Hydro A-Pillar install on black 2013 GS
12-16-2012, 06:57 PM
#1
Tech Contributor
Thread Starter
Hydro A-Pillar install on black 2013 GS
I just finished installing my Hydrocarbon A-pillars on my 2013 GS. On a black car, the factory pieces are.....lacking. I bought the pillars from Pat for $295 which includes a $50 core charge that is refundable if I send him my factory A-pillars. It appears these are made to order since it took a few weeks before they arrived.
The good....The hydrocarbon is well done. The clear coat has good depth with no flaws. Since they are factory parts, the fit is OEM. The channel for the weatherstripping is in place, so no messing with trying to install that.
The not so good...On mine, the rubber seal that fits on the windshield side of the pillar is well worn. The black color of the seal was splotchy. The side window seal on my driver's side A-pillar had a cut in it. Like the other seal, these seals were also well worn. It looks like I got cores from a 100k mile car
Here's the slice:
After some thought, I decided to use pieces rather than go through the hassle of returning them and waiting for new ones. I used a little rubber cement to carefully glue the sliced seal together. An hour of elbow grease, a little adhesive remover, and then some McGuires rubber and vinyl protectant got the black pieces looking acceptable. If need be, I can always buy the weatherstrip channel from GM and install them myself which is frustrating since I shouldn't need to.
Installation was straight-forward using this link. At the end of the day I'm happy with the look, just slightly disappointed that they took some refurbishment prior to install.
Some pics...
Old
On to the new
...and a little drive in the Seattle rain
The good....The hydrocarbon is well done. The clear coat has good depth with no flaws. Since they are factory parts, the fit is OEM. The channel for the weatherstripping is in place, so no messing with trying to install that.
The not so good...On mine, the rubber seal that fits on the windshield side of the pillar is well worn. The black color of the seal was splotchy. The side window seal on my driver's side A-pillar had a cut in it. Like the other seal, these seals were also well worn. It looks like I got cores from a 100k mile car
Here's the slice:
After some thought, I decided to use pieces rather than go through the hassle of returning them and waiting for new ones. I used a little rubber cement to carefully glue the sliced seal together. An hour of elbow grease, a little adhesive remover, and then some McGuires rubber and vinyl protectant got the black pieces looking acceptable. If need be, I can always buy the weatherstrip channel from GM and install them myself which is frustrating since I shouldn't need to.
Installation was straight-forward using this link. At the end of the day I'm happy with the look, just slightly disappointed that they took some refurbishment prior to install.
Some pics...
Old
On to the new
...and a little drive in the Seattle rain
12-16-2012, 07:07 PM
#2
Le Mans Master
Looks good and nice write up. I just painted mine gloss black to go with the rest of my car halo, diffuser and mudflaps all painted gloss black. The hydro carbon looks great!
12-16-2012, 09:50 PM
#4
Tech Contributor
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...th-photos.html
To the OP, your 'A' pillars look great.
