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Weather stripping issues.

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Old Mar 12, 2007 | 11:44 PM
  #1  
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Default Weather stripping issues.

Hey guys thanks for looking,

I'm new here, and very new to the corvette scene; So new I don't even have one yet!

I'm looking at a 1980, its in pretty damn good condition! Exterior is excellent, engine and transmission are new (<1k miles), the car itself has about 100k miles on it. Anyways the weather stripping is shot to hell, its really bad off.

Heres a picture of the upper portion of the stripping on the right side of the car (man, it needs a wash!)
Stripping


It looks relatively easy to replace but these are entirely new waters for me. I'm looking at replacing the stripping in its entirety on both the left and right doors.

Anyone know any chemicals or techniques to aid in removing the weather stripping? Also, where could I go about ordering more stripping for a C3?

Is this even something mildly achievable for someone with such little knowledge in the subject?

Thanks in advance!

Tyler.
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Old Mar 13, 2007 | 12:09 AM
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Yes, thay make a kit with all the weather stripping in it. I have not done the job yet, but know it can be nasty trying to get all the old glue off.(Think theres a spray that will help remove it.)

Being new to vettes, check out the vender sites you can learn a lot about whats out there and what kind of money you can spend bringing it back to nice shape.
Before you buy it, search out birdcage repairs here and see what you can get yourself in to if you dont know what to look for when buying a old vette.
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Old Mar 13, 2007 | 12:16 AM
  #3  
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Originally Posted by grayhook
Yes, thay make a kit with all the weather stripping in it. I have not done the job yet, but know it can be nasty trying to get all the old glue off.(Think theres a spray that will help remove it.)

Being new to vettes, check out the vender sites you can learn a lot about whats out there and what kind of money you can spend bringing it back to nice shape.
Before you buy it, search out birdcage repairs here and see what you can get yourself in to if you dont know what to look for when buying a old vette.
Thanks for the quick reply, grayhook. Do you know where these kits could be purchased? Yeah I was thinking about possible ways to get the glue off, its not going to be an easy job.
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Old Mar 13, 2007 | 12:17 AM
  #4  
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From: Arlington Virginia
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Originally Posted by TyChapman
Hey guys thanks for looking,

I'm new here, and very new to the corvette scene; So new I don't even have one yet!

I'm looking at a 1980, its in pretty damn good condition! Exterior is excellent, engine and transmission are new (<1k miles), the car itself has about 100k miles on it. Anyways the weather stripping is shot to hell, its really bad off.

Heres a picture of the upper portion of the stripping on the right side of the car (man, it needs a wash!)
Stripping


It looks relatively easy to replace but these are entirely new waters for me. I'm looking at replacing the stripping in its entirety on both the left and right doors.

Anyone know any chemicals or techniques to aid in removing the weather stripping? Also, where could I go about ordering more stripping for a C3?

Is this even something mildly achievable for someone with such little knowledge in the subject?

Thanks in advance!

Tyler.
If weatherstrip is your only concern, you should jump in with both feet. An easy do-it-yourself project with tons of expertise on this forum. I just replaced the weatherstripping everywhere on my '80. Many vendors sell complete kits (got mine from Willcox), removal solvents and adhesives. The pic you provided is of the T-Top weatherstrip which IMHO is the easiest of all the weatherstrips to replace.
Go for it! Welcome to the forum.
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Old Mar 13, 2007 | 12:32 AM
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From: Jackson Ms
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Links here on the left side, Zip's, Corvette Central, Ecklers, Willcox...
If the weatherstrip is bad i'ed look closer to be sure thats all it need before buying it.
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Old Mar 13, 2007 | 01:05 AM
  #6  
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TyChapman
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Originally Posted by ikesterx
If weatherstrip is your only concern, you should jump in with both feet. An easy do-it-yourself project with tons of expertise on this forum. I just replaced the weatherstripping everywhere on my '80. Many vendors sell complete kits (got mine from Willcox), removal solvents and adhesives. The pic you provided is of the T-Top weatherstrip which IMHO is the easiest of all the weatherstrips to replace.
Go for it! Welcome to the forum.
Great news! Thanks, Ikesterx. Its good to be here

To Grayhook: I'm going for a pre-purchase inspection over at mechanic of mine thats a good family friend, he should be able to help me out in that area .

I'll do some research on the weatherstripping replacement kits from Willcox, etc. Thanks for the help guys.
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Old Mar 13, 2007 | 04:57 PM
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From: Rosemount MN
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Got my weaterstripping from Wilcox as well, same manufacturer as most vendors sell. But Wilcox is a lot less money.

Get the 3M weatherstrip adhesive remover, works very well and very fast. I bought a quart can when I did my '96 and used the same quart on a Mustang and my '79. Get two tubes of adhesive if doing the entire car.

On an '80 the door rear glass pieces are riveted and glued in, you'll need to remove interior trim pieces to drill the old rivets out and install the new pop rivets.
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Old Mar 13, 2007 | 05:31 PM
  #8  
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From: AL
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A couple others have mentioned - but I want to stress the point. If the weather stripping is in bad shape, that means water has a free path to the birdcage. I would be HIGHLY suspect of rust. My advice is to search for topics on birdcage rust and learn so you know what to look for. Not an easy or cheap repair. Probably one of the most difficult things to fix. Hopefully it's in good shape, but it's better to find out now...
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