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Old Oct 18, 2010 | 09:57 PM
  #1  
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Default Drive through car wash

I took the 81 through the car wash yesterday. The type around here are high pressure multi jet style. It was an eye opening with all of the leaks. lol At least I know now where I should be looking at the seals
1. Leak at rear of T top
2. Leak at both door ends/windows
3. Leak at driver front door by lower corner of window
4. Leak at passenger window front corner
I am looking at maybe replacing all of the seals before our long road trip. Who has a seal recommendation? Thanks Al
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Old Oct 18, 2010 | 10:15 PM
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they are not designed to get hit in the side with water your lucky you didn't drown
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Old Oct 18, 2010 | 11:52 PM
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Do you plan on driving your car in torrential downpours often? Then why use a drive-thru car wash? And if you don't drive it in the rain, why worry about the car's sealing ability?
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Old Oct 19, 2010 | 12:33 AM
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Originally Posted by paulywannafly
they are not designed to get hit in the side with water your lucky you didn't drown
Originally Posted by 7T1vette
Do you plan on driving your car in torrential downpours often? Then why use a drive-thru car wash? And if you don't drive it in the rain, why worry about the car's sealing ability?

Don't think they were very water tight when new.
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Old Oct 19, 2010 | 01:01 AM
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Next time, take a bar of soap. Same time.

In another life (some 30 years ago) I drove a Freightliner truck over the road. A good hard rain and all I needed was soap-
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Old Oct 19, 2010 | 07:27 AM
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I thought it was illegal to run a 'vette through an automatic car wash???
No, wait, maybe that was unethical.
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Old Oct 19, 2010 | 08:36 AM
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A Corvette in a car wash
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Old Oct 19, 2010 | 08:37 AM
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I am taking a long road trip, over 3,000 miles total this fall. I have been doing upgrades as needed. The auto car wash was the best way to tell where the seals need replaced. Why would you not drive your car in the rain? They don't melt lol. These cars are made for fun, my kind of fun is driving, I really don't care to just look at it. I have a very dependable C3 that I believe will have no problems at all on the road trip to Miami FL. If is does rain I don't want to get all wet. lol I plan on installing new seals and testing again. Does anyone have a suggestion for the best made seals? Al
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Old Oct 19, 2010 | 08:56 AM
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Dude....grab a pale, soap, sponge, tire blacker, detail spray, and a six pack and spend 90 min washing it by hand...it'll look way better than a car wash!
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Old Oct 19, 2010 | 09:16 AM
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Seals?
Do you mean weatherstriping?
Call Willcox. They are a supporting vender on this forum.
There is also an active thread in this forum on this very subject.
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Old Oct 19, 2010 | 11:25 AM
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Corvette Rubber makes about the best weatherstipping. Most of the aftermarket providers sell Corvette Rubber. Pick your vendor, call and ask.

FWIW: you could replace all the weatherstipping on the car, but in a hard rain, you're going to get wet. C3 fact of life.

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Old Oct 19, 2010 | 11:58 AM
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C3 in a car wash!! Your nuts and like to live dangerously!!
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Old Oct 19, 2010 | 05:28 PM
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Like I said, I wasn't trying to get the car clean. I was looking for leaks around the t tops, and door seals. What is the big deal about taking an old car through a car wash? If the weather striping seals can handle the carwash, is sure should be able to handle a rain while driving. Al
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Old Oct 19, 2010 | 05:33 PM
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I see nothing wrong with what you did. Now that you found the leaks, you can work on fixing them. You just used a tool at your disposal....

let us know how many you get fixed
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Old Oct 19, 2010 | 05:47 PM
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I see nothing wrong with driving a Vette thru a car wash either, however, even the best of weatherstripping will not hold up to a high pressure car wash. My car has new WS from Willcox's, it doesn't leak at all in the rain, but drive it through a high pressure brush less car wash and you better not be looking out the driver side or passenger windows....
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