Piece behind t-tops peeling
 

Hello,

I am about to purchase a 2002 Camaro ss. I have a question about replacing the piece behind the t-tops. Someone told me that the paint peeling was a problem that this car encountered for that body style. I was wondering if any one could give me some advice as to how I can replace it with out spending alot of money or can it be repainted. I am a dealership employee so i have already talked to my body shop manager and he told me it could not be repainted. I hope that is not the case. All responses are greatly apprecieated.

Thank you,

Nick

You'll have to be a little more descriptive than your post. Are you talking about the roof bar that goes from one side to the other, or are you talking about the little rubber pieces that go at either end of the t-bar itself? If you are actually talking about the roof bar, the correct way would be to remove it, resurface it, then refinish it, however, that would involve cutting it off, then urethaning it back on. If you were to do it that way, you would probably spend near $400-$500 at a bodyshop that knows what it's doing, at least in my area (rates are around $80/hr.) You could paint it on the car, however, overspray is a huge concern and you may not be able to cleanly refinish all surfaces, leaving edges looking pretty crappy. You'll save a lot of money doing it this way, but as is with most things, you get what you pay for.

Good luck and I hope it works out for you :)

Nick!

If you're referring to the roof-bar, located behind the t-tops, there is a TSB showing the repair for "bubbling paint".

I have a copy of it I could send to you if you need it.

And as for your body man at the dealer telling you in cannot be fixed....B.S.!!!

Mine showed signs of a few "bubbles", and with the help of a GM factory rep., and my dealer, it was repaired and looks great!

Ed

It can be repainted, but that won't fix the problem. It will just blister again. To fix it you need to remove that piece and scrape out all the adhesive that held it on, apply the new formula adhesive and a new panel.

Exactly. The TSB remedies the problem by replacing the panel. :thumbsup:

My Camaro was in the shop for a full repaint and the guy told me he could fix it even tho I INSISTED that it needed to be replace. Damn thing only had the new paint on it about a month before it started to bubble again. Luckily it was still at his shop so he knew it was nothing I did and I got to say "I told you so!" Rip it off and replace it...it'll save you a lot of headache in the end.
If you are buying this car and aren't the original owner, you are going to have a hell of a time trying to get that replaced under the TSB. We have several cars that we have tried to get it done on and no one wants to screw with it, especially since all those cars are at least 6 years old now.

I had a similar problem; my SS was out of warranty at the time of the problem.

I visited my dealer first and explained that the date of the TSB was well after my SS's warranty expired. I also contacted a GM factory rep., who was GREAT to deal with! The factory rep. contacted the body shop mgr. at the dealer I was using, and I was able to get the problem resolved. :thumbsup:

Can someone put up a picture of the panel or even better a picture of some bubbling paint on this panel? I am looking at buying a 2002 SOM Trans Am and would really like to know what to look for in this case, I have heard alot of people saying that this has happened to their 4th gen, but I'm still not 100% sure what it looks like. also, what makes the paint bubble up? thanks guys

its the targa pnl

kinda like the shoulders of the car. goes from one side to the other right where the rear hatch hinges mount

this

The problem is the adhesive that was used to glue the panel on at the assembly plant. Its not completely compatible with the fiberglass panel and after a couple of years either gas or something from the adhesive begins to seep through the fiberglass and causes the paint to bubble. You will only find the bubbles in the paint along the front and rear edges of the panel where the adhesive makes contact on the other side.Only way to stop it is to remove the panel and get that adhesive out of there. There may be another option, but I haven't tried it yet. My idea is to strip the panel down to bare fiberglass, then paint with POR-15, then Tie-coat primer,then epoxy primer,then topcoat it. If the POR-15 will stick and dry, I think it won't be effected by the stuff that causes the paint to bubble.

Thank you camarospike23 and txturbo, you have enlightened me :) I just have two questions, does this problem pop up on all the 4th gen f-bodies? or only certain years? And finally is it only a percentage of f-bodies within that category of cars that this happens to? (luck of the draw? ) Or over-time will all of the cars within the 4th gen f-body lineup eventually have the death by bubbles?

its kinda like the opti on the LT1s, its hit or miss. my 94 Z doesnt have the bubly paint, but ive got a friend with one whos is nasty bubbling, tho he's in the process of stripping the car down and repainting it. at one time, i thought it might have been location but ive seen cars all over that have it and ones that are the same age or older that dont. just depends

Well, that explains it then lol, thanks again for the responses