Vinyl top window replacement - Update

[svramselaar]

hello

it is also posseble to seal the window in with a heatgun and a roller
if you go to a shop thad make truck and trailer tarpaulins they can do it for you
all the trailer covers and tapaulins are made like thad
in a tent or upholstry making shop they can not do it

george

[Ralph Fuller]

Rainman: Speaking of PBR....here is a story about a guy who had a coffin made of PBR cans:
http://cbs13.com/watercooler/beer.can.c ... 15931.html

[Jetnoise400]

Okay Guys,

Here's the final result. Wound up using nearly 2 tubes of the Barge cement, but it went on very easily with a brush, and smelled like the old model airplane glue I used as a kid (toluene).

I started with this:


Cut out the old stuff, sized, taped off the area to stop applying glue, and lined everything up on the new window:


And after letting things set up for the specified time, stuck it on there, rolled it down to get a good seal, and this was the final result:


Thanks again for all the help!

-Sean

[k8icu]

Jet,

Pm me your address I have a couple of tops I'll be sending for your repair....

Excellent work...looks good as new! Great Job!

[Jetnoise400]

Thanks!

Couldn't have done it without your suggestion on the Barge Cement. That stuff is excellent!

-Sean

[Jetnoise400]

Well... here's a little update to my window replacement.

Yesterday it finally got below 90 degrees, so I decided to take the Mutt out for a drive and to get some fresh fuel in the tank. It was so nice being able to see out the rear window as I backed out of the garage and out into the street. It was pretty windy yesterday afternoon, and as I was rolling down the street with a goofy grin on my face, something in the rearview mirror caught my eye. It looked like the bottom of the window and the bottom of the window opening on the top were going in different directions. I pulled over, and sure enough, the window had separated from the top, and the glue was all soft as if it wasn't cured.

The problem seems to be isolated only at the bottom of the window, so maybe the rest of it is okay. But I may have to break down and have someone put a stitch in it. We'll see.

[Rainman]

Hey Jetnoise400,


Solvent based rubber cement failure huh? All I can think of is 1. the age of the tubes you bought, or 2. some type of reaction of the solvent with the vinyl or plastic. In either case, total failure would be expected, not an isolated area, so no offense, add operator error into the equation. I used this to secure nylon backed vinyl to plastic that is kept pretty much at 98.6 degrees, with some cases of slippage, so temperature isn't always a problem. Do a close inspection when you can to see if you think the rubber cement never dried, or is it a temp thing? Does it feel dry when it's cooler, is is "not dry" on both surfaces or just one?

When I mentioned I had a few gallons of Barge here I didn't need, it's because I switched to a cement I like better called "Masters Clear Cement". Didn't mention it because I thought you were pretty lucky locating Barge cement, and Masters has nowhere near the distribution of Barge, so finding it is pretty tough. If all else fails, I can send you a small jar of it and lie to the postal employee when they ask "liquid, fragile, perishable, flammable, or potentially hazardous? Were hittn 3 out of 5 on that question.

Rainman

[toptiger]

my rear window needs replacing, too, BUT someone on here mentioned how easy it was to raise the rear flap and tuck in under to have a bikini top. it is very easy, the straps attach to the bow and it stays in place. Much cooler with the open back, too. Just a thought.

[k8icu]

Hmmm that's interesting because Barge cures in 24 hrs. It is also spose to get stronger the longer it cures. I'm looking at a package right now and it says Toughens with age. Retains flexibility and never becomes brittle.

It also says it can be used for sealing water and gasoline tanks or lines....so it's some good stuff. I'm wondering if you didn't have some dirt on the top that made it not cure in that area. Both surfaces must be clean and dry before applying the cement. I've used this product and it works very well....I'm very suprised that it failed.

[Jetnoise400]

Well, it's quite likely that operator error was involved. I read the same things about it getting stronger with age, but not so much this time. It did seem to get softer as the temperature went up. We had some cooler days about a week after I did the repair, and it started to get harder. But when I drove it on Sunday after pulling it out of the garage where it was over 100 degrees, it was all soft and gooey.

I cleaned all the surfaces with alcohol before I glued it up, but maybe I didn't do a good enough job.

[Rainman]

Let me know if you want to try the Master's Clear. As for "curing", this is not a 2 part epoxy, it is solvent based so it just DRIES. Maybe it's been too many years since I read a can? I was under the belief that curing took place with the addition of a second element, like smoke to ham or salt to jerky or bacon, now that's a cure! He11, maybe I should stick to deer jerky

Rainman

[k8icu]

yeah yeah I meant drys....what do you want from me....lol.