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  1. #1
    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ATCharming's Avatar
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    ttop leak, hatch leak, and window motor problems

    well its not an ls1... but its an fbody. and its an fbody with ttops...
    let me describe the situation and hopefully someone can help

    i have 2 different ttops. one is glass one is plastic (pass. side ttop flew off so it was replaced with an older one. so now the pass. side is glass)

    the pass ttop has a torn up weather flap. its the flap that hangs down over the window, im sure u all know what im talkin about. that little strip of rubber is hanging down a little bit, to the point where the window hits it, and doesnt go up all the way. now my window motor is really weak, and barely moves the window up. the motor isnt that huge of a problem yet tho, cuz it does in fact still work enough...
    i figured since the window motor kept pushing the window up against the rubber flap, thats the reason its fucked up. if i have someone hold the flap out while i roll up the window it closes almost all the way. there is still a slight gap, enough for water to come in, but i think that the weather flap/weather stripping could fix that.
    alot of times i forget to hold the flap while rolling up the window, and my passenger literally gets rained on. its a pain in the ass...

    also my hatch leaks, but im assuming i just need new weatherstripping for that.

    i drove in the rain the other day, and i covered the outside of the passenger window with duct tape, along the seals. it helped, but it still dripped a bit inside
    also, for the first time, I got wet.... the drivers side ttop never leaked, till then. now water seems to enter the back of the ttop, rolls down to the corner of the window, windshield and ttop, and drips on my knee.

    i hope im describing this well enough for you all.


    cliffnotes: drivers side ttop leaks, passenger side window leaks like crazy AND i think the passenger side ttop leaks a little too. hatch also leaks

    my car is just not meant for rain... someone please help. what do i do? should i just get new ttops and weatherstripping? weatherstripping seems like its gonna be a big pain in the ass of a project and i dont want to spend hundreds of dollars on a complete weatherstripping kit.

    my passengers are tired of getting wet and my parents are tired of me taking up the garage... please help

  2. #2
    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ATCharming's Avatar
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    bump!!!

    Will SFC's help fix this problem?!?!?!?

  3. #3
    Member 98CamaroSS's Avatar
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    IMO. You have no choice but to get brand new complete weather stripping. It's not as expensive as you think especially considering that if you don't your car will start to rust and cost alot more to fix. Fix it right or stay wet that's the only 2 choices you have.

  4. #4
    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ATCharming's Avatar
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    i think u MAY be right... i HOPE not tho

    i did some research and a complete weatherstripping kit goes for like $300, which is fuckin rediculous.

  5. #5
    ArtistFormerlyKnownAsMac Silver Streak's Avatar
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    Thats what I would say too... you'll pay for it.. but it will be worth it in the end....
    -Geno
    1983 Black WS6 "WindCharger"
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    Sold the other four f-bodies

  6. #6
    Missing 4 Cylinders BULLET_WS6's Avatar
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    look on the bright side.. my 240sx i had to pull the drain plug in the rear everytime it rained... no joke either.. the whole truck would be like a bathtub

  7. #7
    Don't Listen to Me NE98LS1's Avatar
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    my buddy had a 3rd gen and went through hell getting his t tops to stop leaking.

  8. #8
    Impounded 86 IROC-Z's Avatar
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    Got your IM, heres my opinion/experience:

    If the window motor is that bad, I'd replace just so it isn't a hassle.

    The cheapest way to fix the T-top leaks is what I did, I went to home depot and got some caulking (I'll look in the morning to see what type). I removed the weatherstripping (I didn't take them off the car, just remove the section from the T-top area with the rest still attached), then I sanded away all the rust and used the caulking gun to make a nice seal between the body panel and the stripping. Don't use too much though, its thick messy sticky shit, best to use a thin bead along the whole perimeter and press the stripping back in, and then get a peice of plastic or thick card and some paper towels to clean the outer edges up. This fixed my T-tops and they haven't leaked since. Here are a few pics:

    This is what we found underneath the rear seat , caused by the leak:



    You only need the take the stripping off as so, not completely all the way off:


    Pic taken while giving my hand a break from sanding my rusty pos car:


    I'll find out the type of sealant we used, but remember to used the black colored stuff

    As for the actual weather stripping on the T-Top itself, short of buying a new T-top: I know what peice you're talking about, but not in what way and how badly its torn up; but you could try weatherproof tape to fix it, or even just to hold it away from the window as it goes up.

    For the hatch, you should get a friend and a hose and try and figure out where the leak is, and then see whats wrong with it. If the weather stripping is damaged, you might try sealant or tape, but either of those might not work. If the stripping is just coming away from the body, you should just be able to fix it with sealant and it should hold up quite well.

