My attempts to re-bond the glass window to the top have had little success. It's just barely enough to keep 99% of the water out but isn't a very elegant solution.

Plan was to buy a new top, once we get the check from selling our Explorer.
Had the thought today or maybe sewing in a vinyl window. I did some top repair on the vinyl window on my Midget, but it's a fair weather car & doesn't see rain.

Other than the very tedious task of sewing it in & sealing it, any reason to not give it a go? Other than the window, my top is in great shape.

Figure a yard or 2 of marine grade 40 gauge vinyl & a really long run of sail thread & apply a sealant while stitching it in. Under $100 & could have a weatherproof solution, rather than $1300 [Robbins] to $2k [OEM].

Biggest unknown would be how it behaves when folding the top, since it'll be much more flexible than the glass.

 

Committed to attempting this.
Ordered some 40ga vinyl, which seems to be the common thickness from what I've found on other forums for cars with OE vinyl windows, and some waxed sailthread [used similar on fixing a window/top tear on my Midget].
We'll see if it comes in & I have time to tackle it before I head out of town on 10/16 for the US F1 GP in Austin.

Will lose the defroster, but shouldn't be a big deal. This is a predominantly 'temp' fix to get the car waterproofed again without having to replace the whole top. Once