Sorry whacky, But myself and Astrodrokk just went to inspect a ferrari in Concord Cal for ravaflave and another long time member. We came all the way from santa rosa. Too bad for us and you that you did not post earlier we could have stopped by and fixxed your problem...

 

What is the problem? Out of all the replies, I'm still at a loss of what exactly is the issue and how to fix it.

 

OK, lets just talk about the weatherstrip installation by itself as the initial step. It should lay FLAT all around the frame period when installed correctly and before the window goes in. In order to get that to happen you will need to make some small relief cuts on the back side of the W/S where it goes around the base of the window and transitions to the side glass and the vertical part of the frame. It needs to sit perfectly flat in that area (see photos above). After that it should hold nicely all around the bottom of the frame (be sure the lower lip is fully pulled over). At this point, opinions will vary as to gluing or not. I used some black 3M w/s adhesive and clamped it in place overnight. this helped lock the w/s where I knew it eventually was going to end up. Many including Glassworks say they don't use glue, but on my top and some others I talked to, there was evidence GM did and I'll leave it at that.

 

You may have the rubber gasket inverted. Make sure the right channel is connected to the corresponding channel.

 

The gasket will only go in one way.

On another question....and if I don't get an answer here, I'll start a post on it.
But the reveal molding that goes on the top of the back window on the hardtop...the retainer has one side raised up...does that go towards the front of the car or the back? (see picture below).

 

I did two hardtops for my 59. The first one was done with a seal that I bought from GM in the 1970's and the second was done with a repro from CC. The repro was off just enough in size to create the problem that you are describing. It took A LOT of massaging to get the window to sit properly in the frame with that seal.

 

I finally got it in...it wasn't easy. I ended up calling Glassworks and they said my W/S looked "fine" and it's not uncommon. They gave me some suggestions, which I'll post later..probably on a new post on "trips/tricks on rebuilding your hardtop".
All I can say is that I didn't get "zen" with it...it took some sea-clamps and a lot of cussing.

 

Your last post on this you said you where going to share tips and tricks on this . I can't find it and Im having the same battle . So please , what did Glassworks tell you to do ? Thanks if you can help !

 

That was only 9 years ago, don't rush the guy!

Here's some threads to look through, maybe these will have what you need:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...1-hardtop.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...stion-2-a.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...p-rebuild.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...p-rebuild.html

 

Thanks Railroadman !, I have read through these more than once but will read again . Just hoping for that Tips/ Tricks report . And believe me no rush . I have put this off 30 yrs. Never give up.

 

Try sending him a PM with your exact questions, might save some time in case he doesn't see your post right away.

 

As Railroadman said...this post was 9-years ago and I'm lucky if I can remember what I had for dinner last night let along what exactly I did. Did you check my post on completely rebuilding my hardtop? Not sure if I covered it in there.

What I did was something that was pretty unconventional and pretty hard to explain. I do however remember that the window did not have an even bend to it. You can determine this by making a template using cardboard and comparing one side to the other.
There was no way I could get this window to fit like they show in the video.

I own a company and have a plastic part made for a product and there are so many variables that can impact the shape, including the cooling rate (room temp) when the plastic is extruded and how it is stored. If the part is stored for a period of time in a hot room, it will distort.

What I had determined is that one side of the window had a curve that closely matched the frame, and the other side didn't. So, what I did was place the end of the window that closely matched the curve of the frame and using some towels (as to not scratch the window) and some 2x4's, I clamped that end into the frame.

Then what I did was take a heatgun and heated up the other end to the point I could bend it. Now, I have to warn anyone trying this...cause you can easily distort your window if you don't do it right. It takes a lot of time and patience to heat up the curve EVENLY. I had the heatgun about 10" away from the plastic, and used a sweeping motion like I was spray painting...NEVER STOPPING in one place and making back and forth motions from one end to the other, and large circles. Then I tried SLOWLY bending it using oven mits. I did not try bending into the frame, I just bent it closely to the same curve. Then used some towels and rope and secured it to the frame and let it cool.

Then I put a towel over the end and placed a 2x4 on top it and used a pipe clamp to bend it into the frame. It was a complete jury rig setup...but I was desperate. I had the mindset that the window was useless as it was, and I had nothing to lose...and if I screwed it up, I'd just buy a new one. If I had to do this over, I'd check the curve on the frame and compare it to the window...if they are drastically off, I'd contact glassworks, explain the situation and see if they could send me another that had a uniform bend. It was a real pain in the ***.

 

First off , thank you jusplainwacky for the quick response and sharing. I have read about the 2x4 thing but the curvature and heat gun are a first. I will check the curve on the frame and cut some 2x4 's. The heat gun if needed will be a last resort but like you said nothing to lose . Can you elaborate on how you used the rope in securing window ? I truly respect the ingenuity as this is not a conventional install .