6tee6

I'm finishing up with the installation of a new soft top.

I guess I was expecting a better fit with the new top and all new weatherstripping. I'm finding that the top looks great, few wrinkles, straight lines, etc. But the weatherstrip around the windows don't seal up well with the windows when they roll up and the front weatherstrip, the piece that seals the front bow to the top of the chrome along the window does not seal well in the middle. (The black weatherstrip inside the front bow seals, O.K.

I'm curious how many soft tops out there really seal up that well??? When I explained my frustration to another convertible owner all he said was "welcome to the world of convertibles..."

All this may be somewhat of a moot point since I prefer to drive with the top down, but It'd be nice to know how other tops fit...

Comments???

Nowhere Man

from what I heard and seen that is normal i have a coupe so i don't know :chevy

RichF

My problem is (and always was) more with the rear corners ... Front seems much better after installing new weatherstripping

6tee6

Hmmm,

Thats interesting, Maybe it is just the quirks of an older softtop convertible because my rearbow and seals are real good.

I just went out and played some more with it and I can slightly adjust the weatherstripping around the windows but not really enough to where the window rolls up into the weatherstrip channel. As for the front, I think I'll just cut myself a piece of old weatherstrip to fill the gap if I happen to find myself out for a drive in a rain storm. Otherwise, it stays in the jack compartment with the rest of the "quick fix stuff"

Plasticman

As an owner of a used 66 Vette (and it was never damaged) that I purchased used in 1970, I had to always carry a towel to soak up the leaks at the front bow. And the rear bow did not seal all that well either. I remember one time I locked my keys in the Vette, and used a looped coat hanger on the rear top latches to get back in. Did not damage the paint or seal (the gap was that wide). Thank God I did not have the hardtop on at the time!

Plasticman

DZAUTO

A Corvette convertible top sealed?????????????????
You gotta be kiddin'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The ONLY benefit that I have ever seen from a Vette soft top is that it is good for a sun shade!

Chuck Gongloff

They don't seal THAT well, but IMHO you should have played with the adjustments of the top frame prior to putting the top on. I've spent HOURS over several days fooling with the adjustments over the windows.

Once the rag is on, any adjustments you make to the frame will likely cause wrinkles in the top.

You can play with the top frame adjustments somewhat, and you might try adjusting your windows within the doors to see if you can get them to come up a bit higher. You can also adjust the front latches to see if you can pull the header down farther. Hope this helps. Chuck

Denney

:iagree: Chuck is right. You are now pretty much limited to only making some minor adjustments to the top frame itself (without causing loss of a good fit) or adjusting the window stop (inside the door). :thumbs:

6tee6

I played with the adjustments for a long time and got the frame well centered, etc.

I believe the biggest problem is a poor design on the front bow. If you look at the way the top fits down on top of the chrome window seal, (even with the weatherstripping in place) it still sort of acts like a big wind scoop. I can't help but think that, over time, the metal of the front bow simply gets fatigued and starts to simply bend upward away from the top of the window. If even a small break in the seal starts it can only get worse as your driving around with the top up. When the front bow bends slightly other places on the frame also have to give. Even a 1/4" or so will cause the windows to not seal.

But I still think the main culprit is the front bow. (Why else would you be able to buy just that piece of the frame for a mere $350????

JohnZ

I see lots of Corvettes with new tops freshly-installed by top shops that are as tight as a bowstring, so customers don't complain about "wrinkles"; they look great, but the whole top frame system is stressed in every direction and the seals don't fit. They weren't "bowstrung" and wrinkle-free when they left St. Louis; sealing was marginal at best, but the more you tighten up a new top installation to make it "look better", the more sealing problems you'll have. The key is to make all the frame and window/seal adjustments before you install the top skin, then give it some room to breathe when you install the top skin. :thumbs:

Rons67

How's this, I call my '67 rdstr the "leakmobile" among other things. Going faster than 20 in the rain brings it in over the windshield. The back doesn't seal real well but water doesn't ever come in that way. The windows have a good airgap up top but water usually doesn't come in that way either.

Paul L

This thread is a good argument for why windshield posts rot. I saw that in C3s with improper t-top sealing. It gets pretty ugly.




[Modified by paul67, 8:41 PM 4/11/2004]

RestoVette

On a '65 that I restored, I put on all new weatherstrip on the convertible top frame metalwork, installed the convertible top frame on the car, and then adjusted the windows and top location so everything fit and sealed very nicely. However, when I stretched and stapled the fabric tight enough to eliminate all the wrinkles, I found that the front hinged portion of the convertible top metalwork would not stay straight (parallel) with the second section, causing a fit and sealing problem above the door windows. I resolved the problem by making a pair of snap-in aluminum bars that I would install (by hand) across the inside of the hinge points after the top was up and remove (by hand) before I took the top down. These snap-in bars kept the first two sections of the metalwork parallel with the top of the windows. It added an extra step to put the top up or down, but it made the fit and seal along the top of the side windows much better.
http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrow...elected=715236




[Modified by RestoVette, 1:45 AM 4/12/2004]

magicv8

I put a lot of hours aligning all the top seals and added a third seal between the pinch welt and the front bow seal. My car is watertight in a thunderstorm to 85mph. I try to keep the speed below 90 when it's raining hard. :nopity

kyosho

:lolg: :lolg: :lolg:

I did mine all myself, had it all aligned well, put the top on, and the rear corners still have some small gaps.

km60sb@yahoo.com

I drive a 2002 vert C5. The drivers side leaked when I bought it used 4 years old with 4K on it. thru the 6 years I've driven the car 96K literally everyday in IL. rain, snow, to Cali, Washington DC, FL. I've been able to try different adjustments to band aid the problem. Top shop in FL replaced the weatherstrip with after market weatherstrip which lasted less than a year shrunk and rain poured in.
I replaced the weatherstrip retainers on line and weatherstrip from the dealer spent hours aligning the drivers side to match the passenger side which has never leaked, and stopped it For 6 months. Drove the car to FL from IL in January, no leaking. 3 months later and last three weeks the drivers side faithful leak returned with a vengeance. I literally have months of time invested in this problem and now will try window adjustment I've just read about. If that doesn't work I am at a point now because the C6 vert is an indexed top is it a dry convertible inside when it's raining inside or is the C6 vert a leaker to? Please let me know how your C6 vert performs in the rain. I'm at km60sb@yahoo.com.

dabear

Neither my C5 or C6 verts leaked. Don't know if it was just me, but they were tight in the rain up to at least 70-80. Not near ready to test the C2 (66) yet. Will let you know.

vettebuyer6369

Asking your C6 (C5?) question in the C1 & 2 section in response to a post from 11 years ago is not likely to be productive.

Post a new thread asking your question over in C6.