front seal

[WLPfixer]

Planning on replacing the front seal ( body at front windshield to targa top) and am looking for any tips.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Heat the seal up. If you have sun and warm weather in your area, leave it sitting out for a few hours. If you do not, then a judicious use of a heat gun (or even hair dryer) can help.

Start in the center. The metal strips inside the seal can be tough to push over the pinch weld on the windshield frame. Stretch it as you go out from the middle; you will notice that it starts as too short. When you stretch it, do not put stress on the corner joints!

Getting the corners to fit around the upper ends of the channel piece is a struggle, but they do eventually go. Just be as careful as you can to avoid putting stress on the join between the corner piece and the center piece.

Ignore my earlier tech article about sliding the side pieces down the weatherstrip channels, unless you want to un-crimp and then re-crimp them. Put the side pieces in by putting the tab on one side of the piece into the slot on the interio-of-the-car side of the channel, then using a blunt prying instrument (e.g., plastic pry bar or "spudger", old dull screwdriver, plastic putty knife that you have sanded the sharp edges and corners off) to push the other tab into the slot on the outside of the channel.

Once it's all in place, put the top on. You'll find that you didn't actually slide the center piece all the way on, but putting the top on (and using the front latches!) serves to push the center the rest of the way on.

Did I mention that you have to be very careful with the corners?

--DD