Replacing T-Top Weather Stripping

I replaced my stripping in October of ’98. I just went around and ripped out my old stripping by hand. I didn’t know about the 3M compound then so I just got some needle nose pliers and got all the chunks out, but its probably worth using the 3M product since there will still be minute remnants. That is key, make sure they are all out or you will probably have difficulties getting the new stripping in.

Before you install the new stripping make sure the t-bar in the center is not rusting out. Mine was so I took it off (8 screws I think). After the screws are out it is just resting there, though it may be tough to pull due to age or sealant. If there is rust, get rid of it and if the area is not visible use some rustoleum on it. If it is visible you might prefer to have it painted the right way.

***Here’s a big tip*** A lot of people complain about leaks coming in over their rear seats. This water came in where the t-bar is screwed in. Make sure that the sponge-covered holes under it are still good and the when you put on the t-bar use very liberal amounts of sealant. I put a lot down, put on the bar and then added more to the edges. That thing will probably hold water to a depth of 500 feet now!

With the t-bar taken care of we now move on to the new stripping. Make sure that fits correctly and even put it in (without the sealant or cement) and get a feel for how it sits and where the tracks are. If you need to, put it in and take it out a couple of times. Just be careful not to rip your new $200 stripping in the process. The installation itself is easy. You can put down cement along the factory lines or you can overdo it like I did and basically wash he entire thing with stripping cement. Do one section at a time to ensure quality and fit -i.e, start with the part behind the door, set the stripping, do the part from the door to the t-bar, set it, and so on.

***Be sure not to put TOO much cement or you’ll have it squeezing up onto your paint*** I did this, but it’s really no problem you just wipe it up as quick as you can. After putting the cement down, put the stripping in place on the tracks. Once it is properly in the tracks give it a good press to make sure it meets firmly with all of the cement. If you don’t it might not dry correctly and you might have to come back to that part and try to get some cement in there after it’s already dried.

***Make sure you put the stripping in the proper place as you screw it in to the two spots in front of and behind the drivers/passengers heads by the door. Technically you can put the tab above or below the hole in the car. I did this by preference of fit. That it, I put it above or below based on how the stripping fit in that section to keep it even and make good contact.

Assuming you’ve started with the back section and moved up and around to the front. We now come to the difficult part. The section that goes along the front part of the window was pretty hard for me to get in correctly.

***First adjust the angle at which its screwed to the top so it will fit well with the door as well as meet the existing stripping on the T-top itself (which you can put on once the stripping has dried a little – but maybe you shouldn’t let it dry completely since you might want to make an adjustment or two).

The problem with the stripping along the window is twofold. First, the tracks are hard to set. You will need to use a flathead screw driver or other similar device and, once the stripping is locked on one side (the down side of the track) you must press the opposite flap into it’s track. Again, be careful not to ruin you new stripping with whatever tool you use – I came close here when my hand slipped.

The second problem is the taped section at the bottom. I kept fiddling with it until I got it’s contours to fit pretty well. It’s hard to do since there’s not much hand space between the door and it sticks to anything. Just use your judgment because as much work as I did to get it to fit right I still ended up with slight leaks on both doors from that spot that I had to come back and fix with sealant.

Once everything is sealed and in a good position you should let the sealant dry a little. Then come back and put on the T-tops and put the windows up slowly. The idea here is to form the new stripping to your windows and tops. If it bends the wrong way or doesn’t make enough contact when you do this (and it likely won’t the first time) then try to hold it in the right spot as you put the windows up. I did this on my own, but it might be easier to have someone help since I pinched my fingers a few times under the window!

One thing you might want to do when putting the T-tops on in that last section would be to wrap them in saran wrap or something around the edges where the new stripping is in case you squeeze some of the wet sealant up on to them. That way you won’t have to clean them.

Now, here’s a section on how to do the tops themselves. Remove the plastic cover and then pull out the old stripping. You can literally remove the stripping with your hand. My type of T-tops has them in tracks like on the car itself. You can even remove the track (3 screws if I remember correctly) and the wind breaker which rests below it. The wind breaker as I call it is the section that you can see outside your car. It is a little flap that aims down and often comes loose towards the front – making a lot of noise as if flaps in the wind while you drive!. On many of our cars this part is a rubber compound or flimsy plastic. When I ordered this part from Chevy I might have gotten the wrong part but this is what happened. I got a part that, upon measuring, fit perfectly with our tops and windows. It is a hard black plastic that does not reach so far out from the top. The big problem was that the back side had two big plastic things the size of my thumb sticking out. There was absolutely no way or spot for these to work with our T-tops so I just sheared the things off. They fit in place very easily and I just popped the screws from the track through the proper spots and it worked. Just be careful to line it up correctly.

