Hatch glass transplant advice needed.

[The Bloody Panda]

I need to swap the glass from my factory hatch to my seibon hatch. I don't have the funds for lexan so that's a non-issue. I intend to take the weatherstripping from my factory hatch and use it since it still looks good but I haven't removed it yet to know if it will still be usable. Currently I'm most concerned with sealing the glass to the hatch, does anyone have any suggestions because as I understand it that seal is discontinued. Thank you for any and all help.

[jondee86]

Factory manual suggests working/pushing the glass out carefully from the inside
with the weather strip still attached. Remove and clean the strip and install it dry
to the hatch. Install the glass using a cord... best with one person on the outside
pushing and one on the inside working the cord. Mask and seal from the outside
with one bead of sealant between the lip and the hatch, and another bead between
the strip and the glass. Remove excess sealant and you are done.

Sounds reasonable to me

Cheers... jondee86

[The Bloody Panda]

Excellent, I was under the impression something special that isn't available was needed. Thank you for clearing up the confusion.

[Jeff Lange]

If all else fails, that weatherstrip is in fact, not discontinued. There is stock in the USA.

68291-12070

Jeff

[The Bloody Panda]

New question, same sort of topic. I'm thinking about going polycarbonate since Gabe at T3 told me he should have a polycarbonate option available for the hatch next month. Every time I see a polycarbonate window installed in the hatch it seems to require additional bracing to hold it in. These metal braces always look similar to me. Where are people getting these parts to mount their polycarbonate window into the hatch? I need to determine how to secure this polycarbonate window before buying it.

[shagymc]

I would assume T3 would have that answer when they present a final product. I havn't heard they were going to do this so I'm interested in it.

[jondee86]

Maybe these....



... from here... http://www.arbodies.com/page/19?siteid=1&id=65044626&s=1

Cheers... jondee86

[The Bloody Panda]

I'm checking with T3 now. If they don't provide an option maybe those pieces from ARbodies could work. Have you used those before jondee?

[jondee86]

I haven't used them myself... they just popped up in a search. Around
here most people seem to make their own out of thin steel or alloy. An
angle or small channel section, length and stiffness to suit the application.
Probably try to get a little bit of a curve in them as the hatch glass is
not flat, and it will look better. Sheetmetal shop should be able to make
something up if you give them a sketch.

Cheers... jondee86