I contacted the man that does canvas top work for the local Jag dealer. He came to my house and did the work in my garage. Used single edge razor blades to scrape the old glue from the canvas and the glass. He used just the 3M glue shown in Stuarts picture, took him three days to scrape it and re-glue. My glass had come loose almost all the way around. Any way, he got it all back together and told me not to drive it for 24 hours. Since I didn't need the car, I let it sit for two days, I closed the top and drove it about twenty miles and put it back in the garage. When I went out the next day, like Stuart, the glass had pulled away from the canvas again. I called him and gave him the bad news. He came the next day and began the process all over again. This time he used the primer shown in the picture, it took another three days and I let dry another two days. That was the summer of 2016 and it has been solid ever since.

 

JackJohn,

I'm glad the 3M repair worked for you and is still holding up. But, as I previously mentioned, I used the 3M primer and adhesive, followed the directions and it didn't hold.

The 3M adhesive is a black, gooey mess that is very difficult to work with, particularly if it gets where you don't want it to be. Clamp it down and if you used too much it squirts out and gets on the canvas and paint. It also takes a lot of time to dry and cure compared to Rhino Glue.

Rhino Glue is clear and dries clear in a few minutes while clamped. It's nowhere near as messy to work with as the 3M adhesive and because it's clear it's hard to see mistakes.

I repaired the window myself and it cost well under $100 for everything. I doesn't take any particular skill, other than taking your time and being careful.

Stuart

 

I've had mine reglued twice. It's going to fail again and I will need to replace the top. The shop that did the work said the issue with the re-glue was that there was not enough material around it to adhere to. The shrinking that caused the original failure just did not leave enough slack for there to be surface are to re-adhere. This may just be my bad luck as other seem to have success but a new top will be in my future :-(

 

Do you know what product they used to glue the top to the glass? I thinking your top experienced severe shrinking? Was it a situation, wherein, you didn't recognize it was happening, thus too late?
I kept an eye on mine when the "buzz' started on this issue. Fortunately, I had a fair amount of "top material" to work with. So far, so good.

 

I showed the shop this thread and they bought the clamps and glue suggested (May have been 3m). They were more than fair in the bill.

I did not notice the issue until the window was drooping. The XK is not driven much and we just never noticed until too late. I think had we caught it early we may have saved it but alas, we were late.

I just had it done the second time about a month ago. My hope is the repair will last past the summer so I can replace the top later in the year. I have a few other car projects I’m knee deep in and want to spread the financial pain out :-)

 

Those of us that did this project ourselves, found that Rhino Glue seemed to be the product that's had the most success. Stuart, I believe, was among the first to have tried the 3M and failed and later found "joy" in the use of Rhino glue. His reporting of his experience led me and others to use Rhino. It has a tenacious grip on properly prepared glass. So far, mine has held up on a dozen or so "ups and downs" LOL! My car is garaged in a controlled environment.

 

Yep, that's me. The 3M adhesive was awful. Black goo that was messy to work with, difficult to remove if it got on where you didn't want it, dried and cured slowly, and worst of all it didn't work. Rhino Glue was the exact opposite - clear liquid you could brush on, dried quickly (have to do small sections at a time), much easier to work with, barely visible if it got on where you didn't want it, and it works. My rear glass is still attached after 2 years. And it's an easy DIY repair.

 

On a related note, proper maintenance of your convertible top is very important. See my Post #2 in this thread for details:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/w...d.php?t=234701

 

Before applying the adhesive, and the glass is relatively clean, should I go over the glass with isopropyl alcohol?

 

Yes, this is what I did. The cleaner the better, obviously. As was mentioned, may need to use a razor blade device to remove any old adhesive that's on the glass.
I was not opposed to adding a little Rhino under the lip of that area between the top and glass, that had't yet pulled away. To some degree, I applied it like caulking.

 

I did the same, my glass only pulled away on the top and sides, the bottom was still good. So I ran a bead a bit into the bottom section for good measure, pulling back the lip of the material a bit. So far so good!

 

Cool, thanks Ken.

 

Well, wish me luck. I'm gluing a short side and corner as that is the worst part. I had already ordered the 3M system before I saw your posts about it versus the rhino glue. I'm only doing this side and I'll give it a test.

I want to include Ken on this, but I do not know how to send a post to multiple people who have helped me with this.

I hope this holds

My therapy roller and towel are providing counter pressure on the inside.

 

Well, here is the after 72 hours of drying. It feels secure, but only time will tell.


My top after gluing it on the left side.

 

It looks like you have a thick bead of the 3M adhesive, so I hope it holds for you. I didn't use as much, which is probably why my 3M repair failed. Based on my experience, It's just a matter of time before the rest of the top separates from the glass and will need to be repaired.

 

well after reading all of these posts I am inspired to try my hand at fixing my back glass that has completely collapsed.
Sounds like Rhino glue, clampits and perhaps some luck will be my remedy. So is there a sequence in the gluing process? IE.. left right top or bottom first?
Or all at one time?
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread!

Too bad I have the same issue.

 

I recommended using Rhino Glue and Suck N Clamps. Scroll up to my Post #27 in this thread, follow the instructions and click on the link. That will take you to my original posts that explain everything you need to know about how to reattach your rear glass to your convertible top using Rhino Glue and Suck N Clamps.

This is an easy DIY fix, unless your top has shrunken too much. The better you prep both surfaces, the stronger the bond will be. So scrape off as much of the old adhesive as you can and clean both surfaces with rubbing alcohol. Also, take your time and use masking tape to carefully cover the areas that you don't want glue to get on. It doesn't matter where you start, but only do about a foot at a time because Rhino Glue dries fast and you need to set the clamps quickly, before it dries. You'll have enough clamps so you can leave the ones on that you just used to glue the top and then do the next section. Use paint stirrer sticks or similar under the clamps to evenly distribute the pressure across the repaired area.

After you've finished, wait at least 2 days to let the Rhino Glue completely cure before putting the top down. Always keep the top up to keep it from shrinking and not getting dirt in the folds that might leave permanent stains. See my Post #68, above, on top maintenance.

P.S. The link referenced in Post #27, above, should be to my post #105 in that thread, not #104.

 

Thanks for the great detailed instructions.

 

The rear window has been an issue for years. Some Jaguar owners here had had some great success in a DIY repair while others have had
difficulty. The cost to replace the top is not cheap. It's a Jaguar.

Hopefully your endeavor works for you. I understand the cost for a new top could run around $3000-$4000.

Meanwhile, enjoy the ride.

 

Yes the convert tops are very expensive...$3500 is what I was quoted. So I am going to at least give this a try!