The car is an 88 IROC and there is not a spot of rust on the bottom or body....until I got to the T-Tops. It was a CA car for years luckily. The rust on the T-Tops isn't too bad, but some of the J-channels are destroyed where the seals fit on the t top bar. The part along the front of the windshield has a porous spot and may need fixed too. The underside of the car has some surface rust but is sturdy and I plan on wire wheeling it and rustproofing it.

Here are some questions I have after looking through about 5-6 threads.

1. The T-Top bar I hear everybody talking about replacing, is that a bolt in piece that would replace the J-Channels that are rusted out now? It looks like there is a piece that screws onto a lower piece that runs across the interior of the car.

2. As for the J-Channels that run along the front/windshield area, should I just blast/wire wheel this down or replace? If in should be replaced how hard is the fix?

3. What is a good rust sealer/protector that will last forever. I hear POR-15 doesn't let the glue grip when installing the weather stripping.

Luckily everything else looks pretty good and it's just the J-Channels that have taken the beating. So give me a bump in the right direction and I'll get to work. Thanks!

Here is a link to my photobucket with the pics.

http://s1176.photobucket.com/albums/x325/donkason/

 

The t top bar in the center is a bolt on piece. There are decent used ones for sale, as well as a stainless steel replacement. You are not going to know the condition of the metal underneath until you take off the gaskets and the t top bar. Then you can see what is going on and if the metal needs major repair. I was lucky and my painter cleaned off the surface rust and did minor welding to the channels. Mine was not that bad. You may have the same luck.

 

Your topic says minor rust,that doesn't look minor from the pics.I would seriously look for a replacement.The T Top bar and the channel is one piece.their are 4 screws under the weatherstripping 2 at the front and 2 in the rear besides the ones that are visible.The ones under the stripping!!put your screwdriver on them and give them a good tap to knock them loose and get a good grip on,they are most likely rotted out,you don't want to strip the heads.

 

I'm going to subscribe to this thread, I'm going thru the same problem. Mine looked like yours but after removing all the weather striping OMG! Today I spent the better part removing the front "j-channels" with a chisel and a hammer, going to replace it with one from my donor car.. Curious to see what you find under that t-bar. Stone

 

Where do you get a stainless replacement?

 

stainless t top bar from Hawks...
http://www.hawksthirdgenparts.com/ca...arnewgm-1.aspx

 

Not to hijack this thread but is there anything stopping that 85-92 stainless T Bar from fitting an 83? Maybe I am wrong and I know they switched from glass to lexen tops but didn't the bar remain the same? Looks like it would be a nice upgrade provided I can keep my glass tops.

 

Same bar as long as you don'y have the C@C tops.

 

I never noticed it was listed just for 85-92. I am pretty sure nothing changed. It should fit the early models.

 

keep us updated, mine has the same issue,not quite as bad as yours,but close

 

T top replacement is in. About $100 for a nice used one. The R&R should be simple but the J-Channel replacement may be a bit tricky.

I'll bet somebody could make some good money off making replacement channels since this is so common. Just cut out the old one and tack in the new one would be sweet.

 

Well it turned out to not be nearly as bad as I thought. There was only one J Channel that had a spot rusted through and it wasn't much more than a pin hole. Everything else was rock solid when pulled apart and all the rust wire wheeled off. We scuffed it and coated it with some rust sealer that we have used on trailers that sit outside year round. We'll scuff it and have it shot with paint when the bodywork is ready to be done.

Interior is stripped and ready for second skin spray on, Ensolite, sound dampener, new black carpet, dash, black vinyl seats with gold piping, black trim, black door panels, Kicker coaxials, JL 12 W6v2, and a pair of Soundstream amps.

http://s1176.beta.photobucket.com/us...tml?sort=3&o=0