So I've been thinking about just removing the wharped rubber pieces from my T-Tops... I don't think it actually does anything to keep a water-tight seal, and I notice that 4th gens don't have them.

Has someone already done this? If it's a bad idea, please let me know.

 

good question...i wanna know too =P

 

I've read a few posts here where folks have just removed it. You are talking about the drip rail right - the part that gets caught in the door when it warps and starts to droop down?

 

Yes! I hate that God forsaken piece of irritation >_> My driver side isn't too bad, but every time my girlfriend goes to get in, I have to roll down her window a bit so the passenger side doen't get caught.

Dad's a pretty big auto body man, been dealing with this kind of stuff for almost 30 years. He seems to think it'll be alright, but I'm wanting to check with someone who has actually done this. Also curious if it looks good or not =/

 

They are replaceable, but they aren't cheap - I think about $90.

 

Yaa, but I can't even find them anywhere -_-'
$90 each or for both?

 

I don't think it would be a problem either. If you do pull them off or cut them off please post a pic curious how it looks witout it.

 

Ya, Dad was talking about taking the whole T-Top apart and just taking it out. Don't know if it'll be any time really soon, but I'll definatly post some pics of it if it turns out ok.

 

They're there to keep the water from dripping in when the window is open. You can remove them if you want, but it exposes the window/weatherstripping seal, and you might get drips when the windows are cracked open. The "fix" is to use the later hard plastic drip rails.

 

lol i have to roll down my window for my g/f too every time she gets in, other wise it wont close right or you have to slam the door hard

 

Gah, that hard rubber drip rail sounds great, actually, Drew. Do you have a link or anything? I'm desperate to get this problem fixed =/

 

Check with A1 Dan on here - he works for A1 Auto and I think they have them. Also, Soffseal carries them. But I have no clue if they are these "later harder plastic" ones mentioned or not.

 

Does anyone have a pic of the hard plastic type?

My 84 has the soft rubber type, and they have been starting to tearing away from the glass. I would like to get it fixed, and didn't know they changed them to a hard plastic. That sounds much better.

 

The later cars like my 91 Firebird came with the plastic drip rails as original equipment. The GM replacement ttop weatherstripping kits from a few years ago included the plastic rails. Physically they look just like the rubber ones, only they don't go to crap as easily. They're more durable. I sold the car a few years ago, so no pics from me, sorry. Find a close up of any 91 or 92 with ttops and you might be able to make them out.

 

I bought a set of the replacement hard plastic drip rails a few years back for about 90. They are pricey but seem like they will hold up better than the original ones that were on my car. They do indeed look almost identical to the soft rubber type.

 

Thanks for the pic!
I never realized there were 2 types of these, I'll be replacing mine with the hard plastic!

 

Thanks, pound! I'll definatly switch over, could you please tell me where you got them?

 

Got them off a vendor on ebay. Can't remember who but it looked like a legit business. They might still be selling them.

 

I've looked for these on and off since i bought the car, no luck so far, at least not for the money I can spend.
On ebay I've seen a whole set of t-top seals for like $250, comes with the bid things that seal the window and top, window top seal, and plastic drip guard.

 

Thanks for the mention, but we're in the same boat here. We're talking with a couple of companies now to see about getting them made, but no news yet. My product development team's keeping me in the loop, but I think its going to be a while.

My rubber drip rails are junk too, so I'm sitting by anxiously just like you guys. Someone out there may still have some NOS stuff, but it's gonna take some work (and probably some decent money) to get them....

 

Thank you, Dan. I went looking online for a bit earlier and founf them out od stock on your site. I did sign up for a notification if they come in, though. From what I can tell/ have seen/ heard, these things are pretty problematic for most T-Top drivers, amirite? =/ I'm positive that if 1A can get them manufactured, they won't have any problem selling them.

Lol, and thanks for the heads up on the rubber ones.

 

I completely agree. I feel there's a market for these channels (I'd like the plastic ones myself and have made that pretty well known around here), just hoping our suppliers out there hear our cries and believe there's a market big enough to justify the tooling and development costs. Time will tell....

 

I don't have them... but my car isn't T-Tops... I never noticed I didn't have the drip rail until I was at a Norcal GTG and someone pointed it out...

 

What's the deal, though? Did someone used to produce them, then stopped, so now you guys have to find someone else who will make them?

Hm? I've not heard of a hardtop having drip rails... then again, I've not heard alot of things =P Are they suppose to have them, and are they interchangable with T-Top rails?
Could you perhaps post a pic out of curiosity?

 

hardtop cars don't have these, or anything like them.

 

Some hardtops have drip rails, but they're more like a channel that runs along the top of the window opening down to the mirrors. They're subtle enough you can't really see them unless you look for them, but you'll know when the aren't there when water drips in. My 83 Camaro had them, they're barely visible in this pic...

 

Do think it would be bad to remove mine from my hardtop? Except for rain dripping in.

