Reviews for OMIX 12304.07 Hardtop Seal Kit with Sealant for 87-06 Jeep Wrangler YJ & Wrangler TJ
My hardtop had been leaking, this was the solution. Awesome quality seal!
Seals are great
nice product, some cutting required but works as it should
Good fit
This kit is worth it if you're finding yourself taking on and off the hardtop often, yet want to maintain a decent weather seal each time.
Just put this on the factory hardtop of my '98 Sahara. Overall a good product. Installation notes: instructions are available for download on Quadratec. Tools needed: hairdryer, 3/8" drill bit and drill, razor knife, duct tape, block of wood, nitrile gloves/shop towels and surface cleaner, tack or small nail. Use hairdryer/razor knife to help with removal of the rear seal. I used Windex to clean the seal contact surfaces--existing header seal is recommended to be kept. I didn't try to make the 90 degree turn at the rear-I installed from the liftgate straight to the corner and cut to match the curve with razor knife. Then I ran the long sides straight from the door opening to the corner, leaving .5" of extra at the door side which needs to be shaped with the razor knife-I had about 5" extra on both sides afterward but measure first! Use the Permatex sealant in addition to the adhesive on the rubber but don't puncture the tube with the lid-use a tack or a small nail-smaller opening/less mess . Use nitrile gloves and shop towels for quick cleanup while you are applying in a well-ventilated area. I used extra seal material to make new seals where the hardtop meets the key-shaped opening at the top of the windshield door seal.
The dye to cut bolt holes in the rubber is dull and useless-use a drill & bit of appropriate size, drilling from the top of the lip through the holes and rubber seal, backing up with a wood block on the seal side to prevent ripping the rubber and/or causing injury. Check that all of your holes are the same size-the two nearest the front were smaller on my top and I needed a smaller drill bit for those holes. Use duct or electrical tape as a clamp for the ends of the rubber and give it 2 hours to set up. Plan on about 1 hour for seal removal and install and additional 2 hours for Permatex setup.
Install went smoothly. Had to make a couple of wedge cuts to get the seal to make the 90 degree curves at the back of each side.
The seal material itself is very thick and feels like a high quality material. It's much thicker than the stock material and this makes it more robust when reinstalling or removing the hardtop. The problem is that the extra thinkness adds space between the hardtop and frame causing large gaps between the rear hatch and tailgate. My existing glass hatch seal now allows substantial amounts of water in. Also, the extra height now causes the rear hatch to interfere with the soft top tailgate bar retainer clips, so they have to be removed, and the remaining holes are left exposed to weather. Some of the rubber sealant helped with that, but it's another step not mentioned in the instructions.
Seems to be exactly what I was looking for and is recommended on some of the research that I did. However, even though there are instructions in the picture that is shown, there are actually no instructions that come with this product. I tried looking everywhere for just a little bit of guidance on the best way to install and did not have a whole lot of luck.
Technically it is a seal, however the adhesive was useless. I had to use make a gasket on the backside and clamp it in place to get it to stay on. Second, the material is way too thick. I may have to take it back off if I cannot get my doors raised enough to make a seal. Last, no instructions. I realized after I had used a hobby knife to cut away slots for the hardtop to body bolts that the metal piece in the kit is too punch those holes. Very disappointed.