Window Seal Replacement

[Mpgeslak]

Hi All,

I am replacing the driver and passenger side window seals on my hardtop and I have three questions:

1.  Do I need to glue these seals or do they just go into the channels?
2.  When I removed the A pillar seals there were some sort of clips that came out, are these used to keep the seal in place?  If so how do I re-attach them?
3.   Is there a trick/method for cutting either the A pillar seal or the hardtop seal so that the two fit together properly?  Seems like they might need to be angled so the corner do the window fits into the seals properly.

Any help would be appreciated.

Michael

[mrfatboy]

It’s been a couple of years since I did mine. From memory 🤪:

1. I didn’t glue mine. There were 4 prong clips that go into the channels to hold in place.

2. Same 4 prong clips.

https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=19388.0


3. Are you old seals original? I would start by copying their cuts. They are angled or even compound angled.

The new seals (window & a pillar) are longer and give you room for multiple cuts just in case. Once I was sure I got the angles correct and the two seals matched I cut the window seal first then matched the top of the A pillar seal. From there I cut the bottom of the A pillar to length.

I seem to remember there is a cap or plug in the A pillar seal that must be removed before cutting and then reinstalled.

Biggest tip is just cut a little as possible at first to get your angles correct. I always leave a little long because you can compress the seal. I took my time and made many cuts to get a nice seal. My seals where not original the the PO did a terrible job.

Do a search and I’m sure you will find more tips and pictures to see what correct looking seals look like.

[Mpgeslak]

Thanks mrfatboy!

My current ones are not original and were not installed well so I can’t use them as a template. 

Did you make your final cuts before installing?   

What type of knife works best, seems like razor blade will not be strong enough to cut the thick rubber cleanly?

[mrfatboy]

I used a cheap long retractable razor knife. The ones of those that you snap off a little bit when the tip gets dull.

I made a cut, installed at least the sections that needed to be checked. Repeat until I was confident I had the angles and the look correct.

I believe I experimented on the old seals for several attempts first.

Make sure the seal is not stretched when you mark for a cut.   Just take precautions that you don’t cut too much and come up short and have a gap 🤦‍♂️

It’s tedious, but I’m happy of the results.

Good luck 👍

[Benz Dr.]

I hate this job but I made it a bit easier. I do a rough cut longer than I need, then I use a belt sander to trim to size and shape. Sanding leaves a smoother edge than cutting and you can get very precise dimensions that way. 

[Mpgeslak]

Thanks Benz Dr.

Do you sand the seal with it installed, or before you install it?