A "fix" for the hatch corner weather stripping?
01-26-2019, 10:08 AM
#1
Le Mans Master
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Location: South-central Missouri
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A "fix" for the hatch corner weather stripping?
Add me to the long list of folks whose hatch corner weatherstrip has split. The dam stuff was like new and it still split.
What would be nice would be an corner piece, dedicated to that corner that would either butt against the existing sections (maybe using the type of glue used to repair scuba diver wet suits) or thin enough at the junctions to blend - with the help of weather stripping adhesive e.g., 3M Weather Strip Adhesive.
BTW, I've tried various adhesives in attempt to repair the split - join it back together. But, I've not had much luck getting that to work over time. And, I can't get my head (wallet to be exact) around the idea of buying a new hatch seal when chances are it will split again.
Thoughts on repairing...before I buy a new seal (and maybe have it come apart again)!?
What would be nice would be an corner piece, dedicated to that corner that would either butt against the existing sections (maybe using the type of glue used to repair scuba diver wet suits) or thin enough at the junctions to blend - with the help of weather stripping adhesive e.g., 3M Weather Strip Adhesive.
BTW, I've tried various adhesives in attempt to repair the split - join it back together. But, I've not had much luck getting that to work over time. And, I can't get my head (wallet to be exact) around the idea of buying a new hatch seal when chances are it will split again.
Thoughts on repairing...before I buy a new seal (and maybe have it come apart again)!?
Last edited by Paul Workman; 01-26-2019 at 10:11 AM.
01-26-2019, 10:38 AM
#2
Burning Brakes
I had one split while installing it. I guess I was overzealous pushing it into the corner. So what I did is clean it really well and stick it back together with Gorilla super glue. The next day I spread silicone grease over it to minimize friction. This was all a little less than a year ago. So far, so good.
01-26-2019, 11:13 AM
#3
Intermediate
The best adhesive I have found to stick to all the new weatherstripping I installed was black silicone adhesive from Permatex. You could probably get enough in the split to stick to the backsides and hold it together better.
01-26-2019, 11:56 AM
#4
I had one split while installing it. I guess I was overzealous pushing it into the corner. So what I did is clean it really well and stick it back together with Gorilla super glue. The next day I spread silicone grease over it to minimize friction. This was all a little less than a year ago. So far, so good.
01-26-2019, 12:38 PM
#6
Safety Car
I acquired a chunk of rear window weather strip from a Corvette dismantler. I am going to cut pieces of it into triangular shapes and glue them inside to help form a reinforcement bridge inside the rubber.
01-26-2019, 12:38 PM
#7
Melting Slicks
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I cut a piece of black foam rubber to fit the area left when the pieces split. I then covered it with black silicone adhesive and installed it and put a little more black silicone adhesive on it. It lasted for years and was not really noticeable, especially with the hatch closed.
01-26-2019, 02:23 PM
#8
Burning Brakes
Unless mine is a lot different it has a hollow center. I cut a piece of zip tie to about 6 inch long, inserted half in one side filling the hole with black adhesive and duplicating the process for the other side. After mating the corner toghther and letting the adhesive cure it has not split again in almost two years. I am sure it is the original seal since I now only have 21,000 miles on the car. Fouth owner and I drive it often, not like the previous owners who put a few hundred miles a year on it.
01-26-2019, 02:30 PM
#9
paul the new crc is built differently and doest split there. there is no seam there anymore. need to ensure its the new crc.
01-26-2019, 06:10 PM
#10
Really? Is there any chance of getting a picture of what the new corner design looks like? I didn’t realize crc had fixed that issue and that’s good info to have. My trunk seal is new, but it is not crc, I think it is Metro maybe? It has the same original seal design with the seam in the corner.
01-26-2019, 08:29 PM
#11
Instructor
I gave up and bought new one.
I figured $70 for new one is cheap enough , and plus I live about 30min from them, so I wanted to check out there show room as well
http://www.corvetteamerica.com/part/...arnmoreid=1535
I figured $70 for new one is cheap enough , and plus I live about 30min from them, so I wanted to check out there show room as well
http://www.corvetteamerica.com/part/...arnmoreid=1535
01-27-2019, 07:07 AM
#13
Le Mans Master
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Thanks so much for the responses! Just one question tho (and I feel embarrassed to have to ask): there are many references to "CNC" with regard to weather seals. Who/What is "CNC"???
Edit: *CRC....
Edit: *CRC....
Last edited by Paul Workman; 01-30-2019 at 01:31 PM. Reason: syntax
01-27-2019, 07:15 AM
#14
Burning Brakes
Maybe CRC? Corvette Rubber Company. Manufacturer of Wilcox, Corvette America and other vendors' product. I know I'm the outlier here, but I bought one of those and was less than elated. True the corners have no seam, so probably a better choice for most people. But I feel like I got porked. I received a defective one and could not get replacement or refund.
01-27-2019, 07:58 AM
#15
It is corvette rubber company, I don’t have any personal experience with their products but most people give the quality good reviews. I’m pretty sure all of my weatherstripping is Metro brand.
01-27-2019, 12:07 PM
#16
yes its cRc. corvette rubber company. usa based. solved the corner seam problem once and for all.
01-28-2019, 03:46 AM
#17
Race Director
Member Since: May 2006
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Mike split during install as well .I used black silicone to seal it again and used the silicone grease to keep it slick. Been almost a year now no issues .And I open and close the hatch a lot .
01-28-2019, 10:31 AM
#18
Burning Brakes
My current 91 the car is in such good shape that the weather strip was good except for those corners. As a temporary fix I used some small rubber vacuum tubing inserted inside the corner openings and glued with CA. I used the CA sparingly and it set up fairly fast. It actually turned out very well and is holding. I also used the CA on the ends and held them together. It's a very strong bond. The trick is to do it when it's warm and go very sparingly with the CA. I used blue painters tape to protect the cars finish until the glue dried. The rubber vacuum tubing I cut to about 2.5 inches in length and then put a small V cut midway so it would make the sharp 90 degree bend. I used some CA in the V cut to hold it exactly in that shape. I was very happy with the end result.
01-28-2019, 05:07 PM
#19
Burning Brakes
Hey Paul,
I can't find my post, but this is the product I used. I installed it in October '16 and it looks the same today. This forum gave me grief for my installation job, which got much better when I did the same fix to the '95. But here's a picture of the corner on my '96.
Highly recommend.
I can't find my post, but this is the product I used. I installed it in October '16 and it looks the same today. This forum gave me grief for my installation job, which got much better when I did the same fix to the '95. But here's a picture of the corner on my '96.
Highly recommend.
01-30-2019, 09:27 AM
#20
Instructor
I used what's called " backer rod or packer rod" not sure on the actual name..ive used and seen it used to shove into big or small gaps then caulk/seal over top of it......its a foamy grey round mat.....the size I used was 1/2"round. Slide it up into the Weather stripping then used blk."tightbound" to seal/glue it together...