of the glass on both sides, maybe over time it has started to come off the entire top of the glass very gradually, but i cannot push the trim down other than in the middle. Does something else hold the top trim? If there were no tension i have no doubt that jb weld or an adhesive could hold it. heres a pic of where its coming off. the metal isnt bent on the left just raindrops on the metal

 

I've often wondered if one could just remove this piece of trim off of the back glass completely and how it might look. Mine is coming up there in the center part of the upper glass area like 1985CamaroSport has in the picture above. Anyone tried removing it completely??

 

I would guess it serves a purpose to protect the edge of the glass from being chipped.

 

It's a great big ol piece of tempered safety glass. You look at it funny and the entire thing can shatter. The metal trim gives it a bit of a safety barrier at it's most vulnerable point, the edges. Removing the trim completely sounds like a good recipe for needing a shop vac to clean all the glass bits out of the trunk.