Joe79Vette

I am just curious of what people's opinion is on NOS vs CRC weatherstripping. I am getting ready to replace the weatherstrip on my 72 soft top. The NOS pieces are double the price if you can find them.

Thanks

Joey

Alan 71

Hi Joey,
The nos weatherstripping would be a nice choice depending on it's condition and how it's been stored.
Have the years dried out the rubber?
Regards,
Alan

leadfoot4

I'd be rather cautious about putting 40+ year old weather stripping on a car that I cared about (or ANY rubber part, that old)....

Joe79Vette

Yes. The drying out of NOS worries me plus find all the pieces. The soft top has 10 I think.

Joey

PainfullySlow

To me the answer is discovered with a very simple question: Is your car a NCRS judged original?

If yes, by all means get the NOS weatherstrips.
If not, get the less expensive aftermarket ones.

Modern weatherstrips will have better chemistry and obviously not be subjected to decades of age plus be considerate of those who are building NCRS judged cars and realize that there is a very limited supply of OEM parts floating around.

SwampeastMike

When I was researching new seals for my '79 I found:

1) The chance of getting NOS that would both install properly and function well for any length of time was very slim. As others said, better to leave what can be found do the collectors doing a thorough restoration.

2) OEM is long gone.

3) The CRC replacements are perfect fit but not identical. The material used is not as soft and subtle as the original because the original material was quite hazardous and nobody in North America uses it anymore. Internal metal stiffeners used in the originals are not used in the CRC reproductions.

4) The latex versions you will find are made in China. While the material more closely matches the original the fit is bad.

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I chose CRC from Willcox and was completely pleased. Get plenty 3M weatherstrip adhesive remover (I used 2 large cans + 1 small can). I found the front window pillar pieces the most difficult to remove, align and replace. Asphalt cement (in a tube like caulk) is the replacement for the GM product used on the windshield bezels that are removed as part of replacing the weatherstripping. It takes time and patience to remove/replace the T-top weatherstripping--particularly if you have glass tops. I have glass tops and the weatherstripping had been replaced without such care which only required more time to repair damage. Expect some frustration when adjusting the T-tops. Since the new CRC material is stiffer they have to be adjusted such that they are initially nearly impossible to install--over a few weeks the weatherstripping permanently compresses a bit and you get both a good seal and easy installation.

Joe79Vette

Thanks guys. Thank you for the replies and opinions. Looks like CRC for me.

Joey