T-Top Seal Replacement
M. Scott DeVal
Introduction
Here are some tips for replacing the T-Top weatherstripping...things you will need:
  1. 3M black super weatherstrip adhesive..make sure it's the SUPER stuff and not the regular adhesive.
  2. 3M adhesive remover
  3. Plastic putty knife or similar
  4. POR-15
  5. New weatherstripping...I recommend GM only...I've seen other brands such as Soffseal(sp?)...etc...the fit is lousy and it just doesn't last as long...GM is pricey but well worth it
  6. Plastic push in clips...holds weatherstrip at bottom front/back by door...these are made by Body-Tite ...can get them at any auto parts store.
  7. 3M black strip caulk...comes in strips in a blue box...it's like play-doh but sticky..it's used all around the weatherstripping to seal open spaces...you'll see where it goes as you remove the weatherstripping...just replace the old stuff with new
  8. lots of time and patience!!...

I think that's it for supplies...to replace the weatherstrip I did one side at a time...you can do both...I just didn't have the room in my garage to open the door fully to work on both sides...it's easier if you remove the front seats...you can stand in the interior which makes it easier to work on the areas in the center
Procedure
  1. Lay down plastic sheeting to cover the entire interior...it will get messy.
  2. Remove all the old weatherstrip...just rip it out...you'll see how crappy it was glued in from the factory...some spots didn't even have any adhesive
  3. Once removed go ahead and remove the center piece...it's held on with several screws...some may be hidden by the strip caulk...it also may be held on by adhesive...it will come off just be careful not to damage it...they are no longer available
  4. Once you get the center piece out and all the weatherstrip off I can guarantee you will see some rust unless the car has seen very little water.
  5. Now for the fun part…the cleanup…and this is what takes the most time...use the adhesive remover and the plastic putty knife to remove all the old weatherstrip
  6. Liberally apply the remover and let it soak for awhile then start scraping...try not to get too much remover on the painted surfaces…it won’t hurt paint that has been there for awhile but the remover will soften/remove any new paint…you can see why you're using a plastic knife...a metal one would damage the trim pieces...which are also discontinued...so be careful here when scraping...they can be repainted so don't worry about that. I actually removed the front trim pieces to clean them...it was easier...they are held on with several screws plus double sided adhesive.
  7. Clean everything up so that there is no adhesive or weatherstrip left...the cleaner the better.
  8. Now is time to clean up the rust...fix holes...if any...then coat the areas underneath the center piece...behind the front trim piece...etc with POR-15.
  9. Once everything is dry you should test fit the weatherstrip...it will need to be stretched in the corners to fit

  10. Use the plastic putty knife to tuck the weatherstrip into all the channels and under the lips
  11. When happy with fit leave weatherstrip in place and glue it in place doing small sections at a time...the adhesive dries very fast
  12. I start from the front inside corner...pull that part of the weatherstrip out of the channel...lay a bead of adhesive on the bottom part of the trim and a thin bead in the lipped part of the channel
  13. When working on the inner corners build up a little bit of the adhesive so that when you push the 90 degree corner of the weatherstrip in it pushes some of the adhesive out to the edge...basically just trying to seal the corner
  14. Once that sets up a little, move outwards toward the door in front or down the middle towards the back...doesn't matter
  15. I glued the entire front piece by the windshield next...then glued the center...then the back...then down the back pillar ...then front pillar...just make sure the edges of the weatherstrip are tucked firmly into the channels/lips.
Summary
I think that's about it...I let it all dry for a few days before I put the T-Tops back on...at a minimum let the adhesive dry overnight.


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