kkEdlund

I have a '79, and the weatherstripping is pretty hammered. Also, the tops themselves don't actually sit square on the car. And it gets even better: the window stops are not set up right such that I have a 1/8-1/16 gap between the top edge of the glass and the weatherstrip on the t-top. Obviously, this is not conducive to winter driving and storing the car outside on a collage campus in Salt Lake City.

I am planning to purchase the complete weatherstripping kit from Willcox (WST04) and replace everything all in one go, and I would like to know what all else I need to have to do a complete job. Obviously I will need new adhesive and some way to remove the old stuff. Will generic parts store adhesive remover work here? Also, there are numerous pieces of hardware used to actually attach the weatherstripping. Willcox sells several types of screws, and metal clips for the pillar weatherstrips. I plan to buy the screws because half of mine are missing, and I will also replace the clips. One side of my car has 2 clips, and the other side has one. Like so. I believe that it should have 2 for a '79?


Also, the weatherstripping on the tops is attached with little plastic looking things that do not appear to be reusable. Can I remove these without damaging them, or is there somewhere I can get replacements (can't see 'em on Willcox website)


The tops themselves are in very poor condition. There are things resembling rubber bushings that hold the tops down, and they are very worn. The tops do not seal tight in the rear outside corners as a consequence. I will try to track down a part number for these guys in my AIM later tonight, but if someone could tell me what I'm looking at that would be great. Also, there is some sort of a sketchy epoxy-looking repair going on under one of the brackets . Dunno what to make of that. Lastly, the rod that locks into the aforementioned bushing is all nasty and it looks like there should be something to keep it centered as it extends.


There is also a substantial amount of lateral play in the window glass. Is this a sign of damage/wear in the regulator? If so, do I need to dismantle the entire door to diagnose it? Pretty much every part that could be worn or broken anywhere related to the seals in this car is worn, broken, or both. I want to replace everything, but I'm not sure how to determine what "everything" includes. My list so far is this:

1) Replace the weatherstripping itself, using quality rubber and all correct fasteners and glue
2) Adjust the tops as per the AIM instructions, and adjust the windows to close properly
3) Investigate window regulator repair if necessary

Suggestions?

Also, the trim along the outside of the window glass appears damaged. Last time I had the door panels off (to replace a regulator gear that was broken, and is now broken again . Do NOT use the cheesy gear-repair plate that bolts over the existing, broken gear. Bad plan.) all of the metal parts inside of the door were covered in rust. Probably from the door flooding?



Sorry for the lengthy, poorly organized post. I think I know how to proceed with replacing the weatherstripping itself, but I don't know if that will solve my problem. I've mentioned a few other things I suspect could cause issues and should be addressed, but I'd like to know what opinions others have about what repairs I should address first.

Thanks,

Kristoffer

Una4dbl55

Have you seen this page? Lots of good stuff there.

http://www.corvettemagazine.com/old/...-articles.html

Keep us posted on your progress as I'm about two months away from doing the same thing

Una4dbl55

And more tech stuff

http://willcoxcorvette.com/instructi...stall_Help.pdf

From here... More good stuff

http://willcoxcorvette.com/repairandinstallhelp.php

Karsten

You can get all the replacement rubber, window seals, pillar rubber, bushings and window rubber supports at Eckler's. I think I have ordered a new 1973 from them in the last couple months.

Karsten

0Willcox Corvette

Here is a pdf for 70-77.. and except for the retainers.. (not used on 77-82 style) it's pretty much the same.

http://willcoxcorvette.com/repairand...lp.php?hID=255 click on supporting document.

tips..

When I pull off the old weatherstrip I never allow the white plastic to fall inside the panel, they can rattle if they do... Use side cutters and gently pry them out.

Always clean the rubber before you glue it.. mold release will be on the rubber when you get it, cleaning it will remove this.

Never... ever glue the area over top your head (top of the door glass) until you are positive it is where it needs to be. This part of the adjustable and will need to be adjusted in the proper place, marked and then glued.

When you install new weatherstrips, you'll almost always need to adjust the tops.. Sometimes you get away without doing it.. but there is always the chance. When you try the top for the first time make sure you don't fold over the inner section of the rubber before you lock them down.

It's not really a hard job at all... take your time and I'll sure you'll have success.

Willcox

kkEdlund

Thanks everyone, the links were most helpful.

Willcox, what is this for? Fender/Windshield Filler I looked at the image on your website, but I'm not sure where it goes/what it does. Also, are the white plastic things used to attach the weatherstrip to the tops included with/attached to the weatherstrips themselves?

If my window glass has significant (1/2-1") play when raised with the door open, will this keep the glass from sealing properly to the weatherstrip?

And do the rubber bushing/extension rod (not sure what to call them... The parts that hold the outside rear corner of the top down) pictured in my previous post appear worn or damaged? From the AIM, it appears I am missing a plastic spacer used to center the extension rod in the panel (part number 466621). A google search returned little helpful info; do you know where I could find this spacer? And do you sell the rubber bushing I have a picture of?

Thanks again,

Kristoffer


EDIT: I need something like this, I believe: T Top Refurbishing Kit. If I am going to order a bunch of stuff from Willcox, is there any chance you guys have a kit like that? I couldn't see one, but that doesn't mean much...

Iceaxe

I just did the weatherstripping on my 70 Corvette Coupe. Big job (at least for me) but the doors and top now close and seal like factory new. It took me two days with help from a friend. The T-tops were actually the easy part of the job for me.

The white tabs come with the new t-top weather strips.

I used 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner



You will also want a complete set of weatherstrip tools



Removing the door panels and adjusting the side glass was time consuming but not hard. I wish I had of also installed side window anti rattle cushion kits when I had the door panels off, they run about $25 for the complete set.



