RK-TECT

Hi guys (& ladies, too),
My '65 convertible vent window rubber seals are beginning to show cracks from age at the bottom and corner. I would like to replace them without removing the door panels and taking out the entire assembly. Is this possible, or is this the one weatherstripping piece on a C2 that isn't easy to replace (other than the windshield)? Can someone give me the easiest "step-by-step" procedure to replace these rubber seals? The vent window mechanisms otherwise work very well... I'm just not lovin' the cracks.

Thank you, Roger

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raytex

The vent window lower pivot T goes true a hole in the rubber so the vent window should be removed, unless you want to cut the rubber on one side.
In order to remove the vent window the door panel needs to be removed to reach the pivot T.

Guess the best way is you remove the vent glass from its stainless frame. (new grip strip required)
Remove door panel.
Unbolt lower pivot from vent regulator and then push stainless glass frame down so top pivot comes out and lift frame out.
I found that in the open possition this was the easiest.

Or you pull/cut/pry out old rubber so you get more vertical play.
Once out you will have easy acces to front rubber.

By the way there are 2 rubbers (weatherstrips) around the ventwindow, the front weatherstrip (which show cracks on your picture) and the rear weatherstrip.

I replaced also the rear one but I had the complete ventwindow frame out of the car which made it a lot easiar.
In my case the rear one was a pain in the .... because of the little tabs that you need to bent.

hope this helps,

Ray

soz for any spelling mistakes or poor English wording

RK-TECT

Hi Ray,
Thank you for your reply and detailed explanation. If I understand what you described, there are two rubber seals... the front one that I need to replace runs along the bottom and front/angled edge of the vent window. Is that correct? I read somewhere that a few guys have cut the rubber seal, but I didn't know why. Will I be able to remove the old seal and then install the new seal without removing the door panel & vent window if I cut the interior side of the seal at the "T" pivot? If so, then I would take that approach. Does the new seal simply get pressed/squeezed into place? Please confirm that the seal replacement can be done in this manner. I also understand that the best place to buy the new rubber seals is from Corvette Rubber... did you purchase from them, too? Thanks again for your help! By the way, your grammar and spelling are nearly perfect

Chuck Gongloff

That rubber seal has a number of metal gripper gizmos around the perimeter, so it is not simply a "press in" deal.

It's more like a "wrestle, push, wiggle and pound in" deal.

It is NOT that hard to take the vent window out, and to go a step further, it is not that hard to take the entire vent window frame out.

IMHO, it's much easier to replace those rubbers "on the bench".

You can have the door panel off in about 10 minutes. You can have the entire vent window frame assembly out in another 10-15 minutes.

Chuck

raytex

I bought mine from www.volvette.com but I think most of the vendors sell the rubber from Corvette Rubber.
Indeed 2 rubbers http://www.volvette.com/WA05.html and http://www.volvette.com/WA07.html
Your intended replacement approach I have not tried.
To me it looks that it will be more difficult to get the new rubber in that way.
Like Chuck states its easy to remove the doorpannel and even the complete ventwindow frame.
Ray

RK-TECT

Chuck and Ray,
Well, it's looks like I will have to roll up my sleeves and tackle this project by removing the door panels. It appears that the rubber seals could be removed & replaced without removing the vent window, but that hasn't been advised by anyone. I just don't want to break something or create another issue by accident . I will have to take it slow and keep my fingers crossed.

Thanks for your suggestions, Roger

KM1959

This is the perfect time to do an inspection. I just had mine off and saw a small crack on the inner door panel that I had to fix, a broken door open spring that needed replacement, a lock mechanism that needed lubrication, etc.

I also added an 8" strip of Dynamat-ish stuff to the door skin that really help to make the car feel more solid. My point is that you might want to allot a little more time and fix everything while you're in there. I hope you have less things to deal with than I did!