    Hope this helps

  9. #9
    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ATCharming's Avatar
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    wow iroc, thanks for the ttop info. that REALLY REALLY helps out. great thourough explanation for u. id definitely give u rep points for that if we were still allowed to do that. well tonight i went out and bought new weatherstripping for the hatch, which cost $20.
    so the hatch should be fixed...

    as for the ttops/doors/windows, the stripping is really wierd in the top corner by the top corner of the window. right before it curves to the roof... its hard to explain, but it seems id need to go to a dealer for it.

    i think holding the flap away from the window as it goes up is my only option, but the thing is, the window still doesnt close ALL the way, cuz it must have gotten fucked up, trying to push against that flap the whole time. the window will close, but doesnt put enough pressure at the top to create a water-tight seal if you know what i mean. i have MUCH more info than i did before tho, so i will do my best with installing the hatch stripping, and sand/caulk the ttop stripping, and maybe i will caulk the flap by the window so it doesnt hang down so far.

    iroc, ur the man

  10. #10
    Veteran 0rion's Avatar
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    I'll drop some old man wisdom on you. I would personally do my best to fix it the right way once instead of the half assed way 50 times. I understand the budget may not let you run out and drop $300 on new weather stripping so I would at least maybe buy 1 piece a month or something along those lines. Do the drivers side first since that's the most important one. My 79 Trans Am had a passenger t-top leak. I never fixed it because it didn't drip on me. That was in my younger days though before I knew better. After having "been there and done that" a few times I learned it's waaay easier to fix shit right the first time and be done with it even if it costs more. I'm not saying anything bad about the way 86 iroc did his because it obviously worked for him. My experience has been I would do all of that work and still have a leak when I was done.

  11. #11
    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ATCharming's Avatar
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    thanks for the input orion.
    well, what iroc did is just some work, and not much money...
    so i think ill do it that way, see the result and THEN do it the right, complete way if it doesnt work ya know?

  12. #12
    Veteran 0rion's Avatar
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    I don't blame you. Post up the results. Might be good info for others to have since tons of people have t-tops.
    Quick story. My dad was selling a truck he had. It was about a 72-73 chevy and had a sunroof in it. A guy was at the house looking at it and asked dad " Does the sunroof leak?" and dads reply was " Only when it rains."

  13. #13
    Missing 4 Cylinders BULLET_WS6's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 0rion View Post
    I don't blame you. Post up the results. Might be good info for others to have since tons of people have t-tops.
    Quick story. My dad was selling a truck he had. It was about a 72-73 chevy and had a sunroof in it. A guy was at the house looking at it and asked dad " Does the sunroof leak?" and dads reply was " Only when it rains."
    classic...

  14. #14
    Senior Member Rhinohuey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 0rion View Post
    I don't blame you. Post up the results. Might be good info for others to have since tons of people have t-tops.
    Quick story. My dad was selling a truck he had. It was about a 72-73 chevy and had a sunroof in it. A guy was at the house looking at it and asked dad " Does the sunroof leak?" and dads reply was " Only when it rains."
    OMG that fukkin hilarious! The EXACT same question and answer were asked and given when I was selling my Chevelle. My dad was the one that answered. The guy that asked it was the one that ended up buying it.

  15. #15
    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ATCharming's Avatar
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    if it works for me, iroc should repost it with pics and have it be stickied (i would, but i dont want to take credit for his idea)

  16. #16
    Impounded 86 IROC-Z's Avatar
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    What I said was a cheap fix... I don't plan on restoring/modding my car, I just want it drivable and (relatively) comfortable. I'm going to keep it until it dies or when I have any cash for a new car, either of which will hopefully be soon.

    However, If you plan on keeping the car long than a few years or invest heavily in it (new engine, etc) I highly suggest doing it the correct way; even though it costs more.

    Also, there's a place about 45 minutes away that me and my dad have went a couple time to get part for my car, its called Pull-A-Part, its just a big gravel lot with a bunch of junked cars organized by manufacturer. Some of them are in surprising good shape (for a junk yard), and you can look online at the inventory to see if your car is there (82-92 RS's, Z28's, firebirds, and TAs). They also tell you when the car was dropped off there, so if its been there for awhile, you might guess that a popular part is gone because people have had the opportunity to get it. You might be able to find weather stripping in good condition and save a bunch of cash this way too.

    You basically pay about a buck for admission (remember: bring your own tools and a bucket or two. Its a good idea to look at your own car to know whattools you'll need to remove what you want from the junk cars), go in and get what you want from the cars, and you take it to the counter upfront and pay. Everythings really cheap (As it should be... not like their new or refurbished parts or anything) so it is really worth it if the part you need is in good condition.

    They dont have one in IL, but here is their website to give you an idea or if you want to make a drive: http://www.pullapart.com/Default.aspx

    Here is and example of a price: $129 for an "8 CYL ENGINE". So if you find a 96 Trans Am thats there because of a serious rear end hit, you could get a nice LT1 for $130. Hypothetical situation, but nice to think about nevertheless

  17. #17
    Impounded 86 IROC-Z's Avatar
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    Example of the search... pretty cool website

    Make..........Model....Year..Row.Location.......Da te On Yard
    CHEVROLET CAMARO 1996 54 Atlanta North 06/01/2007
    CHEVROLET CAMARO 1995 63 Atlanta North 07/03/2007
    CHEVROLET CAMARO 1988 61 Atlanta North 06/26/2007

  18. #18
    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ATCharming's Avatar
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    wow

  19. #19
    Giant Dicks Car Club Zapper2003's Avatar
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    my 89 bird leaked like a hoebag, the people who painted it stuck their tape right to the old seals and just ripped the tape off when they were done painting and took big chunks when they did. I actually used black RTV on some spots to rebuild the areas that were low. I just kept wetting my finger in a bucket so i could spread the RTV nice and smooth. Only drawback to doing so is the RTV is nice and shiny while the seal is faded and grey lol.

  20. #20
    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ATCharming's Avatar
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    psch idc about looks. today i did as much caulk work as i could without fuckin up the weatherstripping. iroc, i looked at the weatherstripping, and i dont see how u got under it? it seems to be attached under the metal on both sides if you know what i mean

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