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[Tigers] Hardtop Side Window Gaskets

To: tigers@autox.team.net, Rollright@aol.com, Gary Fish
Subject: [Tigers] Hardtop Side Window Gaskets
From: Tod Brown <todbrown@roadrunner.com>
Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2010 10:48:25 -0500
Hello All:

As some of you who were at the Maine United in October will remember, 
one of the tech sessions was about replacing the front weatherstrip and 
rear window on the later hardtops.  For the demo, Jim Armstrong and Gary 
Fish used my hardtop (RHIP) and the results were greatly appreciated.  
When I got the hardtop home, I continued with its restoration by doing 
the side window gaskets next.  Initially, I had a great deal of 
frustration making the gaskets stay in place once they had been 
positioned.  The problem seems to be that the depth of the gaskets and 
their shape on the inside is such that they want to push themselves up 
off the flange.  It is no mean feat, also, to get them over the flange 
and in place since they have to be spread apart and then carefully 
fitted on both the inside and outside of the flange.  In my frustration, 
I contacted Jim and Gary and Gary pointed out that it is important to 
push the corners of the gasket tightly into the corners with a piece of 
wood or some such at the beginning.  However, Gary did not remember 
having the difficulties I was having with making the gaskets stay in 
place.  Jim has pointed out that, as time has passed, replacement parts 
are sometimes not exact replicas of the originals and I think that may 
be the problem in that the gaskets are just a little too deep to fit 
comfortably.  (I noticed a similar effect recently with a replacement 
wheel cylinder which would not accept the lever arm that pivots in it, 
necessitating a little bit of grinding.)  In any case, the solution to 
my dilemma was to get some 3M heavy duty trim adhesive and apply it 
around the flange before installing the gasket.  The process goes much 
more easily and requires many fewer harsh words, to the point that I 
would recommend its use as a standard procedure when attempting the 
installation.  Just thought I might save someone else the frustration of 
another encounter with our favorite oxymoron, "English Engineering".

In a closely related subject, does anyone know where to find the screws 
that hold the side trim pieces and the rubber mounts for the hardtop?  
The ideal size seems to be 6-32 x 1/4 (#6 UNC x 1/4).  I cannot find 
anything in that size shorter than 3/8.   Thanks.

Tod
B382002384LRXFE
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