 

Do not underestimate the irritation of rain, my friend. Mine has always had a bit of a drip caused by a gap between the T-Top seal and the seal of the car itself, which is another problem altogether that I have no clue how to fix -_-
Anyway, it's a huge pain. It's not even that much water, but after a while it'll make your car smell funny, not to mention the rust it could cause under the carpet....
I'm just saying, it's nothing you want to welcome...

 

Here you go all.

http://www.ecklerscamaro.com/product...5&dept_id=1510

 

Ah, nice! I can only find the right side on the site though, any idea if these are plastic or ruber?

 

Damn, I used to see these on eaby going for like $60 pair but I wouldnt buy because I was waiting for a deal. Guess I shouldn't have waited not that the only place that has then sells em for almost $70 EACH!

 

Ill get a picture of my neighbor's 92 RS 25th Anniverary Camaro. It's got t-tops. One of them is glass and the other is that Lexon plastic type crap. Ill get it up hopefully tommorrow.

 

I don't suppose there is anyone parting out a third gen with this newer plastic drip rails??

 

Drew, was this picture taken back in the late 80's ? I ask because that is a nice car in the background (Monte Carlo and the Mercury Cougar far in the back). I remember those oldie days.

 

10198352 & 8353 is the seal strip (drip rail). The second design (plastic) has superseded the 1st design (rubber).
NewGMParts.com is still showing a price but, that is no guarantee of the item being available. If you take those part numbers to a dealership parts department, they can do a search for you to see if any NOS parts are still floating around.

On my 'bird, I just took a utility knife and cut the rubber awnings off and left it like that until I replaced the w/strip a few years later. I wouldn't take the top apart just to remove them though. They are mounted under the channel for the glass seal. If you pull them, you' can potentially run the risk of the top not sealing to the glass very well as the rubber awning is about 1/8" thick.

 

It was about 1995. By the summer of 96 I was running 15x7" Z28 wheels.

 

1995, yup, it's been a few years.

 

86-87 cars had a TSB about this (don't have the number but I have the diagram). There is an adjustment for these years that the 90-92 cars don't have. You have to take off the outer trim panel and handle, and there will be 2 screws inside of (as in "towards the center of the car" ) the drip rails and weatherstrip mentioned above. Loosen the screws, reposition the weatherstrip so that it lightly presses against the body strip, and tighten the screw before working on the other end. Later models don't have this adjustment as the weatherstrip is GLUED to the drip rail deflector thing, which, as some are thinking of above, will require replacement of the weatherstrip rubber if removal is attempted (after all this time, anyways). There is also a body adjustment at the pin receivers. Remove the trim, loosen 2 screws, and move the receiver as needed.

There is more information out there... Some is even available for Fieros. As here: http://www.fierottop.com/waterleak/ This site is dedicated to the Fiero, but the same principles apply as we have the same problems.

 

When I search for it on NewGM, it's showing up 3 different options, one is for 82-91, one is for 92, and the other has no specification [OEM Catalog]
Which one is plastic, the 92? I've never ordered car parts like this before, Just want to make sure I don't screw it up.

 

Are those thr part #'s for the left and right side? Or one is the plastic and ones the rubber? Or what?

 

Wow, thanks! I was afraid I'd have to buy new Weatherstrip, didn't know I could adjust it!


Yes, the first number is one side and the second number is the other side. I THINK the '92 option gives you plastic, just wanting to make sure, myself ;P

 

BUMP
Just got my W2 and only need conformation that the drip rails at the above link are indeed the plastic ones ['92] and I can get them ordered
Can anyone tell just by the info on the site?

 

So are you guys sayin that the '92 has better drip rails? Just tryin to clarify.

 

I'll throw in a confusion factor for everyone...

I picked up a set of lexan tops in excellent shape (just need some polishing) from the junkyard a couple of weeks ago off an 89 car, they have the hard plastic type drip guards. Doesn't mean the tops were original to that car, but when did they stop putting lexan tops on?

 

I just found out that there was a plastic type of t-top. I owned my 86 T-Top IROC-Z for 7 years and about 2 months ago I learned that there was a Lexan T-top.

 

The Lexan tops were on the later years - 1989 might have originally had them, but I'm pretty sure 87 and prior had glass. I replaced my Lexan's with glass from a 87 bird.

 

Are the plastic drip rails only for the Lexan tops? =o

 

No. I always wondered why one of my t-tops had a small dip towards the frint of the drip rail and the other was bad all around. I did notice that one drip rail was harder than the other while the other was flimsy rubber. I just thought that the rubber was hardening due to dry rot. Well come to find out, my driverside is an early model of t-top that has the weak rubber while the passengerside has the hard plastic. Also the passengerside that has the hard plastic drip rail is indeed glass. So the hard plastic drip rail t-top was made along with glass.

 

Ah, I see. So If I ordered the '92 Drip Rail from newgmparts.com mentioned above, would they indeed be plastic or is there a chance it could be the rubber ones?

 

Should be the hard plastic. But to be sure, it doesn't hurt to call and ask.