cmoistephane

Hello Everyone:

I am Stephane from Miami.
Could someone know a place in Miami or around where i could replace all weather strips and doors seals on a corvette c4 convertible 1996.
Thank you.

Whaleman

You are going to pay out the tail to hire this work. That is because it is a pain to clean everything. It is not hard at all, just time consuming. Wilcox sells good weather stripping and has videos of the work. Dan

Whaleman

Any body shop could do it if money is no object.

cmoistephane

thank you for your reply.
There are kits for sale on several corvette websites like eckler’s for example or other and wonder if they are the same better or worst than willcox? Thank you.

Whaleman

Only wilcox for me. Dan

1bdvet

I would before you buy seals, go to shop, and ask them to exam your car, and let them consider what you really need, and ask for there hourly rate, and ask how many hours to complete the job.

When I owned 89 ragtop, I replaced bow, and seals on the convertible top.

I started at:
8AM, and was done 4PM, all the time was getting the glue out of the tracks!

You should know what you are getting involved when replacing seals.

Whaleman

If I was in Miami I would have you order Willcox seals. Then I would come over and get you started. Then I would sit down and drink beer for the next 6 hours. When done you would say that is was not hard at all but a pain in the ***. Dan

puterami

Buy from Corvette Rubber Company. It's where Willcox gets their seals from. CRC's price is cheaper and so is their shipping. You will save money for the same product.

Whaleman

Good info! Thanks Much, Dan

vette196

cmoistephane

i watched a tons of videos to fully understand the process and the difficulty of the job.
i should be able to remove the glue by myself i guess but i am less confident to install the new ones even with beers as beers are always a good idea.
buying parts to either be installed by a body shop around me ( thanks for the tip) or doubling the beers and hiring the right person to help me with the installation seem to be my best options. thank you all for your helpful advises. it may be harassing you with a ton of more question. Thank you

cmoistephane

thank you!!

Railroadman

"A ton more questions" is the reason the forum exists. I'm not on here because of what I know, I'm on here because of what I DON'T know. And don't be afraid to ask for clarification if you don't quite "get it" on a given reply. Sometimes we all have that moment when something just doesn't "click" in our head the first time..

hawk454

Removal is the hardest part as the glue gets stuck inside the rails and picking that crud out with various tools is a pain. Drink beers during that process. I used bumper and automotive primer/trim paint prior to re-install to make everything look new again. Re-install with 3m black super weather stripping seal/gasket adhesive. It has a dry time around three minutes so practice the mock-up before putting adhesive on. I would practice 2x and then on 3rd run use adhesive. I did my whole car in two days because I was tuned up and tired from removing glue day 1 and I let the paint dry overnight. Install went quick and painless.

Listen to the guys about CRC rubber and Wilcox. I bought the cheap stuff and it is very puffy in the beginning. My seals are good but the doors take significantly more effort to close and I can see the window flex as the new 'puffy' foam squashes

You can do it.

jts90vette

Willcox supports this forum, with lots of info, how to videos and commentary. You can pick up the phone and call the guy and he will help you over the phone. All at no charge, just saying.

jimb100

I just had all the weather strips replaced on my 96 coupe. I found a body shop willing to let me bring the parts. I paid $345 for a medium grade set of weather strips and the shop installed them for a very reasonable $320. I don't know how much old adhesive they removed and I don't care as the new weather stripping looks fine and doesn't leak.
You could easily pay double this and, if you are planning on daily driving in Miami heat and downpours it may be worth it. I don't drive my C4 in the rain unless I get caught in a shower.