The top main targa seal on our car is notably chewed up. The prior owner was good enough to point out the issues, but we never pulled the top off to take a decent look at it. Either way, it would have needed replacement.
It looks innocent enough, but there are some major holes in the rubber seal up there.
It’s a tricky bit as they are not super cheap (for OEM part), not readily available, and not simple to install. With a quick search, I was able to find a source that has them backordered for $179. But it looks like Auto Atlanta has replica parts for about $40 and the OEM part for $143. Odd that the pricing is so variable. The part we need looks like #28 in the diagram below:
Do we go OEM or replica part? I’m inclined to try the replica part and see how it does.
I also took a better look at the rear bumper cap in rubber. It’s pretty wavy but isn’t bugging me too much right now. The prior owner said that those are a bit rare and expensive too.
And I also just noticed that the driver side chrome around the windscreen looks like its seen some manhandling. It sits a bit proud of the bodywork and looks to have suffered from a bit of ham-fisted removal technique.
This chrome strip does look a bit fragile and I’m sure when it was removed they had to start at it somewhere. I’m guessing this was the place they began. Some careful massaging might get it to be a touch more flat at some point. I did also see that you can buy a rubber trim bit to replace the chrome if it all goes pear-shaped. But on cars of this vintage, I like the chrome. And black rubber won’t match the rest of the car so I’m not inclined to do that to her.
I finally tested the wipers and they appear to work (at least mechanically). The horn, not so much. I haven’t isolated the switch yet, but its an easy removal and shouldn’t be hard to test with a continuity tester. If it’s in the wiring or the horn itself, it may be tougher to track down the issue.
Old cars are a journey in and of themselves. Luckily I’m older, wiser and more patient than when I had a 1964 Ford Thunderbird as my first car. And I’ve also got Google.
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