ninefiveone

This is a little esoteric but does anyone have a good glass shop in the NYC area that they would recommend?

I've got a saratoga top that needs major restoration before it's usable (seals, metal framing, etc). My guess is that an auto glass shop could do the job, and perhaps reseal my hatch too.

Any recommendations?

flat12boxer

Which one do you have - Bronze tint/frameless, or Grey tint/black framed? Manual or power? I have the late grey tint/black framed power top version.

If you have my version, you should be able to reseal the frame to the glass yourself if it is separating. You should also be able to sand/scuff, clean the frame with a little lacquer thinner and repaint it before you seal it if necessary.

How bad is the top? How bad is the seal? My original seal is still good, if you have to replace, you will have to use two small VW seals or find a way to make your own. Porsche does not have a replacement and you cannot get original seals anymore as Saratoga is long out of business.

You will be hard pressed to find a glass shop who will be willing to take on the job of resealing your hatch. Do a search here and read up on that portion.

ninefiveone

Grey tint, black framed, power.

The prior owner of the top tried to do a repair with what looks like jb weld or something. It's pretty ugly.

The seal I knew about and and I have the vw part number for the seal. Surprisingly expensive for a VW part...

flat12boxer

JB Weld on the seal? It could be gasket sealer if it's still flexible or a tough spongy feel. JB Weld gets real hard and JB Qwik gets plastic-y but is still just a hair flexible before it cracks.

For what it's worth, my hatch is just starting to delaminate/unseal, maybe about a four inch long section. Pissing me off to no end. I think I am going to silicone it and see what happens with the rest of the hatch over time.

ninefiveone

JB weld between the glass and metal frame. Hard as a rock.

flat12boxer

Ouch. You might have a problem there. Maybe try a razor blade with a good handle and see if you can get under it? If not maybe call the company that makes JB weld for advice?

ninefiveone

Yeah, I'm thinking it needs to be grinded out of there, and even then the question is whether I'd be able to get it all out.