The doors were hard to close with the new weatherstripping but lossened up a lot after the first week, it's now been a month and the doors close great.

Good luck.

0Willcox Corvette

Yeah.. we have a kit.. but the odd's of you needing that are pretty slim.. almost doubtful.. We sell it, but you it would be very unusual for you to need it.

It sounds to me as if you might need to take a look inside your door. You don't want the door glass messing up your new weatherstrips.

With every weatherstrip installation we do... We re-adjust the door glass and the roof panel if the fit isn't spot on. There is a good chance you'll need to do the same. On the doors.. aside from the glass you should also check the door hinge pins to make sure they are not worn out.

Willcox

kkEdlund

Thanks for reminding me about the cushions. I had completely forgot. Also, I was going to try to make do with the tools I have (picks, scrapers, other flat or pointy implements), but I guess it might be worth it to get the set.

About the T-top parts, in the left and right sides of this picture it looks like I am missing the plastic spacers that hold the extention rods in place and the little bushings are worn (possibly from the plastic things being gone). Are these the same parts in the kit I linked to, or am I misunderstanding what is going on here?



Again, thanks for your help and patience,

Kristoffer

lvmyvt76

Willcox also gives a discount to forum members.(10%)

0Willcox Corvette

The picture on the left..

You'll need to order the roof panel plates to solve that problem. 78 were chrome so I'm not sure if someone changed yours out or not.. but 79 should be black.

http://willcoxcorvette.com/product_i...oducts_id=4824 right
http://willcoxcorvette.com/product_i...ducts_id=24203 left

On the right hand picture:
You do need the end bushings for the rods on your t-tops too.. The white bushings in this picture push in the end.
http://willcoxcorvette.com/product_i...ducts_id=24580

kkEdlund

The weatherstrips and other parts got to my house about 2 weeks ago, and I finally got enough time off school to go home for the weekend and do some work. However, I'm a little confused by a couple of the weatherstrips and some other issues that have come to light.

The weatherstrip pieces that seal between the car and the rear section of the window glass seem like they should be mirror images of each other, but my replacements are identical. Am I missing something here, or is it possible I received a wrong part?




My T-Top latches have a substantial amount of play in them when they are not locked. Is this normal, or is there some repair I should be investigating?


The stainless trim pieces inside the tops are also in very poor condition, and they have some kind of black paint on them that has largely peeled off. The moldings around the tops are stainless, the molding around my rear window is stainless, and the roof panel plates were chrome/stainless. However, Willcox has told me the plates on a 79 should be black, and Zip Corvettes shows the replacement moldings/trim pieces as being black as well. Was molding color some type of option?



What sort of finish is this going on here? It looks to me like there is some crap on the underside of the top that some previous owner has painted over, but I don't know. Is this how the factory finish should look?



Thanks for your patience. This doesn't seem like an overly complicated job, but I'm just not really sure what everything should look like and would appreciate some reassurance.

Kristoffer

RedRedRed

I've seen '79s with both black and stainless window trim. My '79 is Corvette Red and has black window trim, but there is nothing on the invoice to indicate any option for the trim, unless it's included in some other package, but nothing is obvious.

Even with my black window trim, my plates are chrome/stainless. I plan to swap them out for black when I have the car painted, so they match the other trim.

If I were you, I'd stick with the chrome/stainless plates to match your trim.

EDIT: Mine was fairly early production (Sept. 13), so the change to black may have come later in the run. I don't know what determined the window trim color.

briankeery

I think you are absolutely correct Red,I have a Sept 5th build date, and mine is identical to yours.My rockers are also stainless instead of black. It also looks like one of those rear post weatherstrips is incorrect.

kkEdlund

Thanks for your feedback on the trim colors. I like mine how it is, so I think I will just leave it.

However, I tried to install the T-Top weatherstrips today and it was more challenging than I had expected. Looking in my AIM, it appears that the white plastic pins simply press into holes in the fiberglass and stick there. Well, mine didn't stick at all. I pushed one in, and it fell out as soon as I took my hand off it. What am I missing? I feel like this should be really easy... I ended up gluing them into place very slowly, waiting for the glue to set (not that long really), and then doing the next section. The pins did sort of help line stuff up, but they didn't hold anything in place...

On the bright side the old ones weren't even glued, just sort of attached by the (less than effective) pins and a couple screws. At least they were easy to remove...

Has anyone done this, and can comment on the effectiveness of the plastic pins? I got the weatherstrips from Willcox so I am sure there is nothing wrong with them (ie. cheap china parts, etc...). What did I do wrong?

kkEdlund

So this is really turning into an adventure. I tried to follow Willcox adjustment instructions for the tops, bit no matter what I do they just will not sit right. The front outside corners on both sides still have a 1/16 gap between the silver trim above the windshield and the t top weatherstrip. What could I be missing here?

Also, I got frustrated and started taking more stuff apart and found some surface rust starting to occur under the trim pieces. I'll clean it up with Rust-mort while I'm in there, but how do I seal the trim pieces back together properly? Whatever sealant used to be there is LONG gone, and I don't know how to fix it.

I looked in my AIM to find what these seals used to be, and I found several references to different glues and sealers. Has anyone done this and can give me some pointers?

Here is the relevant AIM page:


Here are some pictures of what was under the trim. I expect this will not be a problem to clean up?









The last trim pieces still attached, the ones with the holes that the T Top pin drops into, are where my tops won't seal right. There is always a gap between that piece of metal and the rubber seal. It was there before I replaced the weatherstrips, and I can't seem to adjust it out.

Help?

Thanks,

Kristoffer

Two C3's 4 me

Kristoffer I see and note that this is a 6 year old post but what kind of glue did you use to get the pins to stay in. I have three that wont stay. Thanks Kevin