Attaching the chrome roof garnish strips

[dtuttle123]

I know that the chrome roof garnish strips are attached to the hardtop through mechanical fasteners, which requires taking out the headliner (and all the associated work). 

Someone asked me whether the garnish strips could instead be glued on to the roof if they were for decorative purposes only - instead of for carrying the load of a ski rack.  I guess that would be possible - does anyone have an experience on this?

[john.mancini]

Hi Doug,
I would HIGHLY recommend using the correct fasteners. It's well worth the extra pain in the butt. Besides, the garnish trim adhesive from MB leaves a bitter after taste.
John

[gnj588d]

Hi .I glued mine on 10 yrs ago without a problem because i was affraid of unseen leaks doing damage,they are for decorative purposes only. cheers Mike.

[cascadia]

I'm going to be putting my hardtop all back together fairly soon and this post has got me thinking about sealants.  My hardtop is a bare shell so obviously I'll be using the factory hardware to attach the strips.  What sealant should I use around the holes to guarantee no future water leaks?  Anyone have a favorite for this application?
Bob

[hauser]

There's a sealant that is used for wheels.  I have seen this process when two wheel halves are joined together and a sealant is applied to prevent air loss.  I have no idea what it's called or who makes it but it is out there.  You can always check with Gernold and see what he's using.

I wonder is this is covered in Gernold's Pagoda roof restoration article he submitted to the Star? 

[66andBlue]

Bob,
I have used a clear sealant made by Henkel:
http://www.osipro.com/products.pl?id=QUAD&category=exterior_sealant
Gernold prefers "plumber's putty".

[gnj588d]

Hello again. spoke to my body man today he says he used windscreen bond to stick the trim on the roof,he said to remove any polish or grease first he uses it because it does not go rock hard,hope this helps.Cheers. Mike

[dtuttle123]

Thanks Mike!  

Looks like we have 2 strings going on with this topic - 1st, how to attached the strips to the roof without fasteners, and the 2nd string on how to seal the roof from water around the mechanical fasteners that penetrate the roof to hold the strips - read carefully so that you don't use the wrong 'gunk' for your application.  

[dtuttle123]

Bob -

If you are interested here's the list of the mechanical fasteners that are required to attached the (2) roof garnish strips, and their approximate costs - close to $350 if I have added this up right - which is pretty amazing!

002-988-56-78 clip x 20  - $5.50 ea
001481-002512 clamping sleeve x 10 - $.20 ea
113-795-05-40 filler x 12  - $15.50 ea
201-987-02-41 rubber o-ring x 24  - $1.70 ea
007987-005114 countersunk screw x 12  (common)
900056-005205 countersunk washer x 12 -  $.90 ea

[Nate]

$809 including the aluminum garnish mouldings, and CA sales tax... (and that's with a 25% discount from Caliber Motors).  Please don't ask me how I know this...

[dtuttle123]

...but they are right up with the Euro headlights in terms of the 'looking cool' factor!