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| Is this the only way you can seem to keep yourself dry during a rain
storm in your Corvette? Well, do not feel alone. Keeping water out is a
common problem. The environment we live in and common every day use
cause the rubber weatherstrips on any Corvette to dry out, crack, tear,
compress and generally wear out after a few years. Thanks to Zip Products, Inc.,
worn out rubber weatherstrips are no longer a problem. They carry a
complete line for all 1953 and later Corvettes. We called them for help
and they were able to supply all of the correct weatherstrips we needed
and all of the associated attaching hardware. All of the items fit just
as they should and were of excellent quality. We replaced all of the
rubber weatherstrips in our Project 73 easily in one afternoon. Now we
can put our umbrella away because the rain stays out while we stay dry. |
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01: Here is everything needed for our installation:
The rubber weatherstrips, 1 tube 3M Black Super Weatherstrip Adhesive
#08008, 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner #08984, Krytox Weatherstrip
Saver, Masking Tape, Screwdrivers both flat and phillips, knife or
tucking tool and an awl.
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02: First disconnect your battery. Your doors are
going to be open for quite sometime and you don’t need a dead battery.
Next carefully remove the old door weatherstrip. Remember that most of
the door weatherstrips have screws holding it in place at one or both
ends. Remove these screws first, then the door weatherstrip can be
removed. |
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03: After the weatherstrip is removed, thoroughly
clean the old weatherstrip glue off with the general purpose adhesive
cleaner. The cleaner the area is, the better the glue will hold. |
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04: When you are done cleaning the door area, take the
new door weatherstrip and pre-fit it. Make sure all of the mounting
holes line up and that you have the correct side on the corresponding
door. By pre-fitting each weatherstrip, you will then know how it
should fit. |
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05: Thoroughly wipe off the rubber door weatherstrip
before you install it with General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner, tar and
wax remover or alcohol. This will remove any mold release agent that
may still be on the weatherstrip and allow it to bond to the door more
securely. |
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06: Place a bead of Black Weatherstrip Adhesive about
a quarter of the way around the door first starting at the door jamb
end. Let it skim coat over. While this is happening, place a bead of
Black Weatherstrip Adhesive on the door weatherstrip starting at the
door jamb end. Again, about one quarter of the way around. Let this
adhesive skim over. |
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07: Install the molded end and screws first and slowly
work your way down the door. I always like to start at the lock side of
the door first and work around to the hinge side. Place the adhesive on
the weatherstrip and door together. As you proceed, place a piece of
masking tape about 3” long across the door weatherstrip about every 3”
or 4”. This will hold the weatherstrip in place as you proceed. After
you have finished the first 25%, move on to the next and continue until
you have reached and installed the other end. Leave each door open for
about 90 minutes or until you have finished before you remove the
masking tape. |
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08: To replace the rear vertical weatherstrip, remove the screw at the bottom and pull the weatherstrip out of the channel. |
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09: Thoroughly clean the channel with adhesive cleaner
before you install the new vertical weatherstrip. Also wipe the
weatherstrips themselves with the cleaner to remove any mold release
agents still left on. |
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10: Apply the Black Weatherstrip Adhesive to the
channel and the weatherstrip just as you did with the door
weatherstrip. A bead on each piece. Place the vertical weatherstrip
into the channel at the top and slowly tuck it into place with your
putty knife or tucking tool, pressing the weatherstrip into the
channel. Line up the screw hole at the bottom, insert the screw and you
are done. |
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11: To replace the windshield pillar weatherstrip,
remove all of the mounting screws first. Then remove the channel and
weatherstrip as one unit. |
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12: Again thoroughly clean the pillar channel and
also wipe down the pillar weatherstrips with adhesive cleaner or one of
the other cleaners mentioned before. Place a bead of weatherstrip
adhesive on the pillar weatherstrip and also a corresponding bead in
the channel. Align the weatherstrip to the bottom of the channel and
put it into place. Use an awl to line up one hole at the top and then
use the putty knife or tucking tool to push the weatherstrip into place
in the channel. Work up the channel one hole at a time. This way the
weatherstrip will stay aligned as you tuck the weatherstrip into place. |
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13: Before you replace the pillar weatherstrip channel
back into place you will need to seal the back of the channel. This
area has to seal against the windshield frame so some type of sealer
must be used to keep water out. You can use Zip's Black Strip Caulking.
