Have a 88 v6. t top leaks,

I have the headliner off and I was wondering if I could just spray hardening foam in the frame holes to stop the leak? What are your thoughts on that?

 

it would probably stop the leaks, but then the water wouldn't have a way to drain and would just puddle up and be stuck there and could cause rust. im replacing T bar, and weather stripping.

 

I agree with what your saying, But Dont you think that it makes sense that water cant get in if the t frame is full of foam? lol Knowing my luck I would fill it slap full of foam and water would have to run somewhere so it would leak more somewhere else... Or I might just be lucky and it stop the problem in all... I dont have funds for weather stripping or replacement parts... wish i could just completely restore my whole car!!!

 

i hear where your coming from haha. i mean you could do it, and it could be a hit or miss. all experimental with the T tops in these cars. i think it would solve the problem but then it would start up again on another part like you said, you could keep doing it till the whole part is full of foam..im not sure what would happen then, i would be worried about rust though thats it.

 

Yea i have a feeling that it would help. I figure if the water has to go somewhere then it would roll off the sides. Im gonna try it in the next few weeks and get back to u to let u know if it works. .

 

ok thanks.

 

Foam will absorb water....if its not perfectly sealed.There are probably sharp/pointed objects within the roofs braces to puncture the foam.Water will find its way in....gauranteed!

 

I think you should read up on all the other posts on t-tops leaking,

9 times out of 10 the water is getting in between the weatherstripping and the chassis, you should use weather stripping adhesive to fix the problem(about 3 bucks at walmart for a small tube)

people have also used silicone, but i wouldn't recommend hardening foam

 

The best thing you can do is remove the weatherstripping and then remove the T-Bar. You can let the weatherstripping dangle over the doors.. it doesn't need to come off.

Clean up all the old glue and any rusty areas you see with a wire wheel on a drill. It beats scraping. You probably don't have rust holes in the channel, just the groove that holds the weatherstripping edge is rusted and rotted. As long as most of its there you'll be fine. If you do find holes there then fix them..

After you got everything cleaned up in those channels take a bottle of water and find your leaks. Make sure the headliner is off, and pour some water where the T-Bar meats the front channel and then where it meets the rear channel. Do one side first. It should look like 2 or 3 layers of sheet metal overlapping. More then likely that is where you are leaking from. Pour about 1/4 of the bottle on that area then watch in the car and see if you have a leak there. It should run out fairly quick.

If so, take your silicone and seal up those seams in the metal. I put enough on I could smear with my finger. Give it time to set up and when its hard test it again. Pour more water over and see. If don't have a leak, then move on the other end.

When you put all the weatherstripping back in, use that 3m weatherstripping glue thats in the black package. It works really well. Just make sure you physically hold the weatherstripping in each corner of the T-Bar until the glue dries or it will leave a gap and it may leak. I had to do this twice before I learned that trick. A good 5-10 minutes of pressure and your good.

 

i tried the expansion foam at first. didnt do anything, the water just found a new route. i took off the t-top bar and replaced the seals (after about 2 years of attempted quick fixes) and that worked.....for a bit. then i got a couple rust holes and i needed to repaint the roof of the car (still in progress) so i took off the seals again and the t-top bar and im going to re-glue it again. not a bad idea to put A LOT of RTV under the t-top bar IMO. better to have a good seal i think