Fix for bubbling roof
This is a reply I left on the "Sail Panel recall for bubbling paint" thread earlier today:
I've been watching these threads for about a year now and it would make me sick everytime I walked into the garage and saw those bubbles. I know that the only fix is to replace the part (I found the threads after my paint guy tried 3 times to paint the panel using everything from a new experimental sealer to waterborne, and I googled to find the problem). The part is GM only and it aint cheap (for my budget anyways). There is a great picture layout on this topic somewhere on this thread that shows how to replace the part with a new one but they basically cut the old part up and broke off the rest. Lying in bed one night, an idea popped into my head. I'm here to say that I just fixed mine a couple of weeks ago for almost no $$ and it was easier than I thought it would be. I've been saving this because I wanted to post with a video or pics on how I replaced mine without spending a lot of cash, but I got over anxious and didnt capture it on film when I did the repair. I may find another one to cut off just so I can take pics (or to sell the part).
The TSB says "Remove using wire method". I began asking around and was told this meant using braided or piano wire to cut the part off (same as a windshield). I wondered why this is not discussed in this thread. I found a tool on line but disovered some wire at my work place and made two handles. I called my local salvage yard and after some convincing, they agreed to let me try and cut the part off of a car. I knew the problem started around the '98-'99 model so I made certain it was a car prior to this. The T-Top car I found actually had some clearcoat flaking off and was dull, but in good shape ('96 with no bubbles). The owner at the junk yard agreed to let me try because he thought it would be impossible. After masking the edges and removing the T-Top divider bar, I slid the wire under the edge, and began sawing through the urethane while standing inside the car (pulling the saw upward). Initially it was very difficult and just when I thought "this is not working", the wire began slicing through easily, until I reached the same lower section on the other side. I later realized it is most difficult at the start (near the 1/4) because I was cutting parallel to the bead of urethane. 30 minutes later, I paid the owner $25 (his minimum charge) and headed to my painter. To be certain, what I was doing would work on another car, the next evening I masked my 1/4 panels and door seals, and cut the bad part off of my car using the same method. (there was an obvious smell that came from underneath, and when I flipped the part over, you could see how a chemical had bled out across the part from the urethane strip). Long story short, $100 to paint, and $30 for the adhesive from glass supply house in town (part # on SB), $25 for the part = $155 total replacement costs (and a little sweat). The part looks perfect. One of my SS owner friend's looked it over and could not believe it. This worked for me and my T-Top car. I would seriously doubt you could use the same method on a hardtop due to the sheer volume of urethane to cut through.
I've been watching these threads for about a year now and it would make me sick everytime I walked into the garage and saw those bubbles. I know that the only fix is to replace the part (I found the threads after my paint guy tried 3 times to paint the panel using everything from a new experimental sealer to waterborne, and I googled to find the problem). The part is GM only and it aint cheap (for my budget anyways). There is a great picture layout on this topic somewhere on this thread that shows how to replace the part with a new one but they basically cut the old part up and broke off the rest. Lying in bed one night, an idea popped into my head. I'm here to say that I just fixed mine a couple of weeks ago for almost no $$ and it was easier than I thought it would be. I've been saving this because I wanted to post with a video or pics on how I replaced mine without spending a lot of cash, but I got over anxious and didnt capture it on film when I did the repair. I may find another one to cut off just so I can take pics (or to sell the part).
The TSB says "Remove using wire method". I began asking around and was told this meant using braided or piano wire to cut the part off (same as a windshield). I wondered why this is not discussed in this thread. I found a tool on line but disovered some wire at my work place and made two handles. I called my local salvage yard and after some convincing, they agreed to let me try and cut the part off of a car. I knew the problem started around the '98-'99 model so I made certain it was a car prior to this. The T-Top car I found actually had some clearcoat flaking off and was dull, but in good shape ('96 with no bubbles). The owner at the junk yard agreed to let me try because he thought it would be impossible. After masking the edges and removing the T-Top divider bar, I slid the wire under the edge, and began sawing through the urethane while standing inside the car (pulling the saw upward). Initially it was very difficult and just when I thought "this is not working", the wire began slicing through easily, until I reached the same lower section on the other side. I later realized it is most difficult at the start (near the 1/4) because I was cutting parallel to the bead of urethane. 30 minutes later, I paid the owner $25 (his minimum charge) and headed to my painter. To be certain, what I was doing would work on another car, the next evening I masked my 1/4 panels and door seals, and cut the bad part off of my car using the same method. (there was an obvious smell that came from underneath, and when I flipped the part over, you could see how a chemical had bled out across the part from the urethane strip). Long story short, $100 to paint, and $30 for the adhesive from glass supply house in town (part # on SB), $25 for the part = $155 total replacement costs (and a little sweat). The part looks perfect. One of my SS owner friend's looked it over and could not believe it. This worked for me and my T-Top car. I would seriously doubt you could use the same method on a hardtop due to the sheer volume of urethane to cut through.
