How to Reattach the Rear Convertible Window

Submitted by gem (Lower Marlboro, MD) on CorvetteForum.com. (7/24/07)

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 four cup variety without thinking. I got two 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 two cup or three 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 three to six 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 driver’s 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.

Submitted by c4c5specialist on C5Forum.com. (12/29/02)

There have been a lot of questions regarding convertible top care, adjustments, and issues on wear. This article is giving a basis for what you, as owners, can do to help keep your top, and your car, at its best, and avoid needing the top replaced.

So with that, let’s get started.

The first issue we will deal with it contact of the top fabric on the rear deck lid.

This is how you do your first adjustment.

This shows your rear #5 bow adjustment, which will change the actual tension to the rear deck lid, or tonneau. You will need a 13mm and a 15mm for this adjustment. Turn in the adjustment to pull the bow away from the lid, turn out to extend the bow towards the tonneau. A gap of 2 millimeters is what you are looking for. As a sidebar, there is a revised weatherstrip with a stuffer, that can be installed, from the 2002 model year, to insure that the bow does NOT contact. 02-08-111-01 gives you the part number as 10319827. This is the close up for the adjustment on the #5 bow. Just remember, count the turns on the first side, and do the EXACT same thing on the other side. If you do not, you could bend the #5 bow. The 13 is your jamb nut, and the 15 is the actual adjustment. Next is your wear point on the B pillar glass location. This picture is your actual look at the B pillar, when the door is closed, and the glass is OK, and not hitting the top.

Just remember, that this adjustment will affect your tension on the latches on the windshield frame, and it should be known that you will have to put more effort on the top to latch it. This is due to the fact that you are changing the geometry of the top, and it is OK that it be this way. The tension will be lessened as time goes on. This is the first part. This picture is what you will see when the door clearance is OK, not hitting, and you are closing the door. Do not expect a lot of clearance, you are only looking for enough to get the door glass past, without contact, that is all.

Now, to adjust the top away from the glass, with out a lot of effort, put your top down, and then reference the picture below. Now, the arrow is pointing to the three bolts, that are on each side that hold the top frame to the vehicle. I asked Ed to highlight these, because these six bolts are all that retain the top into the frame of the vehicle.

Directly below the arrow, is a 13mm adjustment screw, which is your adjustment. Just remember, it also has a 13mm jamb nut below it. Once again, what you do for one side, do for the other. If, after both of these adjustments, you do NOT obtain the clearance that you require, you will have to remove the plastic trim panels behind the seat belt pivot, and loosen those six bolts to move the whole assembly. However, I have only had to do this once, so the chance that the simple adjustment will do you just fine, and you will not have to go this in depth.

Now, some of you have water entering in between the mating points of the weather strips. The picture below shows the screw in between the two rails. Just turn it in or out, to either give more room in the joint, or to remove a space.

The last picture is the lubricant that is used for all Corvette weather strips. While it is expensive, at about $45, one tube will last the life of the vehicle, if used correctly. This lubricant will assist in squeak noises, and itching type noises, that weatherstrips sometimes have when dry. Follow the instructions on the bottle, and it will serve you well.

For cleaning the tops, and protecting them, RAGGTOPP convertible top cleaner, is authorized by GM for use on all convertible tops. This is sold at the NCM, www.corvettemuseum.com, and is only $20 a bottle. Once again, follow the instructions, and it will even clean up the Oak tops, making them almost new.