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Just to add another .02 to the conversation, I had recently removed a sail panel from a '95 model to replace the one on my '02. It was blemish free other than a little clear coat peel. Zero signs of it ever being repainted over the years and it is primed with a factory coating on the underside, not bare fiberglass. So, do it. Not exactly the easiest part to correct paint on once reinstalled.
My '98 was built on 3/23/98, and doesn't have so much as a single wave or bubble. Yes, it's garage kept but it has spent countless hours sitting in full summer sun at car shows and events over the years, so it's had plenty of exposure.
My daily driver '98 Z28 hardtop was left outside all year round from 2001-2009. Only covered at times in the winter. I put over 90,000 miles on that car during that period as the 2nd owner. It was fried day after day at work sitting in 75-95 degree summer sun. There wasn't a single paint bubble or blister anywhere on that car when I sold it in 2009. It had a black roof so it was certainly absorbing maximum heat.
My current car is a '99 SS garage queen that currently has no bubbles either. But it has rarely seen any sun exposure in its life. If it's parked, it's almost always in the shade. The one time I took it out to a car show in 2012, it started showing 2 - 1" parallel wavy strips on the sail panel. I had no clue before this as to sail panel bubbles. Luckily, I had a fabric dash cover that covered the sail panel perfectly. Haven't seen any signs of a waviness since then. But, it no longer sits in the direct sun for more than 20-30 min at a time...unless it's moving. If only 3-4 hours of exposure in late May (80 deg) did that kind of bubbling, imagine what day after day in 90 deg heat could do? I carry that felt dash pad cover in the car at all times just in case I need to place it on the top of the car if parked in the sun for longer than I'd like (the ends go through the windows and then the windows are raised).
Last edited by Firebrian; May 11, 2015 at 05:55 PM.
My daily driver '98 Z28 hardtop was left outside all year round from 2001-2009. Only covered at times in the winter. I put over 90,000 miles on that car during that period as the 2nd owner. It was fried day after day at work sitting in 75-95 degree summer sun. There wasn't a single paint bubble or blister anywhere on that car when I sold it in 2009. It had a black roof so it was certainly absorbing maximum heat.
My current car is a '99 SS garage queen that currently has no bubbles either. But it has rarely seen any sun exposure in its life. If it's parked, it's almost always in the shade. The one time I took it out to a car show in 2012, it started showing 2 - 1" parallel wavy strips on the sail panel. I had no clue before this as to sail panel bubbles. Luckily, I had a fabric dash cover that covered the sail panel perfectly. Haven't seen any issues since then. But, it no longer sits in the direct sun for more than 20-30 min at a time...unless it's moving. If only 3-4 hours of exposure in late May (80 deg) did that kind of bubbling, imagine what day after day in 90 deg heat could do?
Those "waves" are the precursor to bubbles, so it's good that you caught it before it got worse. My '02 started the same way, with the waves. As the condition worsens, it doesn't even take the warm summer sun to bring it out; winter sun exposure on cold days would still cause bubbles to form and burst on my '02 once the panel was fully saturated with the glue.
Unfortunately, every '99+ F-body (and some very late built '98s) will eventually face this issue unless they are completely sheltered from the sun and excessive heat (I've heard of some people having bubbles form even when the car is indoors if the interior temps of the building get hot enough). Obviously those with black roofs will have worse cases of this, but it's an issue for all colors and models built after the process change.
You'll have to always be careful about exposure with your '99, unless you want to replace the roof.
OK... so I was able to find a panel from a '95 in a junk yard with no issues. I think they removed it with a windshield removal tool all for $25 - how cool is that ?? Anyway, I had a body shop paint it black for me and it's ready to be put on. After reading all this post, should I have had the paint shop epoxy primer the under side OR was that already done since it's a '95. Not to mention the fact that try as I might, I couldn't COMPLETELY get all of the adhesive off the underside of the doner panel. It's real flat and barely there but it won't be just fiberglass that the adhesive will be going on to. Will that be a problem? Will the new adhesive stick to that ok?
2nd, what adhesive would be best? I've seen 3 recommended: ProGrip caulk, U400 HV and 3M urethane. Could anyone chime in on they're experience with either one ?
Dow U400 HV Essex and 3M Urethane are the recommended products per the TSB.
If the panel was from a '95, then it should have already been epoxied on the underside, so as long as this coating was still present then you'll probably be OK. If sections of it came off when you tried to remove the old glue though, then it would need to be re-coated.
So I have a 99 camaro ss with the bubbly hardtop I have read I can replace it with a older 4th gen or buy a new one I found which is $1000 how hard is it to pull one off an older one and replace it ? How does it come off?
So I have a 99 camaro ss with the bubbly hardtop I have read I can replace it with a older 4th gen or buy a new one I found which is $1000 how hard is it to pull one off an older one and replace it ? How does it come off?
only use 93-97 roof panels, early 98's are a toss up! they are glued on from the factory and break very easy when removing them. If you were closer I have a 93-97 hard top roof panel ready to be installed.
only use 93-97 roof panels, early 98's are a toss up!
This is not true, the early '98 panels are not a toss up at all, they are perfectly fine just like the '93-'97 panels. It's the late '98 panels that are hit-or-miss, from cars produced in or after May of 1998.
So I have a 99 camaro ss with the bubbly hardtop I have read I can replace it with a older 4th gen or buy a new one I found which is $1000 how hard is it to pull one off an older one and replace it ? How does it come off?
Originally Posted by wayland1985
So: how difficult is it finding and removing a donor? And what are the usual costs for a hardtop skin?
My 01 is really looking bad. It's a full hard top, so I was considering the 6le replacement, but if they're being had for $25...
Check out my thread on the first page of this thread. It has some great information and a lot of pictures.
For what it's worth my 2001 pretty much lived under a cover its entire life and bubbled like a *****. It comes from the inside and works its way out. If it's there, it will eventually rear its ugly head no matter what.
Just a heads up, were doing free shipping on all roofs (all 6LE and McNord products actually) until the end of July so it's the best time to buy if you can't find a good used replacement
I have a 95 firebird daily driver and an 02 SS, both hardtop cars. The SS of course needs a new roof panel and am wanting to get this taken care of and painted asap. 66k mile 2 owner car and the roof is by far the worst aspect.
I'm wanting to swap the 95 roof panel with the 02 roof panel, so they both need to come off in one piece. Is this possible to do without damaging/removing the windshield on either car?
I have a 95 firebird daily driver and an 02 SS, both hardtop cars. The SS of course needs a new roof panel and am wanting to get this taken care of and painted asap. 66k mile 2 owner car and the roof is by far the worst aspect.
I'm wanting to swap the 95 roof panel with the 02 roof panel, so they both need to come off in one piece. Is this possible to do without damaging/removing the windshield on either car?
Originally Posted by SSg02
Can anyone confirm? Is it possible to get hardtop roofs off in one piece without damaging the glass or anything else?
I know it is a lot to read through but the first post of this thread has pretty much all the information you'll ever need to solve your bubbling issues. Take it from someone who personally went through it...
To answer both your questions; yes they can be removed without damaging them. If you don't have the time or tools to do it though I highly suggest giving 6LE a call and ordering a new roof from them. Great vendor and was a huge help when I first trying to get mine fixed.
I know it is a lot to read through but the first post of this thread has pretty much all the information you'll ever need to solve your bubbling issues. Take it from someone who personally went through it...
To answer both your questions; yes they can be removed without damaging them. If you don't have the time or tools to do it though I highly suggest giving 6LE a call and ordering a new roof from them. Great vendor and was a huge help when I first trying to get mine fixed.
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May 10, 2016, 02:15 PM
