I'm just about to install all new weather stripping on a 1972 coupe - any suggestions or pointers from anyone who has done this before?

I'll take any advice I can get; adhesives to use or not use (sounds like 3M is the favorite).

Thanks a bunch!!!

 

i recently did mine on my 72 coupe and I used 3M weatherstrip adhesive. dry fit it and get a visualization on how it will fit on the car then put the adhesive on the car and on the back of the weatherstrip. When it starts to tack up and get sticky, a minute or so, start to place it on the car. Have some painter's tape already torn in multiple strips and use it to hold the weatherstrips in place. The door ones are the most challenging. Don't freak when it is difficult to shut your doors all the way. Just slam them shut and let them sit for a few days. There will be a break in period.

good luck,

Sully

 

Make sure you prepare the area where the weatherstripping will sit. Clean thoroughly with 3M adhesive cleaner or acetone to make sure the face is clean of old adhesive and gunk, then use a Scitchbrite pad and ruff up the surface exactly behind where the weatherstripping will be mounted. Wipe again. Proceed.


Wipe the surface of the weatherstripping on the back only where you are going to apply the 3M adhesive with a small amount acetone, this removes any wax or mold spore inhibitors applied to the weatherstripping at the factory. Then put a thin layer of adhesive on the weatherstripping and let it dry. Then put on another layer of adhesive and mount your weather stripping to the car.

 

Cold ones in the fridge before you get started.

You can thank me later.

 

I just posted this the other day in another thread...

Weatherstrip installation Coupe.

After you remove all the old weather-stripping from the car make sure all glue surfaces are cleaned and ready for installing.

Inspect each weatherstrip and clean with a thinner or cleaner to remove all mold release from the new rubber.

Door weatherstrip installation: Remove your door panel. Test install the door weatherstrip ends to the front and back of the door. Pull the weatherstrip all the way around the door (taping is required) and place a few marks on weatherstrip and the door with a grease pencil. This will give you locator marks when you do the final install and will prevent you from pulling this part too tight toward one side or the other. It’s key to know where the center of the weatherstrip is.

Door glass rear: The door glass rear weatherstrip has a stainless steel retainer that helps hold it in place. Be sure to get all the old weatherstrip out of this retainer. This retainer is riveted to the rear sail panel and you may remove if desired but it is not necessary.

Windshield pillar: Tricky weatherstrip here.. The weatherstrip on most models had what is called a blow out clip on the inside edge. Later cars have one on the inside and outside edges. This is the time to replace these clips. To replace the clips you simply grind off the rivet head. To install new clips you rivet them to the weatherstrip retainer. When you rivet them you can use small pop rivets but you must make sure to squash them flat on both sides!

Once the clips are installed, make sure you glue the weatherstrip in place working it under the clips.

Between the weatherstrip retainer and the windshield weatherstrip there was a soft foam seal (not sold, but easy to find). Ordering the setting tape for a 63-67 door glass will usually give you enough to seal the weatherstrip to the windshield molding.

One huge mistake made when installing weatherstrips on the pillar is that the person before you bent the molding. Make sure the molding will sit flat on the windshield molding. Any rock or teeter must be fixed before you install the weatherstrip. It’s habit for people to think they have all the screws out of this molding and pull on the retainer. When this happens, it pulls a outward dent that makes the retainer rock when you go back.

T-top Weatherstrips: Install the weatherstrips around the T-top and only glue this area leaving the portion over top your head without glue. This is done so you may adjust the weatherstrip to the upper door glass when you finish the install. Once you have this adjustment made then and only then do you put glue on the part over your head.

Gluing: Put a thin film of the 3m glue in the area to be glued. Put a thin coat on the part to be glued and allow drying to touch. Once this is dry then apply another coat to the part and begin installing. If you glue the weatherstrips in this manner, they will not come off the car.

After you have installed the weatherstripping, you must re-adjust the door glass for a proper fit. This is a combination of moving the pillar weatherstrip, door glass and the roof panel outer weatherstrips as defined in the AIM. Once the glass is adjusted, you mark the roof panel upper and glue it in place.

Willcox Inc.

 

best answer

 

I would be very cautious if using acetone to clean as suggested. This potent stuff and can damage paint with very little effort.

 

I just want to emphasize that. I paid $2000 for GM weatherstripping and another $300 for the Chevrolet dealer to install it. About a year later I noticed the window on the passenger side was going up and leaning inwards too much and the constant pulling on the t-top weatherstrip had caused it to split. As well the A-pillar trim on the driver's side was a bit too long and the sharp bottom edge of it put a cut in the driver's door weatherstripping.

I strongly recommend doing this yourself rather than having a dealer do it. At the time I had the dealer do mine I was thinking "Its a GM car, the GM dealer is going to know how to do it best, all the quirks, and so on.". Only after I noticed the damage from improper installation did it occur to me that the GM mechanics working on my car had almost certainly never replaced weatherstripping on a C3 and they were more concerned about doing it fast than doing it right. I really regret not doing the job myself.

 

I used plain off the shelf rubbing alcohol to clean the rubber and paint. I did get the 90% stuff, little more expensive, but I use it for about all cleaning anyway. Between that and yellow death (3M 8001 Weatherstrip Adhesive) it all stayed on.

One thing to watch- it's easy to stretch the weatherstrip as you install it- as Willcox pointed out, a test fit and some match marks make things easier.

 

Thanks all I appreciate the advice (especially the beer portion).

So I assume I should not use the thin metal retainer/back plate on rear side of the driver/passenger window? (after I spent so much time cleaning and painting them).

There is also a retainer on the T-Top should I put that aside as well. It looks like those retainers were bent to squeeze on weather strip as well, not sure how to cleanly re bend them, but if they are not needed that answers that question.