I'm putting a new cloth top, with glass window, in my 00 AP1. I have the old top removed. Everything has gone pretty smooth so far. I had the interior parts (seats, trim panels, etc.) removed in a much quicker time than I was expecting. Per the norm in my garage, when something is going too well, it grinds to a halt. I just finished removing the hard rubber rain rail from the base of the old top. After removing the rivets I noticed that two in the existing holes where the rivets were installed are damaged. Either I got the rivets too hot when drilling them out, or there was some damage from a prior soft top install. Regardless, the damage is there. One hole has been enlarged a little and the other one developed a small hole around the outer circumference of the previously installed washer. The holes are only damaged on the "interior side" of the rail. The holes in the rail on the "trunk side" of the rail are just fine.

I was thinking that since the damage is on the "interior side" of the rail, it would be less prone to leak, although still possible. Should I attempt to reuse this rail using a combination of larger diameter washers and some good sealant at these two holes; or just break down and spend the $175 on a new rain rail?

Thoughts?

 

When I did mine I used binder posts instead of rivets. 3/16" is the thickness for the post you want and 3/8" is the depth. I could only find 1/2" depth so I used 2 1/16" washers on each side. If the damage isn't that bad, I would reuse it. I haven't heard of people having a lot of problems with it, I think you'll be good to go.

 

Interesting update. My wife ran over some of the parts that I had laying in the garage floor with her CRV. She wasn't going to say anything about it. She came clean when I mentioned the above issue with the rain rail and how I wanted to address the issue so that I didn't have to redo any work later.

I haven't went out to see if she damaged anything. Right now, I don't want to know. I'll have to look eventually.

 

pictures might help, I don't recall spending that much time thinking about it.. must have been one of the, do this, done, next, do that.. keep moving til finished.. you might have something different.. I dk.. pictures may tell someone, hey that's ok.. or nope...




whew man, so glad you didn't have to waterboard the wife... doesn't go over well when the shoe's on the other foot, they tend to remember .. you tend to suffer twice... odd how that doesn't work out... sides, you know she's cutest when you messed up an left stuff in the way...