dgood

Down by the kick panel on my 79 on the passenger side is the vent that lets in air from the outside. I was replacing the vacuum hoses and noticed that the seal around the vent was rotten and missing quite a bit of the "foam". I took the vent out and separated the two pieces. I am not sure what to use to replace the seal. It is like a soft rubber. I can't find it anywhere on line. Any ideas?

mar

photo???

riverracer au

http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb....Z5Z5Z50000050G

7T1vette

Michael's Craft stores carry an item called "craft foam" which comes in 8"x10" sheets. They cost about a dollar each and are identical in thickness and composition to the original seal material. When you cut the seal, make sure it is big enough to fill the entire opening; the one you removed is well worn and is much smaller than it was. Use Pop-rivets [and semi-flat black paint] to put it all back together and it will look almost exactly like new.

RobRace10

Vent door seal kit
$9.95

http://www.zip-corvette.com/ProductD...L2-SR&CTitle=&

7T1vette

There are your choices: $10 for the 'official' aftermarket part...plus $7-10 shipping; or $1 and 10 minutes with some scissors if you get the craft foam at Michael's. Have at it!

Easy Mike

I did mine for free. I happened to have a perfect piece of foam -origin unknown- in the shop. Worked like a charm.

dgood

That is exactly why I like this forum. Outstanding help. Thanks a lot guys and appreciate the help. I will try Michaels and if that doesn't work, I will get it from ZIP. Thanks again.

Dan

TWINRAY

Thanks 7T1vette for your info.

The Michaels craft sheet that I got yesterday was much larger than 8X10 (maybe 12 x 18?). The 8 x 10 size in my store was adhesive backed on 1 side. My larger is non-adhesived backed and was still under a dollar and I had a 40% off coupon. Total outlay was less than 60 cents.

It seems extreamly close to the original composition material. When you reassemble (rivet) the door, make sure you don't forget to put in the bottom rod assembly. I forgot and had to grind off the rivet, repaint the section, put the rod in and then re-rivet.

Original door with old seal - the bottom rod I mentioned above is off at this point and not in the photo


Rivets ground off - I find it's easier to grind off than drill out


Old door apart ready for paint -note the old torn seal


Done with new seal


I have the nose off so there is additional access from the outside


Inside view with door on and new seal


Outside view with door on

7T1vette

That's the ticket!!

TWINRAY

Ok,. now the bad news. Yesterday I went to hook up the spring and lever mechanism - now it turns out there is a gap all along the top of the seal and a small gap about an inch at the bottom. So the door comes out (again), I grind off the rivets (again) and disassemble the door, etc.etc. Now I don't like the way the foam bounces back (or doesn't bounce back) when the door opens and closes. I have a flat piece of rubber about the same thickness of the Michaels foam and am about to try that. This time I've wised up and bought #8 screws and nuts to assemble this thing so if the rubber doesn't work out to my licking, I won't have to do any more grinding of rivets.

7T1vette

Should'a read my original post (#4) more closely. I tried to warn you about that....

Easy Mike

Make your own or purchase the vent door seal kit.

TWINRAY

Can't explain it. I did make it much larger than the old piece I took out - maybe it shrunk in the interm. But in any event, I got the rubber seal in there now - took forever, cause I intentially made it even bigger than my 1st replacement but this time, kept fitting it and about after the 6th trim, it fits perfectly now. And, like I said, if I ever get the inclination to replace it again, it's gots screws instead of rivets.