Header bow questions on a 70 Ghia Cabriolet

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Hi
I am planning to replace the top on my late Ghia Cabliolet with glass rear window.
I have found a lot of ionformation on how to do it, but I have one question in regards to the front bow. This is different from the earlier models.
I understand that the specs says 7mm in the center and 2mm at the ends, and that this is the same mor 70+ and earlier models.

I also found this info:
"If the space is too small, the front rubber seal of the header can lift or press out the windshield wetherstrip at the top, thus causing leaks"


Where is the rubber seal on the header on a model 70

Hope this is understandable

Kind regards
Lars

[22manybugs]

I replaced the top on my ’69-1/2 with glass rear window several years ago. Like you said, the literature all says to leave a bigger gap in the middle. That instruction has to be for the older cars that have a single top clamp in the middle of the windshield frame. For the later models with two clamps (one on each side of the top), that doesn’t make sense - if you have 2mm gap on the outside and 7 mm in the middle, then clamp down on the outside and “squeeze”the 2mm gap on the outside, you will still have a gap of about 5mm in the middle that will leak. I think the dimensions should be reversed for the later tops: 2 mm gap on the middle and 7mm on the two outer sides. Then the top will contact the middle first and additional clamping pulls down the bow and forms a good seal across the entire front. When I did mine, I did not quite go that far, I think I used 2 mm gap in the middle and 5 mm on the outside. That worked good for many years, but it is starting to not seal in the middle and leak a bit, so I probably should have used the full 7mm gap on the outer sides.

There is a rubber seal on later models, the rubber seal starts around ‘72 (I don’t remember the exact year). I added the seal to mine because it seemed like a better way to seal the front edge between the windshield frame and the top.
_________________
Lon

1969 Karmann Ghia convertible
1971 Westfalia camper