1972 Porsche 914

Disassembly - Part 10 - Windshield Area

9/22/2006

Removal of the Front Targa Seal

Ok, it's time to tackle the windshield seal.  This is the one that runs along the top and down the sides.  Along the top it acts as a seal between the Targa top and the windshield frame.  Along the sides, between the frame and the doors.  The issue here is that this part is no longer available from Porsche.  There is at least one reproduction that is available, but I believe there are supply and quality issues with that seal.  NOS seals go for quite a bit on eBay.  So if you need to remove your seal (as I do), you want to try to not tear it up.

Ok, before we go much further I have to admit that I did break the seal into two pieces (passenger side) during the removal process. However, I do feel that after figuring out how to do this, now would be able to remove it without breaking or tearing it. I was able to get the driver side OK after I learned how to do it on the passenger side.  Hopefully these instructions will help you successfully remove yours without destroying it.

Ok, now to get down to business, first I didn't realize that there are actually two seals around the windshield. There is a lower seal that removes pretty easily. It only runs the length of the top of the windshield frame. The upper seal runs both the length of the top as well as down both side of the windshield frame.

Hard to see in this photo, but there are two different seals here.

Here you can see me removing the lower seal.  It only runs along the bottom of the top part of the main Targa seal.

Note the profile. It sort of slips up under (I believe) the bottom part of the upper seal.  It is easy to remove.

Before I started, I had no real idea on how the upper seal was shaped and attached to the body. The upper seal looks to have an embedded metal part that both reinforces the seal as well as acts as a clamp. It connects to the windshield frame in a tongue and groove fashion. The seal (and metal clamp) act as the groove and the windshield frame as the tongue. As far as I can tell, there are no adhesives used to attach the seal to the car (either on the top or side)

I started out by experimenting and found that I could insert a thin screwdriver between the seal and the frame along the top. I suspect that a thin putty knife would work better, but my screwdriver was working well for me, so I kept at it. By doing this, I was able to increase the gap. Do this slowly and a little at a time. You may also want to just use your hand periodically and wiggle the seal top and down a bit to help break it free from the frame.

Screw driver going in at this point.  I was nervous as I had no idea how it was put together at this point.

But it did seem to be working.

And I was able to pull it away from the frame a bit.

I also tried to insert my finger and pull the lower part of the seal as well. The idea here is to pull the seal straight out, but do it by applying the pressure from the inside out vs. trying to just pull directly on the exterior of the seal. Go slow, take your time, don't force anything if you are doing it right, you should hear the seal clamp loosen and break away from the frame section by section.

Eventually you will get a section to separate totally from the frame. One this happens, you should be able to work the rest of the top away from the frame pretty easily. Work you way right up to the intersection between the top and side parts of the seal on each side.

At this point you need to remove the upright trim on the inside of the windshield frame. On my 1972 model, there were three plastic caps that hid three #2 Phillips screws. There is also a small #1 Philips screw right at the intersection of the top and side parts of the seal. The small #1 is easy to miss. A PO for my car had tried to solve a leak I this area by applying some rubber sealant. The screws were buried under all of this.

Once this is done, you should be able to see both the inside and outside part of the aluminum C shaped channel that holds this part of the seal. Ok, now for the hard part. You will have two issues here. First, the seal may not want to budge due to general friction and the fact that it has to slide through a tight curve near the top. The other (which I think is the real reason it is hard to remove this seal) is that when the seal is installed at the factory, the C channel is "staked" on the inside in a few places to prevent the seal from sliding after it has been installed.

These photos where taken AFTER this was all done, but it shows you what the "stakes" in the channel look like.  Mine have already been bent out so that the seal would slide out.

You will need to pull back the seal with your fingers enough to inspect the entire length of it on the interior side of the seal and find where it has been staked. I had three stakes on one side (spread out along the length) and two on the other (both near the end of the seal). So I assume they can be anywhere and have a indeterminate number of them. You will need to undo the staking enough so that the seal will be able to slide along the C channel. I don't have any photos of this part, but I took a wide blade screw driver and inserted it into the channel and dug and pried enough to allow the seal to slide. You may really have to dig in there to get enough of a bite to undo the staking. While my seal is of average shape, the inside part of this seemed to be the most flexible and sturdy part of the entire seal and I was able to really dig around at the channel without damaging the seal. I suspect this is because this part of the seal is typically hidden away from damaging UV light, etc. by the interior trim.

I don't know how cheap or easily available a replacement is for this aluminum channel. If it is cheap, I would not worry about what you do to it to get it to the point that the seal will freely slide. I haven't tried it yet, but I suspect that if you don't mangle it much, that you can bend it back and reused it. The part you bend should be hidden by the trim once reinstalled.

To help get the seal to slide, you will to lubricate it. I used a child's medicine syringe (available at a pharmacy or grocery store) and soapy water. I used regular glycerin dish soap and just a small bit of water. Whatever lubricant you use, it should be water based and not petroleum based (such as mineral oil).

 There are a few key things to remember at this point...

1. Do not whatsoever try to pull the seal by grabbing a hold of the area around the intersection of the top and side piece. These pieces have been extruded and/or molded separately and then connected during the manufacturing process. They are weak where they have been joined together.
2. Start pushing from the bottom, but then work your way up along the entire length by applying pressure on the seal in the direction that you want it to move. Wiggle as you go and apply additional lubrication as needed. Keep repeating this motion and if all is good, it should start to move.
3. If it is not sliding something is wrong. Check to make sure you have undone the "staking" enough and that you can wiggle the seal along its length. If it is lubricated enough and has broken free, you should hear and see the soapy water squish out of the channel all along its length.
   

I then made the mistake of trying to pull from the top. I was trying to not apply much pressure, but I ended up causing the seal to separate at the joint.  Don't do what I did.  It was a tough way to learn that lesson.  DON'T PULL ON THAT JOINT.

At this point I felt I was pushing harder than I should need. I realized that I had not undone the "staking" enough, so I fixed that and added more lubricant. The seal then slid out much easier and without any pulling needed to get it to move.  Once I was able to get about three inches of the seal out of the top, I felt I was able to safely pull a bit from the top as well as push from the bottom to speed up the process.  Bottom line, if it doesn't slide out, then something is wrong.  Don't force it.

The aluminum channel is held in with a few #1 Phillips screws. I removed mine and here are some of the stakes in the channel.

After I realized that my impatience was the reason I broke the seal and that once the staking had been properly undone and the channel lubricated it slid out without having to pull at the top, I decided to take it a bit easier on the driver side of the seal. With the experience of the passenger side, I was able to repeat the process on the driver side, but without breaking the seal on this side. If I was to do it all over again, I am positive that I could have remove the seal without breaking it.

The keys are to go slow, take your time and don't force anything.

Here are some misc. other photos...

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Last modified: September 05, 2006