Make sure the back of the pillar channel and weatherstrip frame is
thoroughly clean. Apply the Strip Caulking to the pillar post channel.
Then install it into the windshield frame. Place the screws back into
place and you are done. |
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14: To remove the T-Top weatherstrip, start by
removing the outer retaining screws. This will release both the
weatherstrip and weatherstrip retaining channel. Now carefully remove
the remaining weatherstrip and retaining pins. Again thoroughly clean
both the T-Top, the T-Top weatherstrip and the weatherstrip retaining
channel. As with all of the other weatherstrips, pre-fit it so that you
know how it fits. |
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15: The T-Top weatherstrip retaining channel is just
like the pillar weatherstrip channel. It has to have either strip
caulking or post sealer installed on it to keep it watertight. Here we
are installing the strip caulking but the post sealer will work just as
well. |
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16: The T-Top weatherstrips are first installed into
the outer T-Top weatherstrip retaining channel. Again place a thin bead
of weatherstrip adhesive both in the channel and onto the weatherstrip.
Place the weatherstrip into the channel carefully aligning the holes.
Use an awl in one hole while installing the mounting screw in the next.
When this is fully installed, move onto the rest of the weatherstrip. |
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17: Again place a small bead of adhesive on the T-Top
and also on the corresponding weatherstrip. Do only a few inches at a
time. Let the adhesive skim over, align the studs and mounting holes
and push them into place. Slowly work your way all around the T-Top
until the weatherstrip is fully installed. |
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18: While we were at it, Zip supplied us with the
T-Top adjusting bolt. Someone had placed some incorrect bolts on our
T-Top during its life and installing the new ones made the top fit
better and best of all, it no longer squeaked. |
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19: We also installed new T-Top alignment pin bushings since ours were very worn. |
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20: We placed the T-Top with the new weatherstrip back
onto the body and adjusted the adjustment bolts so that when the
latches were closed, the T-Top was even with the rear stationary roof
section and fit tight over the windshield. |
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21: Before we closed everything up, we placed a thin
layer of Krytox Weatherstrip Saver onto all of the weatherstrips. This
product is a weatherstrip saver and prevents weatherstrips from
tearing. It keeps the weatherstrip much more supple. New weatherstrips
sometimes squeak when first installed. Krytox will also help prevent
this from happening. |
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22: Now with all your new weatherstrips installed,
slowly close the door and let the car sit for a few hours to let the
weatherstrips compress naturally. You will notice that the doors will
close a little hard, but this is only until the weatherstrips have
conformed. This also assures you of a good tight, waterproof fit. Now
re-connect your battery and go play in the rain! |
Helpful Hints:
1)
Make
sure that you pre-fit each piece before you install it. This way you
will know if it is correct and how it is suppose to fit.
2) After
you have installed all of the weatherstrip, it is a good idea to water
test the car for leaks. You may find that you have to adjust a door,
window or top to fully stop any leak. You want to do this now, not
during a rainstorm.
3) Sometimes an extra set
of hands will come in handy during door weatherstrip installations. It
may be a good idea to have your wife, girlfriend or friend standing by
to help. Tell your wife or girlfriend you are doing this so that they
stay dry when you are riding in the rain. If it is your friend, tell
them they owe it to you. |
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HOW TO KEEP THE WATER OUT :
CORVETTE RUBBER WEATHERSTRIP INSTALLATION
SOURCE:
Zip Products, Inc.
8067 Fast Lane
Mechanicsville, VA 23111
(800) 962-9632
PARTS LIST:
| WS-4469 |
• |
73-77 Coupe Body Weatherstrip Kit
|
1 Kit |
| WS-08008 |
• |
3M Black Super Weatherstrip Adhesive
|
1 Tube |
| WW-293 |
• |
56-82 Strip Sealing Caulk
|
1 Roll |
WS-4483 Or
WS-4504 |
• |
3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner Or
3M General Purpose Aerosol Cleaner
|
1 Can |
| HT-338 |
• |
69-76 Front Latch Adjusting Bolt
|
2 |
| CT-31 |
• |
68-82 Front Guide Pin Bushings |
2 |
| Other Years' Items: |
| Weatherstrip Kits |
| HT-361 |
• |
68 Top Adjusting Bolt |
2 |
| WS-642 |
• |
77-82 Top Adjusting Bolt |
2 |
The Author would like to thank Richard Gaudio of Greg Donahue Collector
Car Restorations, Inc. for his assistance with this article. |
