'85 corvette weatherstripping
Thread Starter
4th Gear
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
'85 corvette weatherstripping
i own a '85 corvette and the weatherstripping is in poor condition, it leaks when it rains. i just bought the full weatherstrip kit. any advice on installing it or special tips on how to put it on correctly? thanks
-Josh
-Josh
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 798
Likes: 116
From: OAKLEY CA
Weatherstrip Kit
I have an 88 coupe and just brought a 7 piece kit on Ebay for $308.00 delivered. After installing a few pieces I wish I never started. The door won't close now unless the windows are down, and I reading past posts, the hatch glass won't fit right either I'm afraid. I called the Chevy dealer and was quoted over $300.00 for the one piece that goes on the B pillar (back roof section). The aftermarket piece I installed just doesn't fit like the original and I can see that the others are different also. I slammed my door so hard trying to close it, I cracked my acrylic top. My advise at this point is throw it in the garbage and wait until you can have it professionally done, or don't drive it in the rain (my plan). I wish I had read this forum sooner. There is a book I just read about called 101 projects for your Corvette and he starts out talking about all the ill fitting aftermarket parts he has bought in the past. Good luck
Ed
Ed
Thread Starter
4th Gear
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
i did search
well i did a search and typed in 85 weatherstrip and didn't get a whole lot of help. some people said that they had trouble when installing weatherstripping in their C4. wondering if anyone had any tips. thanks for the replies though, i guess i'll have to do more searching.
josh
josh
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 8,077
Likes: 4
From: Scarborough ONTARIO
Well let me say what i did and going to:
i bought 4-5 peices from last detail, atlantacorvette and installed professionally by somebody else perfect fit and i bought one long piece from chevy dealer for 150 bucks this one piece is for front which goes from driver side to all the way passenger side (one piece), i have not installed this yet but looks much better than after market one.
Mine is a 85 too.
Mostly CF members did this way in the past, replaced rear one's by aftermarket and front one's by chevy original of coarse cost more but worth it. You can even buy from midamerica.com or zip-products.com as individual pieces or a whole kit for around 500 bucks they are better quality than ebay and let it installed body shop guys or printshop guys i prefer body shop guys they do professionally and did not cost more very reasonable price.
hope this helps.
i bought 4-5 peices from last detail, atlantacorvette and installed professionally by somebody else perfect fit and i bought one long piece from chevy dealer for 150 bucks this one piece is for front which goes from driver side to all the way passenger side (one piece), i have not installed this yet but looks much better than after market one.
Mine is a 85 too.
Mostly CF members did this way in the past, replaced rear one's by aftermarket and front one's by chevy original of coarse cost more but worth it. You can even buy from midamerica.com or zip-products.com as individual pieces or a whole kit for around 500 bucks they are better quality than ebay and let it installed body shop guys or printshop guys i prefer body shop guys they do professionally and did not cost more very reasonable price.
hope this helps.
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 17,640
Likes: 1
From: Lenoir City TN
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11
I replaced all mine on my 86 with aftermarket except for the 'A' pillar, but for the bad news, the targa top and back hatch worked great, the doors I rate them about 'D' the B-Pillar an 'F'. I will be replacing the B-pillar with OEM when I get some extra dough. The look and fit just was not there and it just could not make a strong seal. Now for the doors, there okay but the manufacture (Metro) did not insert the hard plastic pieces where the screws secure it to the door, it makes it dam@ near impossible to keep them in place for the glue to adhear and you had to stretch them so much that they want to pull back in time. With all this the car does seal up and the doors now shut tight. After the repacement of the B-Pillar I probably replace the drivers side door then the passenger side. Hope I didn't scare you, but if you take your time it will come out okay, let me warn you that all my buddies call me **** about this car wanting it back to new.
Bob
Bob
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 5,866
Likes: 60
From: Hellinois
Finalist 2020 C4 of the Year - Modified
I did my 85 completely with Metro, here is the results. The door main are as rspreng86 says, no reinforcement in the ends which on my car lets the ends roll down into the door every time the window goes down and has just about torn loose from the mounting screws because of this. The A pillar and targa top sides leak at both front corners of the windshield worse now than they did with the original 20 year old stuff. I emailed Metro and they wanted to see a receipt that I had bought it from them, not a dealer, not ebay, just them before they would do anything. The fix? I'm going to get either GM or I hear Corvette Rubber makes a good product, and re-do it all again.
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 17,640
Likes: 1
From: Lenoir City TN
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11
Originally Posted by Midnight 85
The door main are as rspreng86 says, no reinforcement in the ends which on my car lets the ends roll down into the door every time the window goes down and has just about torn loose from the mounting screws because of this.
I forgot to mention that I glued felt to the inside of the door seal where the window slides up and down to prevent the seal from rolling into the door and damaging it.
