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Old 02-19-2021, 08:54 AM   #67
Gunkk
Thank you Al Oppenheiser!
 
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Drives: Red Hot A10 ZL1 Convertible
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Sarasota, FL
Posts: 4,978
Quote:
Originally Posted by Weege View Post
As a last ditch effort I wonder if drilling small holes through the glass and underlying fabric with carbide bits would work. Then very small screws and nuts could be placed to do the main holding. Sealant could be used in between to waterproof. It wouldn't be too pretty but would save a couple of grand for out of warranty cases.
It's just my imagination running away with me...
I wouldn't try drilling the glass. It's likely to explode unless you know how to drill tempered glass.

If I was going to experiment with a DIY temporary fix, I would partly open the top to de-stress the fabric, use a clear RTV like this:
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-...3242013&rt=rud
and get some then go for something like these old-school long-reach clamps: https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tool...cam-clamp.html

I did something similar to this hack to buy about 2 years of time with my wife's toyota vert top when the rear glass leaked on her daily driver. By the time the glue fix started to fail, the fabric was shredding from baking in the sun. Not beautiful, but better than duct tape.

But the single best thing you can do is find the best convertible top restorer in your area and ask their advice. The one that has been doing it for 20 years and does 2-3 tops a week. At least two Chevy dealers near me send their vert cars to one such fellow for top work. They don't let their techs touch the cars since they'll just screw them up. I had a specialty shop in Bradenton replace my wife's top, and he did a fantastic job. Worth every penny.

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