jburden

I must be installing my 5th bow seal incorrectly as I have had 2 of them rip at the screw end, the metal bracket pulls away from the rubber. Seems like there is too much pull on the gasket when I store the top. Any one else ever have this problem, and what did you do to fix it? I have gone through 2 seals and they ain't cheap!

jburden

... 64 views to this post and no replies? Anybody have anything for me? I am thinking of a redesign of the rear bow to allow for a better gasket design, could be my winter project.

blacksunshine'91

iTrader: (10)

The only thing I can think of is did you let it sit out in the sun or out of the package with it laid out prior to installing it? It might need time to decompress from being in the package.

tavert91

iTrader: (1)

I just did mine last month and it just slid into place without issues. The tabs at the end lined up correctly and tightened down as they should. Mine is a 91 but it should be the same. Where did you get yours? I bought mine from Auto Parts Warehouse as part of a kit that included it, the windshield header seal (car side) and all the window seals. Would your seal allow you to elongate the screw hole to relieve some of the strain on the piece?

jburden

I got it from 1A Auto ... I didn't have any trouble with the installation, it all seemed to fit rather nicely, although the seal seemed a little too long. The problem comes with there being too much tension on the ends of the seal when the top is folded down and I can't see what the issue is.

tavert91

iTrader: (1)

Sorry you are having problems with this seal. You might enjoy knowing that mine, that I told you fit perfectly, had pulled the one metal tab out of the rubber seal when I looked at it today after reading your last post. I scratched my head for a while and then added a short bolt though the rubber and the tab that secured the two pieces.

I looked and my seal was not quite centered right so I repositioned it, reattached the tab that had pulled loose and checked for tension on both sides when going up or down. All seems well at this point.

You said you thought your seal was a little long. Could the added length be causing the portion of the seal between the tab and the seal track to be pulled by the sissor action of the frame in the same area? Mine appears to be a close fit but it does not get in between the two pieces of the scissor joint at that same spot when dropping the top. Take a look. Maybe the scissor is catching your seal and pulling it down to the point of breaking.

jburden

unfortunately, it's not a matter of the metal tab pulling out, the seal itself is tearing. I will have to check the position of the seal when I store the top. I am thinking there is a better way to seal the area between the 5th bow and the back of the door. I do have a background in product design so I may try to come up with an "improvement"...

vinny R

I had my seal tear also. It is the original an one day I noticed it was ripped. The metal tab was still in the rubber and it tore the rubber gasket itself. I ended up fixing it. I got some 3m rubber weatherstrip adhesive and glued it back together. After the glue dried, I took a needle and black thread And stitched through both pieces. Used a little more adhesive on the threads to seal them in and 6 months later it is still in place. Your new gasket should not rip but you could do this fix so it will stay in place until you can figure it out.