This is a reply I left on the "Sail Panel recall for bubbling paint" thread earlier today:
I've been watching these threads for about a year now and it would make me sick everytime I walked into the garage and saw those bubbles. I know that the only fix is to replace the part (I found the threads after my paint guy tried 3 times to paint the panel using everything from a new experimental sealer to waterborne, and I googled to find the problem). The part is GM only and it aint cheap (for my budget anyways). There is a great picture layout on this topic somewhere on this thread that shows how to replace the part with a new one but they basically cut the old part up and broke off the rest. Lying in bed one night, an idea popped into my head. I'm here to say that I just fixed mine a couple of weeks ago for almost no $$ and it was easier than I thought it would be. I've been saving this because I wanted to post with a video or pics on how I replaced mine without spending a lot of cash, but I got over anxious and didnt capture it on film when I did the repair. I may find another one to cut off just so I can take pics (or to sell the part).
The TSB says "Remove using wire method". I began asking around and was told this meant using braided or piano wire to cut the part off (same as a windshield). I wondered why this is not discussed in this thread. I found a tool on line but disovered some wire at my work place and made two handles. I called my local salvage yard and after some convincing, they agreed to let me try and cut the part off of a car. I knew the problem started around the '98-'99 model so I made certain it was a car prior to this. The T-Top car I found actually had some clearcoat flaking off and was dull, but in good shape ('96 with no bubbles). The owner at the junk yard agreed to let me try because he thought it would be impossible. After masking the edges and removing the T-Top divider bar, I slid the wire under the edge, and began sawing through the urethane while standing inside the car (pulling the saw upward). Initially it was very difficult and just when I thought "this is not working", the wire began slicing through easily, until I reached the same lower section on the other side. I later realized it is most difficult at the start (near the 1/4) because I was cutting parallel to the bead of urethane. 30 minutes later, I paid the owner $25 (his minimum charge) and headed to my painter. To be certain, what I was doing would work on another car, the next evening I masked my 1/4 panels and door seals, and cut the bad part off of my car using the same method. (there was an obvious smell that came from underneath, and when I flipped the part over, you could see how a chemical had bled out across the part from the urethane strip). Long story short, $100 to paint, and $30 for the adhesive from glass supply house in town (part # on SB), $25 for the part = $155 total replacement costs (and a little sweat). The part looks perfect. One of my SS owner friend's looked it over and could not believe it. This worked for me and my T-Top car. I would seriously doubt you could use the same method on a hardtop due to the sheer volume of urethane to cut through.
I've been watching these threads for about a year now and it would make me sick everytime I walked into the garage and saw those bubbles. I know that the only fix is to replace the part (I found the threads after my paint guy tried 3 times to paint the panel using everything from a new experimental sealer to waterborne, and I googled to find the problem). The part is GM only and it aint cheap (for my budget anyways). There is a great picture layout on this topic somewhere on this thread that shows how to replace the part with a new one but they basically cut the old part up and broke off the rest. Lying in bed one night, an idea popped into my head. I'm here to say that I just fixed mine a couple of weeks ago for almost no $$ and it was easier than I thought it would be. I've been saving this because I wanted to post with a video or pics on how I replaced mine without spending a lot of cash, but I got over anxious and didnt capture it on film when I did the repair. I may find another one to cut off just so I can take pics (or to sell the part).
