How do I change the side weather strip fo rthe removable top? Not sure how to get the old ones off (only see one screw) and not sure what is needed to put the new ones on. Appreciate any advice. :crazy:

 

I did my own “Roof Rear/side Window” (Ecklers: part # A2906, $178.99) weather stripping replacement for my 92C4. It is not difficult and you can do it with a pie cutter. First I bought the GM weather stripping (supposingly better than after market rubbers) and I stripped ALL rubber stripping. You first have to carefully remove the 2 plastic plugs that hold the bottom part of the weather stripping and than just remove and scrape ALL rubber (with imbedded corroded wire) and yellow glue (contact cement?) from the rails to prepare a clean base for the new weather stripping. This was the most difficult part.

I bought the “GOOP automotive” (great stuff) weather stripping and rubber glue. Then test fit the new stripping and re-install without glue the 2 plastic plugs and pull stripping over towards the front. Try a dry-run of the following first: then the real thing with glue. Use small putty knife and glue lightly the bottom part near the pluggs and then the metal channel and rail. Then slide weather stripping onto the glue on the metal rail and slide under the rear rail part. This fixes the back part. Now use pie cutter and wedge the front part of the weather stripping under the front rail section and distribute evenly. Glue will set within about 1 hour. It is not difficult. Good luck

 

Smokinvette, If you are talking about the targa top, i cant help you. If you are talking about the removable hardtop which fits on convertibles then read on.
The old seals need to be pulled from the retainers after you get the visible screws out. The easiest way to get all that glue out is to also remove all the retainers by removing the phillips head screws which attach them and soak the retainers in PPG brand DX-330 grease and wax remover overnight. The glue used to install them at the factory was 3M brand weatherstrip adhesive and it is some tough stuff, but this will help loosen it up. There are some other weatherstrip adhesive removers available, but test a small spot to see if they will damage the black e-coating on the retainers before soaking them. The retainers will have a foam padding on the back of them which will likely also need to be replaced if you remove them. You can buy this stuff at the auto store in a roll, and if i remember correctly i believe it's 3/4 inch wide. If you do remove the retainers be sure and mark them because they are left and right hand specific as well, and if you can see the part numbers stamped on them, the right hand will be even numbered and the left hand will be odd numbered. When re-installing the retainers do not use a cordless drill to put in the screws-you could strip the holes out. Just put them in with a screwdriver and get them good and snug. You will likely need to put a small amount of weatherstrip adhesive at the b-pillar angle location, between the seal and the hardtop to prevent water leaks and wind noise. As Ghostrider already mentioned, using a roller such as a dull pizza/pie cutter is the best way to re-install the new seals. Once the new seals are installed, check for side window fit. If the seal doesn't fit up against the doorglass, a slight adjustment can be made by using a rubber mallet on the seal retainer (be careful) to slightly persuade it inboard or outboard just a slight bit. Hope this helped, and good luck.
Lightfoot





[Modified by Lightfoot, 10:26 AM 2/23/2003]

 

I can not find a decent price on a piece of weather stripping for the removable hardtop. The piece between the side glass and sail panel. I keep getiing $140 +. The same thing for a coupe is like $29. Where can I check?

 

The original ones came from canada, a company called Waterville-i believe in the Ontario area. If you have a friend who sells new or used cars, maybe they can order them for you at a GM dealership. Sometimes they give other dealers quite a discount. I know i went to the Toyota dealership last year for a left hand tailight assembly and they wanted $146.00. A buddy who then worked at a used car place got it for me from the same dealership---$79.00. Almost half! It's worth a shot. Good luck