This "mistaken" part is actually a very nice piece on our car. It fits it original spot and actually clears the windows PERFECTLY – no contact, ever. Its a hard plastic that will never sag or flop in the wind, and it is easy to keep looking good with any generic plastic/vinyl renewer. A blessed mistake indeed!

Anyway, once that is taken care of, clean the tracks of former stripping and screw them back to the top.

***Before cementing the new stripping, put them in ad-hoc WITHOUT any type of adhesive*** This is a MUST or you will forever have leaks. You must fit them to the track and then put the T-top on the car. By doing this we find out how far to move the stripping one way or the other so that it contacts the body’s stripping firmly. Again, do NOT cement it!

Move it until it fits well, or if it doesn’t quite fit try this. Loosen the two screws on the body stripping and angle that stripping in toward the T-tops a little. Now try to match the T-top stripping with the body again. This is also beneficial since the contact edges where the body meets the top tend to age and wear away faster than the rest so a little more contact is preferable.

If you still don’t have the perfect fit do what I did. —>

With the stripping in the track (STILL NOT CEMENTED) stretch it a little to each side. The center section of the track has enough force to hold it while extending the ends a little. This works pretty well.

Now ***Mark the spot on either end where the stripping extends beyond the track so you fit it correctly to the track after you put the cement down and install the stripping to it.

Before it dries too much, put the top on the car to make sure it fits the way you intended it to. If it doesn’t, pull the ends again just a bit until you get what you want.

That covers it except for leak hunting. I searched and searched for a company that would install stripping on my car before I finally did it for myself. NO ONE could guarantee that they could prevent further leaks. And less than 1 in 5 even wanted to try it since our cars are so notorious for leaking. I think these guys are just a bunch of half-wits.

Of course once I installed my new stripping there were telltale leaks at the front corners (by the screw on each side) where water came in and dripped on my arm. That wasn’t rain water though, it only leaked after having direct pressure form a hose on that section. Another spot that leaked under the same conditions was where the tape adhered in the front. In both cases I fixed it by figuring out where the water got in and applying sealant. Just be careful not to get it on the exposed parts of the stripping because it is hard to get off and leaves a little dark spot. I ended up packing a lot of sealant in unde the top left corner on the exterior. None of it can be seen unless I pull the rubber back and it is now leak proof. The same goes for the taped section except its a little harder to figure out and stop. I ended up using a lot of sealant on either side to stop that one but it’s all out of sight even with the doors open you won’t see it unless you look directly at it.

Here’s a few more tips:

The cement and sealant are pretty gooey. If they touch something they will stick to it and as you pull it back (screw driver or whatever) it will spread and fall all over. So be sure to have a couple of terry cloths or just anything to pick up the mess or cover your work area.

When putting the second flap on the front window section into the upper track this is what I meant – DON’T press the screw driver to the outside (visible once installed) section. What I meant there was to hold the main part of the stripping back as you snake the screwdriver in there to push the flap into the track. The flap is solid so punctures don’t cause problems and are very unlikely. I used a lot of force and had no problems. But be careful around the hollow section. If it’s punctured you could develop problems later that defeat the purpose of installing the new stripping.

Another thing is that when you loosen the body stripping screws to adjust the stripping’s angle to the T-top stripping – be sure that the body stripping cement has been dry. I didn’t wait too long and didn’t have any problems, but I imagine that you might be able to pull the rest of the stripping along the front out of line if the cement is still wet. Just be careful and use your own judgment.

When leak hunting as I mentioned, here’s a good reminder. Don’t put the sealant on the outside of the stripping. It might work but it doesn’t look too good and eventually creates a sticky mess as it dries out. Instead, pull the stripping back a little where you are applying the sealant so you can see part of the track. I used and flathead screwdriver (real high-tech here) and put a drop of sealant on the end. Then I carefully wiped the sealant where I wanted it being careful not to make a mess. It stops the leaks and keep your new stripping from looking crappy.

That’s the long and short of replacing your 3rd gen weather stripping on and around the T-tops. I hope you all have as much luck as I have and maybe have an easier time of it with this input! Good luck and maybe you won’t dread rainy days from nowon!