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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 1,792
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Front Windshield Seal Success
I sucessfully finished replacing the windshield seal on my '82 Targa this weekend. This has been an off and on two weekend job because of one complication.
The old seal was dried out and had shrunken, opening up a gap of a quarter inch or more at the roofline. My stack of receipts indicate that the previous owner had the dash replaced at one point. Well and dandy, but I'm sure the dealer that did the repair did not replace the windshield gasket with a new one. Instead, whoever did the dash replacement used an abundant amount of a hard silicone sealer when the windshield was re-installed with the old gasket. I was the lucky guy to discover this when I removed the windshield for seal replacement. On top of that, I found trapped moisture in the lower corners and our enemy rust. I spent the better part of a day carefully scraping and removing the sealer that should have never been there. (Please, don't ever do this to the next guy.) I spent another day prepping and treating the rust with POR-15. Today was showtime for the new seal install. Nothing magic or real hard about it. The most difficult task to me was re-installing the aluminum trim before putting the windshield back in. Your thumbs will get one heck of a workout. We used venetian blind cord from Joann Fabrics to rope the seal in. I had talked with Targa Dan Petchel a few weeks ago and he was very helpful with his insights about installing the seal. What worked best was for me to work outside slapping and positioning while my 13-year-old son pulled the cord from inside (we roped starting at the bottom, which is was what Dan had suggested). This way, I could make sure the windshield was correctly centered as we went along. Anyway, it took a substantial amount of time to prep the windshield frame, but the basic install was pretty quick. When I do this again in seven to 10 years, it will be much easier. The rear window seal is up next (Targa, yikes!). I have the new seal, but I think I'll wait until next spring to tackle that one. The seal doesn't leak -- it's just tired-looking and due for a replacement. I don't think I'll find any surprises like non-factory sealer or rust when I remove the rear window either. I want to repaint the Targa bar cover while I've got it off then, too. Last edited by 1982911SCTarga; 10-23-2005 at 06:10 PM.. |
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10-23-2005, 03:57 PM
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I need to do mine as well, thanks for the write-up. Have you noticed a reduction in wind noise after replacing the seal?
v/r Wayne C. 83 SC |
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10-23-2005, 05:29 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Northern Virginia
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It's rare for me to drive mine with the Targa top on, so I can't say what the effect has been or will be regarding lowering wind noise. In general, the top goes on when I park for security purposes.
My wife wants to do some more extended East Coast road trips, so I needed to replace that seal to restore some semblance of water-tightness or else get goldfish for the body tub aquarium if we're caught out in the rain. The front windshield seal seems exceptionally well priced to me. As long as there's not junk sealer in the window frame, replacement is a fairly simple one-day task. Thus, it's no biggie to replace one every five years or so. Plus, you can get in there and clean all the dirt and grime out and reach spots on your dash and vents that are difficult to otherwise clean and preserve. It's good to have a second person helping. Like I said, with me pushing and slapping, I could ensure that the seal was properly centering top to bottom and right to left as my son roped it in. The Targa rear window seal should be an interesting adventure. |
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10-23-2005, 05:54 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: So. Georgia
Posts: 1,397
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Hey , I just did this same thing a few weeks ago, back slapped myself silly and today drove the car in a pretty hard rain situation and guess what, yep it leaked, not much but some in the same old place the passenger side lower corner, I used the factory german seal and lots of lube to get it in, bummer.
I had the same rust issue to take care of but no, sealant to clean. I have heard that there is a seal out there with wider lip on the outside anyone heard this or where to get this seal ???? Todd  PS... did not mean to hi-jack your thread or wish you bad luck, hopefully you did a better job than me. |
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10-23-2005, 05:54 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 1,792
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Todd,
No problem. I used the factory German seal, too. We'll see how it goes, but the install looks very good. What bothered me most was when I removed the old seal and found trapped water in the lower corners because the last time my car saw rain was back in August. That's two months of dry time in my garage and sunny driving. With that moisture having nowhere to go, you've got corrosion going on. At least with a little leaking, the water's hopefully going somewhere where it can't work its damage. Maybe there's also some "bedding" still going on with the new seal. I know I wanted to get my new seal in before the temps got too low in my garage for doing that sort of thing. Brian |
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10-23-2005, 06:08 PM
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Here is one on ebay that says it wide.
__________________
Tony 1972 Sepia 911T Coupe |
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10-23-2005, 06:30 PM
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1972 Porsche 911T 2.4T Webers
