1957 hardtop weatherstripping installation tips

[WillowSaluki]

56 hardtop. I have the new weatherstripping kit and screws to do the job. Any tips on removing the old, prepping the surface or general instillation comments appreciated.

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[Hwoodlive]

I did my non-porthole '57 top a couple years ago and I don't remember it being a big deal, even though mine's entire surface was severely cracked (perhaps by our desert-summer heat?). Obviously that didn't affect attaching new weatherstripping, but I did find a few screw holes that had enlarged and no longer held the original size screws. I fiberglassed those holes closed and redrilled them, which worked great. I took plenty of photos, but don't remember any major stumbling blocks. Except reinstalling the back window, which is kinda outside the purview here.

 

[WillowSaluki]

I did my non-porthole '57 top a couple years ago and I don't remember it being a big deal, even though mine's entire surface was severely cracked (perhaps by our desert-summer heat?). Obviously that didn't affect attaching new weatherstripping, but I did find a few screw holes that had enlarged and no longer held the original size screws. I fiberglassed those holes closed and redrilled them, which worked great. I took plenty of photos, but don't remember any major stumbling blocks. Except reinstalling the back window, which is kinda outside the purview here.

Thanks very much. So no adhesive needed just the screws. I was hoping that was the case. Did you work on the top on its dolly or some other way. I was considering using a bean bag chair to lay the top on to make it easier to work on.

 

[Hwoodlive]

Yup, no adhesive that I recall, although this may not be the first time somebody tackled that job on my car. So that's my disclaimer on that topic.
🙂
I suspect most of use would agree that moving and working on these darned tops is a hassle. They're light-ish, but so bulky that most of us can't easily handle 'em. I was refinishing mine while updating the weatherstripping, so I couldn't lay it upside down (your bean bag chair idea sounds great for that). I wanted access to the whole thing all at once, so I just put a couple sawhorses close together, and spanned them with two long boards. I set the top on that, holding up the front with a couple wooden blocks. It wasn't ideal, but allowed reasonable access to the underside and outer areas at the same time. There's probably a WAY better way to do this, it was just what I had available at the time.