Rain Gutter and Top Restoration (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter jvincig01
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I went with the CCOT weather stripping since I figured it would fit their shape the best. I had the paint shop match my bezel which was original and best I could tell was Dupont LS123 from what Mud tells me. Mine was def not Cygnus White, but still is on the cream side. After drilling out the rivets there were a number of tears and bad edges on the fiberglass so I went a little different way than how the OEM is attached. Instead of putting rivets back in and there being future potential of more leaking, I went ahead and had the body shop attach the new rain gutter to the fiberglass top with a metal to fiberglass epoxy. Its crazy strong! Then we sealed the gutter to the top with a self leveling seam sealer and then painted and clear coat. Its not leaking so far and I dont really see a way it can start for a long long time. But nothing about this is cheap... I did most of the prep myself and I still think I have about $4500 in the whole thing.
What did you end up using for the larger rivets between the hardtop and windshield visor? I’m still looking for a good solution.
I left those but sealed them up really well, then high fill primed them before having it painted. I never took them out as they were in good condition.
Some really good detailed info on this thread. Appreciate you getting the thread going and your updates. The DuPont LS123 tone has some good history from previous threads and definitely a classic look. Will be interested in your rivet install experience and the lining up of all the pieces to this puzzle. I have not dug that deep yet…hope for the best / expect worse. I’m all in with OEM stock but the rivets give me angst. May have to get the specific epoxy specs from ryan993 just for a backup plan.
Not only do you need to weld this stuff together, you will need to rebend and notch the metal to make it fit. I ordered this metal from CCOT, it came with major mismatches--it was like the two side pieces were never matched--I sent it back--I didn't have the skills at the time to remake the metal--be prepared to do some serious cutting/grinding to get this stuff to fit(this was for a 1977, maybe they used a different template?
Mine seems to be lining up really well with minimal tweaking - maybe they improved their process.
jvincig01
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Update: The rain gutter is off being media blasted. Normally, they will epoxy primer for me but I have some metalwork to do first. I will post pictures when I get it back.
I am starting to remove the old headliner glue this week but don't want to jeopardize the integrity of the fiberglass. Any recommendations on what to use? I tried a little acetone but it didn't work. I am going to need to hit it lightly with my orbital sander. Thoughts on grit, or maybe a different solvent?
Note the front section of the top (above the driver and passenger seat), the PO used some sort of carpenter glue. My dad was in construction and am almost 100% sure this is liquid nails.
Also, while examining the rim of the top. The material that connects directly to the fiberglass shell appears to be some sort of fiber cloth. Does anyone know what this material is? It doesn't appear to be fiberglass but I am probably wrong. I ask because I will eventually bring this to a boat shop and have them rework the edges.
I am starting to remove the old headliner glue this week but don't want to jeopardize the integrity of the fiberglass. Any recommendations on what to use? I tried a little acetone but it didn't work. I am going to need to hit it lightly with my orbital sander. Thoughts on grit, or maybe a different solvent?
Note the front section of the top (above the driver and passenger seat), the PO used some sort of carpenter glue. My dad was in construction and am almost 100% sure this is liquid nails.
Also, while examining the rim of the top. The material that connects directly to the fiberglass shell appears to be some sort of fiber cloth. Does anyone know what this material is? It doesn't appear to be fiberglass but I am probably wrong. I ask because I will eventually bring this to a boat shop and have them rework the edges.
I've not had a gutter off a top cap but on my original crusty fiberglass cap, where the gutter was broken and hanging loose from the fiberglass cap there was definitely nothing like that sandwiched in there. Maybe someone who has been there before can chime in on how the factory assembled them but I would absolutely not use anything like the gasket you pictured. it's just going to serve as a sponge and rot your painstakingly repaired gutter. If it were me I'd be inclined to use nothing but a good coat of paint on both mating surfaces and do all your waterproofing with seam sealer from the top of the gutter before the cap is painted or, if you really feel like it needs sealed between the two you could use windshield urethane and hope to God you never have a reason to split the gutter from the cap again.
Amazon product ASIN B000CQ6IG2
Amazon product ASIN B000CQ6IG2
What year is the hardtop you were working on from?
