So the title says it all. I finally decided to tackle the weatherstripping on my 89. PO had purchased an entire kit and never installed it, gave it to me with the car. The weatherstripping on it was in horrible shape. There was a part above the windshield that was so dry I could put my finger through it and touch the metal channel...it was like dust. So I got to tearing it out. Unfortunately, half of it deteriorated in my hand and the other half was bonded to the channel. Cleaning it was the hardest part. I used everything - screwdrivers, nylon brushes, fingers, eventually found that wood shims (yeah...for doors and windows) worked well for getting under the lip and cleaning it out. That along with 3M adhesive remover and some scrubbing pads did the trick - was just a lot of elbow grease. I also did the side strips on the targa top. Problem there was that corrosion had gotten to the frame and I snapped both star heads off that hold the front part of the weatherstripping on. Had to drill those out. Cleaning was the same process as the windshield but on a smaller scale. Overall took six hours to do it. But I'm glad it's done (so far...still have the rear seal, doors, and hatch). Final thing I did was put some lube on the seals and rolled up the windows to get everything to set in.

Wow...did I just type all that? Guess I'm venting a little. Overall this job was crap. My fingers hurt and it was annoying. Not the most difficult, but extremely time consuming.

I did start taking pictures, but somehow "lost" my camera in the garage. How does that happen???

Once I find my camera I'll try to put up some pics.

Thanks for listening to me rant.

Matthew

These type of tedious projects are killers on fingers and hands. I go back to work on Monday so sore it feels good to do something normal again.

Quote:
No, thank you for posting a good story. I wish there were more stories posted.

Quote:
Yes it does.... Which is why most of mine looks like ass and will continue to until I have the car painted. At which time they can install the new rubber. I just hate doing things that don't make the car function better, drive better or go faster.

Well, as if yesterday wasn't bad enough, I decided to torture myself some more today...lol. I wanted to do the rear seal on the top/halo area. So back to it. It wasn't as bad as the windshield. Didn't seem as badly deteriorated. I don't know if it's due to the fact it it covered a little more by the top or what. I did find my camera, too - under the seat...hehe.

Here are a few pics - you can see there was one bad spot at the bottom near the top of the door, other than that not terrible. Maybe now I can wash the outside without washing the inside at the same time...

btw...I understand why shops charge so much to do it. And it's worth it

I ended up doing a slide show because there are a lot of pics. Starts out with a few shots of the windshield weatherstripping and how bad it was...then jumps to a few shots of the ws installed (remember...lost camera...haha) then it goes to today's rear weatherstripping and me working on it. Shows a few shots of what you might find as far as when you pull off the ws.

http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y110/matatk/Corvette/?action=view¤t=671e90c5.pbw

Enjoy!

Matthew

Whats the passsword

Quote:

Sorry! I didn't know that happened. Type in Myguest for the password.

Matthew

Lots of great pics in that album, cool. I will be taking a road trip to Corvette Central on the 18th to pick up weather stripping for mine, thanks for the info in this thread.

Another update. I am not super happy with the "aftermarket" weatherstripping I used. I don't know what company it's from, but it's made in India. It came with the car, so the cost was free....that's why I used it. I doesn't seal as well as the factory and the rubber is a little distorted. It's also considerably harder than the soft factory ws. If I had to do it all over again, I'd spend the extra coin and get genuine GM.

Matthew

I feel your pain. Redid my weatherstrip last year as my "big project". Verrry time consuming. Requires lots of patience. I did do some homework before I started which made the project go much smoother. I knew what to expect and got some tips/tricks and things not to do. Some info came from this very site in its old form. Some came from other forums and sources. I used a kit from Willcox Corvette that many recommended, $380. The quality, fit and finish was really good. Car is much tighter and seals up well. No drips while driving in rain. Have to be gentle while washing around door glass but that is typical even with factory stripping. I treat with dielectric silicone grease every 3-4 months. Keeps the squeaks to a minimum, helps seal the car and protects the stripping from cracking/deteriorating. Overall very pleased with how it turned out. See slideshow.
http://s212.photobucket.com/albums/cc ... view¤t=65e28a5b.pbw

Lenferg,

Did mine 2 weeks ago (windshield, halo, & hatch) and it took about 4 hours to do it all.

Matatk,

I had a post at [http://www.corvette-guru.com/modules/ ... php?topic_id=3103&forum=1] with some photos of the windshield work which took the longest to do. I ordered the weatherstripping from Wilcox and received a sizeable discount in the price for all the weatherstripping. Wilcox was running a special for March to CF forum members. I admire anyone who does this as I know I was a bit intimidated when it came to the windshield weatherstripping removal & replacement.

Late note, after reading the latest post by Shadow it is nice to learn that Wilcox will honor any vette forum registered member And I agree with Shadow's assement of the CF in his last line.

Hey Fred,
Good to see a neighbor on the site! We will compare weatherstripping notes at the next club meeting we both make. It is a tough job but well worth the time and effort.

C4DERF -

I remember that post and admired your work. It is a time consuming job, but one that needs to be done. I still have the door seals to do, but those seem like they will be easier since they have the push pins and there is no glass to seal against it so I'm wondering if the fit will be as tough. I also need to do outer door seals, I'm just irritated that they cost $60 for a set. Doesn't seem like $60 worth or rubber. Oh well. Hope everyone else enjoys their weatherstripping escapades.

Matthew

Quote:

Matatk,

Feel your pain man. Last year I bought a set of outers along with the window guides and stops for both doors. Paid something like $85 or $90 for the parts and found a fella that owns a small body shop to install and adjust the windows. Get this, he said $25 per door!! We set a date and I dropped by and asked him if it would be okay to stick around and watch. He said sure so, 90 minutes later I had new outer seals, guides and stops installed and both windows adjusted. During the time he told me he likes working on all vettes and when the job was done I asked him again his price and he repeated $50 for everything. I told him ok and gave him $75 for his work. He didn't want the extra $25 and there was no register tab for the CPA. I left $75 lighter in the wallet but, $100s ahead in agrivation saved and making a new acquaintance who likes working and painting vettes. He is going to get my business when I repaint the ole girl.

Sounds tuff to do . I have to tackle my hatch as son as i stop spending my $ on other things lol.

I'm dreading replacing my weatherstripping this summer. Mine is in good shape problem is mine is leaking by the windshield and running behind the weather stripping. Looks like I'll wait and see when the next sale is on the set.

Mike.

Capt -

Overall, it doesn't take a lot of technical skill, just time. I would invest in a good set - some people have said that wilcox is good, I have no personal experience. Since my targa top seal is still a little off (due to it being slightly misshapen), I'm considering buying GM pieces for that only and redoing the top. Should be easier the second time around....lol.

Matthew

The other problem is not all of the weather stripping is available from GM anymore. I might get what I can from GM when I tackle the project and get what isn't available from an after market supplier.

Mike.