My 2000 C70 convertible glass top window's adhesive has come loose and the dealership says that the only way to fix it is to purchase a WHOLE new top for over $3K. Has anyone had this situation and gone another route to fix it??? Please email me. Thanks!
Julie

I'm sure you can buy some 3M adhesive and fix it no problem. Mine has the metal bar in the back of the sunroof coming loose. A little glass glue will fix that problem this weekend.

Hi...

I was plagued with this prob. It started out with just a small portion separating and ended within a month with the entire glass falling out (though it was still being held up somewhat by attachment to other aspects of the top).

I, too, was told by all I asked that a new top was the only answer. I am a bit of DIY guy and there was no way I wasn't going to try a fix.

The problem is that there are two glue applications required and the correct adhesive must be used in each instance. The glass is glued in place at two parallel glue lines that run the circumfrence of the glass and the canvas opening; the first glue line bonds the canvas to the glass and further into the top the second glue line bonds canvas to fabric.

Trying to find an adhesive that would hold canvas to glass was tough and is everyone's problem who tries to do this. I did a test of Gorilla Glue, E6000, Auto Goop (same manufactuer as E6000), Locktite's Summo glue, Liquid Nail's Perfect Glue #1, Weldwood's Contact Cement, and 3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive (Part #051135-08001 in yellow or black). Some of these represent the latest in adhesive technology. I'm sure there are others used in advanced applications such as in the aircraft industry that "we" don't have access to but believe me I looked.

Although E6000 (or equivalent U6000 which has UV inhibitors for outdoor use) and Gorilla Glue passed the test for canvas to canvas both ultimately failed for canvas to glass. 3M Weatherstrip Adhesive passed the canvas to glass test with flying colors but failed the canvas to canvas test.

Ultimately I decided to use Gorilla Glue for the fabric to fabric applications and the 3M product for fabric to glass. I decided against E6000 (even though I had went ahead and ordered the U6000 online because I thought I was going to use it and it was not available anywhere in my metro) because I had initially tried a repair with Auto Goop that failed and when I learned they were essentially the same product I passed.

I wish I had taken before and after photos but I did not so I will do my best to describe the proceedure I used and perhaps I'll add a photo or two later to make it more clear.

Before getting started know that this job is going to involve messy materials and there is potential for grave damage to your vehicle's finish. Have patience and take the time to cover exposed surface areas. Keep cleaning chemicals and plenty of clean rags and soap and water readily available. If your motor skills are not so fine, don't be afraid to blue tape areas that may be prone to your slips.

Throughout the proceedure you will have to adjust the top as necessary to expose the areas you are working on. If not in a garage you will need a tarp to cover the vehicle during curing times because it will require that the glass portion of the top remain partially up with sheer pressure off your work. You will also need lots of books of various sizes to prop up the glass from inside the car to support it while you are working and then to weight your work from the top while drying.

As noted, that there are two glue strips holding the glass in place. One canvas to glass and further in the top canvas to fabric. The adhesives used by the factory may or may not be the same but the key to this repair is removing as much of the residue as possible. Although lacquer thinner and/or acetone softens it, its a friggin mess to use chemicals on fabric. Lacquer thinner is fine to use on the glass, though. Be sure to leave a little bit of "guidline" of old material on the glass so you can line up the canvas again when you re-glue.

I used a Dremel tool with 1/4 inch sanding cones (coarse) to strip away the glues from the canvas and the fabric further in (make sure you get all opposing surfaces). This is a painstaking process working in small places. Go slowly or it is possible you will burn right through the canvas and that would not be a good thing.

Dremel also makes a chain saw sharpener bit that is about an 1/8 inch in diameter for the really tight spots and for finishing off. Soak it in lacquer thinner to clean...they clog fast. Now that I think of it, I also used the wire brush bit to remove residue from the glass. It, too, cleaned up in thinner. Once you think you have really got everything cleaned up good, do it again.

The gluing process is multi-step AND multi-stage. For each stage (first the bottom strip, then the top, then the sides with the top completely down) there are two steps.

First Step: Gorilla Glue is used to re-glue the canvas to fabric further in the top. Second Step: 3M adhesive is used to re-glue the canvas to the glass. You MUST give each stage a MINIMUM of 3 days drying time with the glass proped and the work weighted. I did the project over 4 weekends parking the car on Thurs or Fri night, doing the work, and letting it dry until Mon morning when I drove to work. The longer you can leave to cure the better.