RK-TECT

Thank for the heads-up, KM1959. I will prepare myself for what could be an slightly longer project than anticipated. My kids will be away at school and camp this summer, so I will probably wait a couple months before getting started. Hopefully my wife and dogs can give me a hand if needed . When it comes to the Vette, I usually fly solo because we each have our own hobbies -- but I can count on them for help when I need a third hand or another set of eyes

RK-TECT

I removed the door panels and the vent windows from the car and sent the frames out to the chrome shop for triple plating (copper-nickel-chrome). Just received the new rubber seals and pre-bent window channel "fuzzy" runs. If all goes well, I should have the frames back from the chrome shop on Wednesday and the vent window assemblies back together and ready for installation back in the car next weekend (fingers crossed). So far, so good! I also purchased some misc. new parts such as door panel moisture-sound barriers, lock *****, and crank handle foam seals & plastic backplates. While the door panels are off the car, I also bought clear epoxy to reinforce the door panels' hard cardboard backing where the retaining clips are attached due to some previous (mild) moisture damage.

I was curious about the hand-written numbers and letters that I found on the back of my original door panels. There is a manufacture date stamp of Feb. 11, 1965 and Feb. 12, 1965 on the panels. My car was assembled on Feb. 26, 1965, so the dates make sense. However, each panel has the number "3" hand written. One panel has "B22" written, while the other panel has what looks like either "J21" or "P21" written. In addition, one panel as the letter "B" written while the other panel has the letter "C" written. What do these letters and numbers mean? Are they date codes or production sequence numbers?

Thanks, Roger

RK-TECT

Finally, this project is finished!! It certainly was necessary with the cracked rubber seals and the pitted chrome frame, but what a PITA! I didn't anticipate the door panel repairs, nor the trial & error adjusting of the vent window frames to get them "right". I'm a perfectionist, so every task takes me a little longer than most guys. Now that it is finally done, I am happy with the finished product. In addition to the door panel repairs, I had an issue with the passenger door window. When I fit the vent window with the correct gap to the windshield frame, the door glass wasn't snug between the front and rear vertical channels. If I moved the vent frame back to tighten the glass, then the gap to the windshield was unacceptable to me. After searching the archives and finding no solution to my problem, I put a couple washers at the top mounting screw of the rear channel to shim the channel forward which then tightened the glass between the front and rear channels. That was a good solution that solved the problem, but it left me with a small gap at the bottom of the glass where it met the convertible top rubber seal. Doh!! So, after some serious contemplation, and considering that the top is up only when the car is stored or when I get caught in the rain, I decided that the window and vent frame were correct and I had to deal with the convertible top rubber seal. Being somewhat of a MacGyver, I took a piece of hood weatherstripping that I had from a previous project and cut & trimmed it to shim the convertible rubber seal that meets the rear edge of the window glass. It worked out well and looks very good, but it was a real bee-ach getting the threaded studs through the convertible top frame holes and then getting the nuts started on the threads. The working area is extremely tight, so I had to double-face tape each nut to the tip of my finger to get it started on the threads while pushing and compressing the rubber shim. With persistence and some swearing, I got the job done. Amen! My door panels are original to the car, but for some reason the passenger side doesn't fit as flush to the fiberglass door in the center of the arch as the driver side. Seeing no other option, I will probably fill the gap at the edge of the door jamb with another MacGyver weatherstripping job. As many have said before me, I hope that this is the last time that I have to work inside those doors!! One last thing... I want to give a big to Mike Coletta for helping me get the new vent window rubber seals and front "fuzzy" channels installed on my freshly chromed frames. I dropped them off and picked them up from him a few hours later. His work is excellent, his shop is awesome, and his car is the bomb!! Oh, and he is a great guy, too. Thank you, Mike, and to the others who have guided me with their experience during this project. This is a great forum with very good people and I'm honored to be a member. I have attached a few photos of the restored vent windows and repaired door panels for you to check out.

Cheers, Roger