well i took my passenger t top off the other day and it made a crunch noise as it was lifted. after some looking around i found some RUST on the black metal piece with 3 screws. the rust is pretty bad and i want to replace the black piece before the rust spreads to the rest of the center bar or causes a leak. are the 3 philips screws the only thing that holds the piece on? or is there more work

 

3 phillips screws on each side, and I believe 2 more at both the front and the rear of the bar. Also, there should be some 3M strip caulk used to adhere the bar to body. Mine came off in about a thousand pieces, it was rusted beyond recognition. Fortunately I found a rust-free replacement at a yard for $2. I'm in the process of cleaning up the body on mine now so I can prime it and paint it and put new seals in. Anyone come up with a way to seal this new bar perfectly? This seems to be a very common problem, as far as water getting trapped under the bar and causing both it and the body to rust. Also, the small little lips which the bar partially covers which sit parallel to the dashboard have corroded significantly on my car...is this going to cause problems in the future?

 

I could only find 3 screws, and the tape would explain the trouble i was having i didnt want to rip anything out without asking first. but ill go attack it with a flathead, thanks

 

Yeah I think there might only be 3 screws per side. My GM shop manual says to use weatherstrip release to help in getting the adhesive off...that is, if you have some. If not, you might try heating it up with a hairdryer to make it softer.

 

well i got the piece off and before any further rusting, i looked on ebay and there was the whole center bar rusted beyond belief for $100 so I hope i can find one at a junk yard

 

Wow, if that one's worth $100, I wonder what my old bar would have brought. Keep looking, you're bound to find a decent one sooner or later. I'll keep an eye out for ya just in case. If worse comes to worse, GM still sells them new for $200.

 

I got a real nice one at "Pick Your Part" for about $5.00. I think the hard part is definently getting the weatherstrip off in one piece. I still hesitant about doing this to mine. I'm waiting until I can afford new rubber before stating just in case it rips.

 

I believe modern day muscle has some....I think they were like $125. I can't remember if it is now or used.

EDIT! I found the piece it is $133 brand spanking new! http://www.moderndaymuscle.com/inc/sdetail/887

 

i just wanna say thanks fenton, will order another one shortly, i was not aware it was one piece, i thought it was the main bar and the 2 black trim pieces on the sides. i just used a dremel to cut off the right side of the trim piece. does the whole unit just pull off once you take out the 6 screws and remove the mounting tape? any instructions would be great

 

When i replaced mine, I believe that there were 3 down each side and two on each end by the points. After those are off, I had to pry mine off becasue of some silicone. Remember to take your time making sure the weatherstripping fits right, or it will just rust again. Good luck!

 

on the new ones do they come with the sticky tape on them already or do you need to supply your own means of securing it?

 

I think you need to apply your own adhesive, I can get you a rust free used one for half the price of a new one.

 

thanks but i have one on its way to my house. any recomendations of what adhesive to use?

 

Use a good grade of black silicone.

 

wow, thanks for the link. was going to order one from Hawks until I saw this.

 

$133 is a lot of money, I found one in perfect condition for $5.00. Look around at the Pick Your Part junk yards. Maybe I should start getting from the junk yard and start selling them myself for $75 and cleanup, Nah.

 

Where can I find this weatherstrip release?
Thanks

 

what years have the same bar? I would like to replace mine as well. I found a brand new one locally but it is for an 87 Camaro. I have an 88 GTA, I assume they are interchangable?

 

I'd like to know this as well...gasket remover works, but it takes all the paint off too. I've tried to find weatherstrip release on 3M's website, but to no avail. I did a google search for it and it came up with Year One having some in stock from another link, but then when I clicked to order it, it said that the product was not found.