1stGlance

my rear window is loose..
Can I just use gorilla glue and glue it back?
Or do I need some special adhesive from dealer

jeez car is only 8 years old ... 2000 C5 convert

DAV162

Try this

My 2001 convertible is my everyday car. I drive it in rain, snow and good weather. It is and always has been garaged. Three weeks ago at about 128,000 miles the back glass window separated from the top. The separation first started at the top and when it got to the sides and started separating at the bottom I stopped driving it.

I’ve done lots of research on this site and others (including BMW, Audi and other convertible top postings). The results are that upholstery people usually say the sealing process is high pressure done under heat at the factory and there is no way to duplicate it in the field so you have to replace the top. Estimates for top replacement range from lows in the area of $500 to $1000 to a high of $3000 with the average being $1000 to $1500.

Some people report glue attempts with total failures after days or weeks. Others report glue success and the glue holding after much longer times.

Those reporting glue success used a variety of glues including: JB Weld, Black silicone RTV sealant, pure clear silicone sealer, 3M high black weatherstrip adhesive, and urethane windshield glue. One person posted that he used a cyanoacrylate glue that he got at a hobby shop. Super glue and its various other names are cyanoacrylate glues.

I did my own research and settled on Rhino Glue which is a specially formulated cyanoacrylate that is waterproof, weatherproof and completely resistant to heat and cold. See www.rhinoglue.com for more information.



I was not able to find this glue in any store and bought it online. This is a totally different glue than Liquid Nails Rhino Ultra Glue. Do not buy the Liquid Nails kind.

Here are pictures of what the separation looked like before I started gluing.

The first one was taken when the separation first started. Compare it with the ones below with the suction cups and you can see the progression of the separation down the side with just a little more driving.

My advice is to catch it before the window comes completely loose.









These round red things are suction dent pullers.






I found these online. They come in a 1, 2, 3 or 4 suction cup variety. www.cvfsupplycompany.com/sucusucupdep3.html. I bought the 4 cup variety without thinking. I got 2 of them (only needed one in the end) for $30 and that included the shipping. When they arrived, I realized that they were too large for the window so I cut them in half. A better choice would have been either the 2 cup or 3 cup ones. I then rigged up a way to pull them so that the glass would be pulled against the fabric. You can see that this simply involved screwing an eye into the rafter above.



I found that if I unlatched the top and lifted it about a foot that it relieved the stretched fabric enough to manually push it against the glass. Note the rubber mallet I used to hold the front of the top up.



I then applied the glue around the glass about 3 to 6 inches at a time. Be careful and test this out before you apply the glue. I made the mistake of starting on the sides and moving toward the middle and was left with a significant bunching at the middle. The glue set up so fast that I actually had to cut the top away from the glass at the corner to smooth out the bunching. At the finish of the job, I was still left with a little bunching at the drivers side. As I’m not a perfectionist and it isn’t very noticeable, I haven’t tried to correct it.

This is the finished job before I removed the dent pullers.



I did the job at 7 PM and left the suction cups attached until the next morning at about 8 AM. I then drove the car to an automated carwash which I figured would be a great test for the bonding strength. It came through with flying colors - no separation of the window from the top and no sign of leaking.

I then drove it 50 miles with no sign of any separation.

If the glue is as advertised, judging by the part I had to remove and redo, I expect it will hold up for a very long time.

1stGlance

Thank you very much for sharing!

1stGlance

Guess I need to check my extended warranty - to see if it's covered under that as well - if so - I might just have a new top put on - if not then I will certainly try the "glue it back" route !!

clif

I simply used the black RTV. It sealed mine up very easily. I did let it sit 24 hours after I reglued mine. I placed an old qulit behind the seats to hold the glass, and a few books to hold the cloth against the glass while it set up.

1stGlance

Black RTV ? where do I get that and do I just ask for Black RTV ?

clif

Got mine at the local Auto Zone.

1stGlance

Not surprised = it's not covered! crap!

Ok guess its glueing time.... my garage is not heated does that matter?

onetime21

I was waiting a while before I responded back to my 1998 rear window, repair attempt. Well I must say for under $20.00 my attempt was a big success. Today is 9/07/09 and I repaired my window on 11/10/08 almost a year ago after much cold/hot/wet weather and many car washes with pressure, I haven't experienced any leaks or seaperation of any kind. I do have a brotherin law in the body repair bussiness. So heres my story. My rear conv. window was starting to separate, hearing losts of wind going down the highway and didn't know what the issue was, well the next time I lowered my top the window was starting to separate. I was told to get some"3-M window-weld" this is a super fast urethane which looks like shinny tar found at Autozone #08609 has a nascar perfaormance emblem on the front of this 10.5 oz tube, you will need a caulking gun to apply this. The simple steps I took was, I removed the remainder of the window from the canvas top, took some alcohol and cleaned the area where the window was sealed to the canvas top and the window it self where the glue sets, do not remove any of the adhesive from the factory installation this will help the urethane adheive better, after you clean the window and canvas top unhook the two latches that lower your top located by your rear view mirror, raise the top just enough to turn the two locks back into place but rest the conv. top on top of the front window frame should be about and inch of separation. This will allow the top to have enough slace for what your about to do. Be carfull with your two rear window defrost wires. I used two pillows off my bed to place behind the seats to prop the rear window up where it would hold the window in place. Move your rear window around and make sure it aligns up well before the urethane is attemped. Once your sure you have enough pillows or what ever you prop up your rear window with its time for a steady hand. You only need about a 1/4th inch wide run of urethane so I suggest making a test on a piece of paper. Okay now this is where you must be very very careful, with your window in place and aligned, this will take two people, one person will lift the canvas where your bead of urethane will be apllied the other will carfully run a1/4th inch wide bead all the way around the window, DO NOT GET ANY OF THIS ON THE CANVAS TOP REMEMBER BLACK TAR, IF YOU DO GET A LITTLE ON THE CANVAS WIPE IT OFF IMMEDIATELY WITH RUBBING ALCOHOL. Once you finish the entire window making sure you leave to gaps, it must be a solid line, any gaps will be a leak. make sure you check your hands again for clean fingers and then run your finger around the outside edges of the canvas to push the urethane down flat. Some urethane will sweeze out but thats okay don't touch it let it dry for 24-hour then carefully cut only the dried urethane not your canvas top. This has been a very good fix for my vette and very very inexpensive. But this is only a suggestion don't try it if you think its impossible for you to acheive. There are many repair shops that will charge you serveral hundreds of dollars.