Water shield - part not available
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,037
Likes: 120
Water shield - part not available
So I want to "give back" to the Forum.
I figured out a way to salvage the Water Shield (WS) that is in the doors of these C5s. When one has to put in a new window regulator assembly (WRA), the WS has to be removed. Well, as old as these cars are the WS will disintegrate in most cases as it is removed.
A few years ago when I did the driver side WRA, I figured the cost of a new WS was affordable. Now I am doing the passenger side WRA and the WS is just not available.
I came up with a way to get the old WS out mostly intact. And then I worked out a way to rehabilitate it for reinstallation once I have the replaced the WRA. My approach involved duct tape and a heat gun. I basically covered the outer edges of the WS with duct tape to keep the disintegration to a minimum. And I used the heat gun to soften that black adhesive stuff as I pulled the edges of the WS away from the door.
Now, here are a few things I learned. Duct tape was NOT the best choice for this BECAUSE it can be pretty easily removed from the WS material. I had this higher-priced Gorilla Brand of Patch and Seal (P&S) tape that has a liner, but did NOT use that as I was not aware of the limitations of my conventional duct tape (in this application). That P&S stuff is a thick rubber and the adhesive is like a leech. It might be the better way to do these WS jobs.
Anyway, once I got the WS off the door (after taking off the door panel) I had to do a deep think. What I finally did was use a different type of tape on the backside of the WS. This different tape is a cloth bookbinding tape (and it is not shiny; it is more like the old-style adhesive tapes that were used in the doctors' offices). So my cloth tape (brand is Gaffer Power if you shop at the Big A) has really good adhesive and I used that to cover most of the back of the WS. And the cherry on top?! I had a new tube of 3M Black Super Weatherstrip Adhesive, so I slathered some of that on the bookbinding tape for grins. Mostly in a few of the corners, but a little on the WS where I did not put tape.
I hope that helps someone who might otherwise be on the point of despair. I share the opinion that the WS is important to keeping water out of the car interior and helps preserve the door panels, etc.
Regards
I figured out a way to salvage the Water Shield (WS) that is in the doors of these C5s. When one has to put in a new window regulator assembly (WRA), the WS has to be removed. Well, as old as these cars are the WS will disintegrate in most cases as it is removed.
A few years ago when I did the driver side WRA, I figured the cost of a new WS was affordable. Now I am doing the passenger side WRA and the WS is just not available.
I came up with a way to get the old WS out mostly intact. And then I worked out a way to rehabilitate it for reinstallation once I have the replaced the WRA. My approach involved duct tape and a heat gun. I basically covered the outer edges of the WS with duct tape to keep the disintegration to a minimum. And I used the heat gun to soften that black adhesive stuff as I pulled the edges of the WS away from the door.
Now, here are a few things I learned. Duct tape was NOT the best choice for this BECAUSE it can be pretty easily removed from the WS material. I had this higher-priced Gorilla Brand of Patch and Seal (P&S) tape that has a liner, but did NOT use that as I was not aware of the limitations of my conventional duct tape (in this application). That P&S stuff is a thick rubber and the adhesive is like a leech. It might be the better way to do these WS jobs.
Anyway, once I got the WS off the door (after taking off the door panel) I had to do a deep think. What I finally did was use a different type of tape on the backside of the WS. This different tape is a cloth bookbinding tape (and it is not shiny; it is more like the old-style adhesive tapes that were used in the doctors' offices). So my cloth tape (brand is Gaffer Power if you shop at the Big A) has really good adhesive and I used that to cover most of the back of the WS. And the cherry on top?! I had a new tube of 3M Black Super Weatherstrip Adhesive, so I slathered some of that on the bookbinding tape for grins. Mostly in a few of the corners, but a little on the WS where I did not put tape.
I hope that helps someone who might otherwise be on the point of despair. I share the opinion that the WS is important to keeping water out of the car interior and helps preserve the door panels, etc.
Regards
Pro
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 556
Likes: 133
From: Texas
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,037
Likes: 120
Some peeps are lucky/sarc
