My daughter has a 97 Pontiac Sunfire Convertible with the glass window. The top is about 2-3 yrs. old. When we bought it used it had been replaced prior. The glass is coming undone from the top. Does anyone know how to reseal the window, and with what materials? My husband is very handy but he doesn't know if he can do this one. Quotes we have gotten to do the job are hundreds of dollars and we don't have the extra money at the moment.
Thanks
Gorilla snot, (3M weather-strip adhesive) is what you want but you will also need to stretch and clamp it properly or it will not seal correctly and look off-centered. Be sure to have some lacquer thinner on hand to clean up any adhesive that comes out when the joints are clamped down.
i used some gm type b gasket maker from chevy dealer on one that held up.got a caulking gun size tube .wiped everything clean with laquer thinner first,let dry one day... all top sellers say you cant do it because its put inplace and heated on a new top. they are probably right.
When I had my 68 LeSabre convertible the term in the Service Manual said the glass was dielectrically bonded to the window curtain..
One of the hard parts about trying to reglue a window back to the curtain is the amount of dirt & crud that got under the top material. Another problem you've got to deal with is the weight of the glass hanging on the material after its glued. If its done wrong - a few up & downs of the roof could separate the glass from the curtain again. Some tops when folded down there is such a strain put on that area along the bottom edge of the glass that the seal eventually breaks loose. I've see this happen more so on Chrysler Sebrings and Mustangs too.
Another thing that puts a strain on that area is temperature. Put the top down when its 70 - 80 degrees out with the sun beating down on the top - thats fine. But go to raise the roof at night ( dark ) when its
60 degrees out that top material is now cold and has shrunk up so when you raise the top you sometimes have to strain the motor to get the header bow to touch the windshield header so you can lock the top down. WHen you pulling on the top to get it to go more forward, guess whats holding back, the window curtain because the material is to cold to stretch.I've had no experience with this type of problem on the two converts I had, but probably the best way to repair it is to remove the rear window curtain from the top frame and work on it off the vehicle.
That also means removing the rear portion of the top from the frame. It gets very involved especially if you've never done it before. The top around the body line is tacked into strips underneath the molding. If there is a tack strip in the third bow of the roof then that has to be resealed when the top is re-installed or you'll have water leaks over the back seat. One thing is to make sure the inside edge of the curtain that contacts the gas has to be CLEAN.
During installation of the top, the top has to be heated, stretched then tacked so you get a smooth fit ands avoid wrinkles.
If you want to tackle it go ahead, but this is one area of auto work that is best left to a professional. Its expensive work, but thats one of the pitfalls of owning a convertible. It just depends how much your willing to spend on a 8 year old vehicle.
If you decide not to fix it and you live in a cold weather climate the rain & snow getting in the car will lead to high moisture in the vehicle
- thus causing the inside windows to fog up.
Good luck.
Harryface
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