Bob
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Instructor
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 206
Likes: 0
From: Lebanon Ohio
I did my Windshield Piece of WS on my 85>>Noit sure what is called...the one that goes from left side across the top to the right side front window channel.. I bought mine from TLD corvette... It was manufactured in Canada>>cant remember the company.. It went in well..I mean with weatherstrip a lot of it is in your SKILL level and surface preperation before the install... I removed every trace of glue and old WS...lightly skuffed the areas>>Fixed any Bent areas of the retainers ect ect... then Laid the gasket in dry before gluing it to ensure the peice fit as it should... It did that ~6 years ago...Still perfect..
I actually need to go back and replace all weatherstrip eventually..Probably just 2 1 pc at a time...Mine does not leak But its cracked in places so its only a matter of time..
I actually need to go back and replace all weatherstrip eventually..Probably just 2 1 pc at a time...Mine does not leak But its cracked in places so its only a matter of time..
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 798
Likes: 116
From: OAKLEY CA
Weatherstrip
While I agree with you that it takes skill and patience to do a job correctly, it is a great detriment to start out with aftermarket parts that don't fit the same as the originals. I purchased an outside window sweep (the piece attached to the door at the bottom of the window) and could not get it installed as the holes for the clips in the door did not line up with the clips attached to the sweep. They were only off a fraction of an inch but it was enough, and the material the clips were made of was so brittle, they broke off. I ended up removing all of the clips and drilling new holes for stainless steel screws and using adhesive for good measure. I should have thrown it in the garbage where it belonged and bought an OEM part but I was determined to finish the job. The crappy weatherstrips being sold can also be modified and reshaped to fit, but it takes more skill and determination than should be required. Seems like I'm always trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. When will I learn.
Instructor
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 206
Likes: 0
From: Lebanon Ohio
I was not saying buy cheap ebay crap... I was just saying that I used TLD canadian stuff...Fit PERFECT>>BUT if you dont prep right or know what your doing EVEN with factory stuff it will leak.. You have to use some common sense when buying the stuff.. If gm part cost $800 and an EBAY ONLY company sells it for $38 then you should assume that its CRAP..because iif it was just as good as GM and the company was making money selling them that cheap they would have the money to start a legit business... What ive found and heard is that USUALLY the cheap ebay stuff is Factory blemished...thats why when calling the MFGR they ask if it was ebay.. because they know people buy the crap that comes off the line thats defective..
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 798
Likes: 116
From: OAKLEY CA
Weatherstrip
I have purchased many items on Ebay for far less than retail that were of excellent quality, so lumping all sellers into one group is misleading. Many vehicle parts are sold by authorized dealers at prices that seem to be ten times what the product should cost, but taking into account the cost of maintaining a dealership it is understandable. Ebay sellers have a very low cost of doing business in comparison, can buy and sell anything they can find a good deal on in the open market. Even dealers sell on Ebay if they have an overstock or unreturnable merchandise at half or less than retail.
So it is no excuse to sell crap that won't work, and blame the buyer for lack of common sense. I bought through Paypal, and have filed a dispute to get a refund (good for items up to $1000.) I got a feeling from your response that you assumed I lacked common sense or the skills to install it correctly. Neither is correct.
On a happier note, I purchased an original fiberglass top (the original was lost before I purchased my Vette)in my color from a Forum member and it went very well. It's intransit now and will be here next Wednesday, so I'm quite excited about it. Boys and their toys.
So it is no excuse to sell crap that won't work, and blame the buyer for lack of common sense. I bought through Paypal, and have filed a dispute to get a refund (good for items up to $1000.) I got a feeling from your response that you assumed I lacked common sense or the skills to install it correctly. Neither is correct.
On a happier note, I purchased an original fiberglass top (the original was lost before I purchased my Vette)in my color from a Forum member and it went very well. It's intransit now and will be here next Wednesday, so I'm quite excited about it. Boys and their toys.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 14,146
Likes: 936
From: Fremont Ca
2022 C4 of the Year Finalist - Modified
Originally Posted by ED HEISER
I have an 88 coupe and just brought a 7 piece kit on Ebay for $308.00 delivered. After installing a few pieces I wish I never started. The door won't close now unless the windows are down, and I reading past posts, the hatch glass won't fit right either I'm afraid. I called the Chevy dealer and was quoted over $300.00 for the one piece that goes on the B pillar (back roof section). The aftermarket piece I installed just doesn't fit like the original and I can see that the others are different also. I slammed my door so hard trying to close it, I cracked my acrylic top. My advise at this point is throw it in the garbage and wait until you can have it professionally done, or don't drive it in the rain (my plan). I wish I had read this forum sooner. There is a book I just read about called 101 projects for your Corvette and he starts out talking about all the ill fitting aftermarket parts he has bought in the past. Good luck
Ed
Ed
