Z-top thread

[The Radium King]

hey - any chance you have pics of the cross-section of the weatherstrip you were provided (windows, hatch, front edge)? i've got one of the originals and the weatherstrip is starting to wear, but it is uncommon south african stuff that i can't find anywhere and the original vendor is long gone - hoping yours might be the same or similar and i can try to get it from your vendor.

[JBauer]

No problem. The instructions are so I dont know where the first pic goes. Don't seem to fit anywhere. Maybe you could post do.d pics of the open hatch on yours for me too

Door window seal:



Top to windshield:

[The Radium King]

i'll get you pics tonite. on my car the weatherstrip in the first pic is the seal between the hatch and the hardtop - there should be a seam on the hardtop that it presses onto - forms an upsidedown 'U' - goes up, across, back down.

[JBauer]

Originally Posted by The Radium King

i'll get you pics tonite. on my car the weatherstrip in the first pic is the seal between the hatch and the hardtop - there should be a seam on the hardtop that it presses onto - forms an upsidedown 'U' - goes up, across, back down.

I tried to get it to fit there but I way too thick for the molding to fit on. If your needing a front seal Amazon has a lot of pre glued peel and stick moldings in various thicknesses and widths ive bought some because I thought the one that came with the kit was so flimsy.

[JBauer]

Like this

[The Radium King]

funny, i bought some of that stuff on ebay to replace my front weatherstrip a few months ago - it's the window stuff that is tricky - looks like you have the same stuff which is good to know. I will get pics tonite.

[JBauer]

I hate glue 😐

[The Radium King]

https://www.amazon.com/3M-08008-Black-Weatherstrip-Adhesive/dp/B00063X38M

[The Radium King]

ok, here are some hatch weatherstrip pics installed. sorry the pics are monsters, but it’s the only way i can upload from my iphone it seems. anyway, note the dimension in the last image. it’s 1-1/4” tall - bigger that the previous that was there, but all i could find online. ps, where id you get the z-top? i’d like to contact the vendor and see if i can get some of that window weatherstrip (same as on mine).

[JBauer]

Thanks. My gaskets are the same only smaller but trying to put them on has been a pain. Don't want to fit. Your hinges look different. No shocks? Mine uses the hinges off the trunk. They don't seem to work that well.
Here's the link to the place my top came from.

https://www.acustomhardtop.com/

[The Radium King]

i ditched the shocks to shed some weight. my hinges are from first gen z-top - not the best either, and i think yours are supposed to be better. perhaps my bigger hatch weatherstrip goes on better. it appears to be pushing my hatch up, however, so i am in the market for some smaller stuff if i can find it 9it came with smaller stuff but it was ratched so i replaced it). note that this is my second z-top, and in both cases the hatch weatherstrip was epoxied on, so it press-on might not work w the smaller stuff.

[BRAN]

Great stuff, JB. Looks really good.
Watch maybe the side windows...they push up the roof a few mm, barely noticeable. And the windows are under tension then. There are 2 screw under the door to adjust window height and tilt, just FYI.

Tell me about the glue you used...that part is quite tricky, as glue needs special treatment, like temperature/breathing time before bonding/etc.
I found out, that at least for the front, Liqui Moly 3805 Sekunden-Kleber did an astonishingly good job, whereas Teroson 444651 Kontaktkleber didn't.
The gaskets: It was a PIA...but if you carefully use e.g. a screwdriver you can bend the metal pieces slightly apart...and then it will fit AND hold really good.

@TRK: The gasket for the rear window seems indeed smaller, should fit though and might create less upward push for the hatch. There are a few contacts on Facebook in terms of the rubber seal. Might be worth a try.

[JBauer]

Originally Posted by BRAN

Great stuff, JB. Looks really good.
Watch maybe the side windows...they push up the roof a few mm, barely noticeable. And the windows are under tension then. There are 2 screw under the door to adjust window height and tilt, just FYI.

Tell me about the glue you used...that part is quite tricky, as glue needs special treatment, like temperature/breathing time before bonding/etc.
I found out, that at least for the front, Liqui Moly 3805 Sekunden-Kleber did an astonishingly good job, whereas Teroson 444651 Kontaktkleber didn't.
The gaskets: It was a PIA...but if you carefully use e.g. a screwdriver you can bend the metal pieces slightly apart...and then it will fit AND hold really good.

@TRK: The gasket for the rear window seems indeed smaller, should fit though and might create less upward push for the hatch. There are a few contacts on Facebook in terms of the rubber seal. Might be worth a try.

Thank you for your help. Just got back from my first, slow test drive. No rattles, some steaks but not bad. Ive got it in there so tight I was afraid Id hit a bump snd it would pop off. LOL I used trim cement on the side rubbers, sealant that came with the kit on the qtr and rear windows. Hope they don't fall out.

[BRAN]

Wow!
Looks like a million dollars!
And the idea with the rear lights...brilliant. I wonder if the amber and white still shows. Too bad that this a no-go for the TÜV over here.

Mine creaks, too. But that is due to the flexibility of the chassis, nothing you can really do about it, I think.

[JBauer]

Originally Posted by BRAN

Wow!
Looks like a million dollars!
And the idea with the rear lights...brilliant. I wonder if the amber and white still shows. Too bad that this a no-go for the TÜV over here.

Mine creaks, too. But that is due to the flexibility of the chassis, nothing you can really do about it, I think.

Thanks! I purposely left the clear slit. I thought it looked good. That amber doesn't show up just looking at it. Must be the flash makes it show up more.

[BruceH]

It came out beautifully! I really like the tail lights, looks sharp

[JBauer]

Originally Posted by BruceH

It came out beautifully! I really like the tail lights, looks sharp

Thank you. Gonna do this next.

[Dualist]

That looks stunning.!!

[MWS]

Looking good thus far. Tip, don't put the numbers on upside down (lol). Admittedly I am feeling some envy, for your car and your weather...you must live on the Indiana-Florida border. We live in the most misspelled or at least mispronounced county in the state (bonus points for a correct guess) and have entered the white/brown time of year. Green is underrated. T minus 5 months...

Keep up the good work!

[JBauer]

Gave a much needed cleaning and out on the highway I went. Up to 80 and the top didn't fly off. Passenger window air leak, rattles on hard bumps but no noticeable air noise from the top. Glad to have my daily driver back. Been way to long.