rear window leaking
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 60
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rear window leaking The adhesive around the rear glass has pulled away from the window and is leaking big time. Any know how to fix this? I live in Florida so this is a major problem for me. My car is a 2000 PM convertible SS w/ a black top.
I would go to a glass shop and pick up a tube of the
polyurethane adhesive they use for windshield installs.
Then clean the hell out of the glass and fabric, and
very carefully reglue the seal (you will not get a second
chance, that stuff -sticks-).
You will probably want to have handy a bunch of old
pillows or something like that, to push the glass into
its proper position from inside the car. It's messy and
tricky work (based on my other 'vert which I had to
seal similarly). Make sure you have everything just-so
and that the fabric "wants" to lie smooth onto its
original location before you start in with the glue,
and it should go pretty straightforwardly. Not a job
to rush. It may also be easier to hit a smaller bit (like
the center foot or so of the bottom) and let that set
up as a "keeper", making the rest of it easier. If you
can do two beads, one deep under and the second
a "finish" after the first has set and is holding the
fabric strain, that will probably give you a better
result too. Have not had mine separate yet, so I don't
know how much seal / glass overlap there is to work
with. On the Caprice I did it in stages like this (being
a huge rear window it was pretty hard to control).
polyurethane adhesive they use for windshield installs.
Then clean the hell out of the glass and fabric, and
very carefully reglue the seal (you will not get a second
chance, that stuff -sticks-).
You will probably want to have handy a bunch of old
pillows or something like that, to push the glass into
its proper position from inside the car. It's messy and
tricky work (based on my other 'vert which I had to
seal similarly). Make sure you have everything just-so
and that the fabric "wants" to lie smooth onto its
original location before you start in with the glue,
and it should go pretty straightforwardly. Not a job
to rush. It may also be easier to hit a smaller bit (like
the center foot or so of the bottom) and let that set
up as a "keeper", making the rest of it easier. If you
can do two beads, one deep under and the second
a "finish" after the first has set and is holding the
fabric strain, that will probably give you a better
result too. Have not had mine separate yet, so I don't
know how much seal / glass overlap there is to work
with. On the Caprice I did it in stages like this (being
a huge rear window it was pretty hard to control).
I'm suspicious of epoxies, have seen many of them
go changing (for the worse) over the years after the
application. Plus I think you want flexibility more than
hard strength. That glass-shop adhesive is tailor-
made for the job and it sticks like a bugger.
I trust glue PSI ratings about as much as I trust
politicians. It's all about surface prep, or how well
a glue deals with surface imperfections.
Chasing down the "good stuff" I believe will be worth
the expense and effort, if you want this to be a
"do it right, do it once" job.
go changing (for the worse) over the years after the
application. Plus I think you want flexibility more than
hard strength. That glass-shop adhesive is tailor-
made for the job and it sticks like a bugger.
I trust glue PSI ratings about as much as I trust
politicians. It's all about surface prep, or how well
a glue deals with surface imperfections.
Chasing down the "good stuff" I believe will be worth
the expense and effort, if you want this to be a
"do it right, do it once" job.