The TSB says "Remove using wire method". I began asking around and was told this meant using braided or piano wire to cut the part off (same as a windshield). I wondered why this is not discussed in this thread. I found a tool on line but disovered some wire at my work place and made two handles. I called my local salvage yard and after some convincing, they agreed to let me try and cut the part off of a car. I knew the problem started around the '98-'99 model so I made certain it was a car prior to this. The T-Top car I found actually had some clearcoat flaking off and was dull, but in good shape ('96 with no bubbles). The owner at the junk yard agreed to let me try because he thought it would be impossible. After masking the edges and removing the T-Top divider bar, I slid the wire under the edge, and began sawing through the urethane while standing inside the car (pulling the saw upward). Initially it was very difficult and just when I thought "this is not working", the wire began slicing through easily, until I reached the same lower section on the other side. I later realized it is most difficult at the start (near the 1/4) because I was cutting parallel to the bead of urethane. 30 minutes later, I paid the owner $25 (his minimum charge) and headed to my painter. To be certain, what I was doing would work on another car, the next evening I masked my 1/4 panels and door seals, and cut the bad part off of my car using the same method. (there was an obvious smell that came from underneath, and when I flipped the part over, you could see how a chemical had bled out across the part from the urethane strip). Long story short, $100 to paint, and $30 for the adhesive from glass supply house in town (part # on SB), $25 for the part = $155 total replacement costs (and a little sweat). The part looks perfect. One of my SS owner friend's looked it over and could not believe it. This worked for me and my T-Top car. I would seriously doubt you could use the same method on a hardtop due to the sheer volume of urethane to cut through.
any pics of the process?
I am a body guy for around 11 years now. I too have a bubbling roof. I am trying some things in my shop to fix this without replacing it. I will let you all know if this works. As you know Gm used the wrong urethane which over the hot summers caused this urethane to degas and since the top is smc/fiberglass it is porus. So I stripped my roof down to bare smc/fiberglass and I am letting it sit in the hot summer for 1 week expossed. The urethane can only degas for so long before it is done. Then I am coating the whole thing in 2 thin coats of polyurethane filler and then 3 heavy coats of urethane 2k primer sealer. Then I will let this sit for another few days then wet sand then apply paint. I believe once the panel has degased all the way and then I apply the sealer. It should hold up. I guess we will see. I will keep you all posted. Later, Jared
Any update on whether your method worked or not?Was thinking about doing the same thing on mine
this sucks...my car is in the paint process right now. I really do not wanna have to go through all this bs right after I get the ENTIRE car painted! The car is almost always garaged do you guys think I have anything to worry about?
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,452
Likes: 3
From: somewhere that doesn't get snow
IIRC they didn't change the glue until 1999 so the 98 LS1's don't have the problem. i don't think any LT1's ever had it either. my 95 was a hawaii car and then a florida car and never had them. i had my roof repainted last year because of some white specles on the top but that was due to clear coat issues i think and not the bubbles.
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bodyshops Anyone know of a good body shop that will repair this problem and if so at what price? I have had estimates from $1500 to $1800. My car is a hardtop car so mine is more expensive than a t-top car. I have had it painted twice and the problem will come back once it is parked in direct sun light no matter what. Any body shops on here as sponsors or maybe a group of us with this problem can get a decent deal at one body shop.
Ok first question......has anybody found the sail panel for less then 400 dollars? Last question for now....for those of you who have replaced this,what did you use to glue it down and have you had any issues since then?
i found mine bubble free in a junk yard and instead of the piano wire the junk yard dude used an iron like space age devise they use to remove windows and moldings he heated where glued and i peeled it off $50 for part $120 to paint and $12 for cold set window goo took 2 1/2 hrs start to finish
Launching!
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 217
Likes: 0
From: WI
IIRC they didn't change the glue until 1999 so the 98 LS1's don't have the problem. i don't think any LT1's ever had it either. my 95 was a hawaii car and then a florida car and never had them. i had my roof repainted last year because of some white specles on the top but that was due to clear coat issues i think and not the bubbles.
i found mine bubble free in a junk yard and instead of the piano wire the junk yard dude used an iron like space age devise they use to remove windows and moldings he heated where glued and i peeled it off $50 for part $120 to paint and $12 for cold set window goo took 2 1/2 hrs start to finish