Gorilla Glue and 3M Adhesive are two very different products with different application techniques. Gorilla Glue is bizarre. It foams like crazy, almost like a foam in place. This means that your work has to be clamped or weighted or it will separate. One of the reasons I believe Gorilla Glue worked best for canvas to fabric is because it is recommended that the areas being bonded be misted with water prior to application of the product. Misting, foaming, weighting sounds like a good way to get the product into porous surfaces and that's what you are going to do. Gorilla Glue hardens to an almost plastic like substance that has resilience to it and apparently good sheer strength. It will also fill small voids. Become familiar with its attributes by playing with it before hand. Its a **** to get off your hands or off of anything for that matter so get it off right away with lacquer thinner and soap and water.

The 3M adhesive is a contact cement that is applied to clean, dry surfaces. A coat is applied to each surface and let to dry for at least 10 minutes. A third coat is then applied to one surface and the surfaces are then brought together and weighted. This product is very elastic and hard to manipulate accurately. Its pretty easy to remove in the short term and scraps off when cured. It creates a great bond between the canvas and glass that has great strength but still some give.

So here is the trick: You have to apply Gorilla Glue to the inside canvas to fabric glue line, weight it and let it cure over night. The next day apply the 3M product to the canvas to glass glue line, weight both glue lines, and let cure for the remainder of the weekend.

Additional tips:

Gorilla Glue foams! It will expand and go all over the place when weighted. Experiment with it first. You really can't mist the interior areas you need to get to and at first I used a one inch brush to get water in there. In the end I found my fingers were best though cause I could really work the moisture in there and I think that helped the glue get absorbed and work. Gorilla Glue has a "medium" set up time. I was working in 90 degree heat and I had time to do the whole seam before the foaming really started but I had to work fast. Don't over apply! It will leach into the glass to canvas glue line that you want to reserve for the 3M product and remember it did not hold canvas to glass well in my tests. Error on the side of the product going further inside the top. I made sure that I got product a bit outside the old glue lines to get some "bare" not previously glued areas.

I found that having a screen spline roller was perfect for applying pressure to the work before weighting. You have a little time to make sure everthing is laying right and to work the product down as it is setting up. The roller was especially effective with the 3M product as it works on a "contact" basis.

I applied both Gorilla Glue and 3M adhesive with bamboo skewers Jill got me out of the kitchen drawer which I broke in half. Both products have enough viscosity to be "rolled" onto the tip of a skewer and neatly "unrolled" right along the respective glue lines or whatever area needs to be covered.

There were two areas of the top where a prior step was required. The canvas is actually "turned" around the window frame area just like fine leather is "turned" before it is stitched. This turn is also glued and in two corners it was separating. I first had to re-bond these turns beforre I could proceed. This is where I first experimented with Gorilla Glue on the vehicle trying one corner first. I first removed old glue as described above, moistened, carefully applied Gorilla Glue to both surfaces. I broke a few paint stirers, wrapped them in wax paper, and applied them to both sides of the turn and then applied hand clamps. I was really impressed with the bond and hence decided to use it for the canvas to fabric application.

The 3M product comes in yellow and black. I didn't know that until I was done. I would have preferred black as the mistakes would not be as obvious. The problem I had with the 3M product is that I think it was to hot outside and I did not have enough work out time during application. In some areas I got a build up which I could not remove without creating a disaster and it shows up. It felt like the application wanted to be film like on both surfaces and I suspect that at the right temp and with fresh product (mine had been sitting in the garage for a long time....I really should have bought fresh) that could be accomplished.

I mentioned it before but I will reiterate that it is important to keep the two products separate and to keep the applications as separate steps. I'm pretty sure that it was helpful to not only cover the old glue lines with product but to also exceed them as much as possible to get fresh contacts without getting excessive squeeze out. Getting any of these adhesives on canvas is bad news as is allowing it to cure on paint surfaces. Remember the blue tape suggestion?

Important Note! Before re-gluing each seam make sure that the glass is centered in the top by checking the canvas against the guidlines of residue you left on the glass. I thought holding the glass in place with tape would help but it really didn't. Just make sure the glass is proped up really well from inside the car. You will notice where the support is needed so you can apply pressure from the top of the glass. I used rolled up hand towels on top of books to get into some areas.

Wow this got long. Sorry. I just know that if someone else had found what looked like a fix I would have really appreciated a detailed description.

Good Luck & Peace

BUMP..

This should be a sticky.... Just wondering rsrobbins & Julie how did this fix work out for you?

I am having the same problem and would love to know how rsrobbins fix worked out... I dont want to spend 4k on a new roof