This one has me stumped. The rod's seized solid on my '81's glass T-top. I managed to get the top off, & I've left it sat upright on the front edge & sprayed penetrating oil around the rod where it goes into the plastic bush every day for a week, but no joy. Even some reasonably hard hammering of a screwdriver in the slot in the end of the rod won't shock it loose. Any suggestions very welcome. I've googled lots & can't find any mention of this problem.

 

maybe a stupid question but is your car parked on level ground? Cannt picture how you can have the top upright on the front edge and still have the rod sitting in the bushing? Any chance of a picture?

 

The AIM shows how the tops were assembled, including the rod from the latch back to the rear bullet. If opening the latch will not retract the bullet, I'm guessing the rod has come off the latch or is broken inside the top frame.

 

The T-top's not on the car. Are we talking different bushes I wonder? I mean the plastic sleeve in the T-top that the rod's in, not the plastic thing on the body that the end of the rod sits in when you lock it. I could be using completely the wrong terminology - you have to make allowances for us Brits...

 

Not sure where I could apply heat from a torch without damaging something? I suppose melting the plastic bush wouldn't do any harm, it might let me see down the hole to see where the problem is.

 

The latch end of the rod doesn't move either. I've seen diagrams of how it all fits together, & it doesn't look like the rod touches anything between the latch & the plastic bush at the other end. But I don't see how the bush could have such a vice-like grip on it, it's not like they could've rusted together. 'Tis a mystery!

 

Im watching this one ,my 81 has the exact same issue. passenger side top. Got the top out pb blasted with no luck.

 

Maybe we should work together on this - you hit yours with a hammer, then I'll hit mine with a slightly bigger hammer, then your turn with an even bigger hammer... T-top Russian Roulette.

It's interesting that I couldn't find any mention of this problem after lots of googling, but now you appear with the same issue with the same side top on the same year car. Makes you wonder if there's something different inside the T-top frame on an '81.

 

Your problem is likely to be the latch rod. The rod moves the bullet and is connected to the front latch.

 

My money's on the rod too, but I can't see what it could be seized to. I've tried standing the roof on the back edge & pouring WD40 down the rod in the hope it runs down to where the problem is, but no luck so far. So I've given up for now & taken one of the doors & the steering column apart instead. Expect a post in a few days along the lines of "Where does this bit go?"

 

I give up,Im going to run one of those four hundred dollar plastic one piece jobs till i buy new tops. My frames have broken lose from the glass, wilcox says all bets are off if that happens untill there professionally rebuilt, Fuuuuuuuuuuk it Tee tops are NOT stopping this car from hitting the mountain curves this spring.

 

We don't know that it's siezed; only that he can't move it. Rod could be interfering with the latch or vice versa since the latch isn't working either.

I agree. There isn't much within the frame to cause the rod to sieze.

 

No, I took the latch off. Had another go at it today & the rod snapped somewhere at the bullet end. So the rod's now rattling around loose in the frame (I can't pull it out though due to the shape), & the bullet's still seized absolutely solid.

The glass has started to separate from the frame now thanks to all the penetrating fluid, so I'll pull it apart completely, sort the rod out then bond it all back together again.

 

Soooo,the glass can be rebonded at home, I quit on my tops fearing i would mess them up worce than the are now.

 

I'm sure you can bond them at home; you can buy kits with the adhesive & glass & body primers. I'll take mine to a mate who owns a car window place though.

 

Well did you get it apart???

 

I did. I've been meaning to update this for anyone who googles their way here with the same problem, but I'm having one of those weeks. However now that I'm here...

There's been a delay as I was waiting for a special bonded windscreen removal tool to arrive. I shouldn't have bothered - it was hopeless. I quickly gave up on that & used a hacksaw blade instead. I pushed it between the frame & glass & sawed my way round through the glue.

So that got the frame off, & revealed what the problem was. The rust that had built up on the surface of the bullet had jammed it solid inside the plastic sleeve, as suspected. I managed to get it out by hammering it through with a drift from the inside.

So the moral to this story is stand those T-tops on their front edge occasionally with the latch retracted & squirt a bit of silicon(?) spray in there. And if the bullet does rust enough to seize, good luck... Using a small drillbit to drill down through the plastic sleeve would probably get it moving again, but if it's that bad I don't think you'll get the bullet unscrewed without snapping the rod.

The main problem I've got now is finding a new rod. Claremont Corvette have got a used one I can have for £43 (around $65), but that seems awfully expensive. Not sure I have much choice though, people breaking Corvettes for parts are very, very few & far between over this side of the pond.

 

You could repair that rod, it's 10-32 thread on the end for the bullet. Just weld a bolt on the end.
And rebonding the frame to glass is no problem. I've done one of my t-tops and am getting ready to do the other side.


http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...ss-t-tops.html

Carl

 

I'll stick it in the 'parts I might do something with in the future' box for now. I need a couple of the studs & a bullet too which CC are throwing in, so for the sake of time I'll go with it.

Did you use UV primer on your glass before gluing the frame back on? I've heard the bonding glue doesn't like UV light.

 

No primer, the guys at the auto paint store (where I purchased the windshield glue) didn't think I needed it, as long as everything was Very clean. I guess time will tell.

Carl