How to replace weatherstripping on 95 convertible
07-12-2014, 02:52 PM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
How to replace weatherstripping on 95 convertible
Anyone have the best guide/book/video/anything on how to do a professional job replacing the weatherstripping on a 1995? I'm looking for everything from the doors to the top.
Thanks!
Thanks!
07-12-2014, 05:25 PM
#2
I've posted the "how to" several times and WISH I'd kept a copy in my files...
but here goes...
remove old rubber and use a dremmel or some other small wire wheel to clean 100% of old rubber & glue out of tracks and channels. It MUST be sterile.
After that is done and CLEAN,
dry fit the section of rubber you are working on. Start in the middle, then start the ends. This is to make certain that you do not end up with 2" too much at one end....
use a plastic bondo spreader or similar tool that's PLASTIC to tuck the edges down, and IN the tracks and channels. This is CRITICAL ! It has to be fully seated without cutting or tearing the new rubber. Work along a couple inches at a time...tuck it in, lay a few more inches in place and tuck...little at a time. You CANNOT bunch it up or stretch it ANY. This is why we "dry-fit" each piece.
never use metal tools for tucking. You cannot afford to cut that skin on the rubber. Once cut, its junk.
Use your tucking "tool" to tuck in every mm of rubber. There is a molded edge that absolutely has to be seated in the channel or track to seal.
once satisfied with the dry-fit, pull it out gently and prepare for the final fit.
Locate any screws and have the new ones ready.
After the dry-fitting, NOTE any areas where the rubber is loose or the corners.
These 'spots' are the ONLY places you will use the BLACK 3M Weather-Strip glue.
Use it very sparingly and apply it in as thin beads as you possibly can. Remember, once this crap gets squeezed a little, it will OOZE out and onto everything and it ain;t pretty ! Go easy on the glue....
Start to lay in your rubber, The "A" pillar for ex....Get the end ready and apply a minimal bead of glue to the end where it contacts the channel. lay it in and tuck it with your tucking tool...
took me years to collect a decent set of tucking tools...
people kept stealing my tucking tools.....
anyway,
as you lay the rubber in and come to a loose area or corner, apply another small bead of glue and press it in. As you move forward the rubber will tend to stay in place. There should be screws at corners to help.
Remember, start in the middle, but lay both ends in place before laying the majority down. Having left overs when you've used glue....just sucks.
If there was one tip to pass along, clean the tracks and channels well!
The roof panel will be harder. the rubber sits deeper in the channels and is harder to press down in there. No glue required there and many other places. If its HARD to seat the rubber section, then it does not need glue.
Things will NOT work right for awhile. The roof panel will not fit, the doors may not want to close. The rubber has to have some time compressed to get the shape and stay that way. I had to stand on my roof while someone else got the bolts started....I'm 225 lbs...
Will it leak?
depends on the quality of the rubber, and the quality of the work. I can tell you that the less expensive sets of weather strip are harder to install and they usually DO leak because they are not the high quality soft sponge foam that GM uses. The harder the rubber the less it will seal and conform to the shape it contacts.
Good luck !
remember, the cleaning is the key !
but here goes...
remove old rubber and use a dremmel or some other small wire wheel to clean 100% of old rubber & glue out of tracks and channels. It MUST be sterile.
After that is done and CLEAN,
dry fit the section of rubber you are working on. Start in the middle, then start the ends. This is to make certain that you do not end up with 2" too much at one end....
use a plastic bondo spreader or similar tool that's PLASTIC to tuck the edges down, and IN the tracks and channels. This is CRITICAL ! It has to be fully seated without cutting or tearing the new rubber. Work along a couple inches at a time...tuck it in, lay a few more inches in place and tuck...little at a time. You CANNOT bunch it up or stretch it ANY. This is why we "dry-fit" each piece.
never use metal tools for tucking. You cannot afford to cut that skin on the rubber. Once cut, its junk.
Use your tucking "tool" to tuck in every mm of rubber. There is a molded edge that absolutely has to be seated in the channel or track to seal.
once satisfied with the dry-fit, pull it out gently and prepare for the final fit.
Locate any screws and have the new ones ready.
After the dry-fitting, NOTE any areas where the rubber is loose or the corners.
These 'spots' are the ONLY places you will use the BLACK 3M Weather-Strip glue.
Use it very sparingly and apply it in as thin beads as you possibly can. Remember, once this crap gets squeezed a little, it will OOZE out and onto everything and it ain;t pretty ! Go easy on the glue....
Start to lay in your rubber, The "A" pillar for ex....Get the end ready and apply a minimal bead of glue to the end where it contacts the channel. lay it in and tuck it with your tucking tool...
took me years to collect a decent set of tucking tools...
people kept stealing my tucking tools.....
anyway,
as you lay the rubber in and come to a loose area or corner, apply another small bead of glue and press it in. As you move forward the rubber will tend to stay in place. There should be screws at corners to help.
Remember, start in the middle, but lay both ends in place before laying the majority down. Having left overs when you've used glue....just sucks.
If there was one tip to pass along, clean the tracks and channels well!
The roof panel will be harder. the rubber sits deeper in the channels and is harder to press down in there. No glue required there and many other places. If its HARD to seat the rubber section, then it does not need glue.
Things will NOT work right for awhile. The roof panel will not fit, the doors may not want to close. The rubber has to have some time compressed to get the shape and stay that way. I had to stand on my roof while someone else got the bolts started....I'm 225 lbs...
Will it leak?
depends on the quality of the rubber, and the quality of the work. I can tell you that the less expensive sets of weather strip are harder to install and they usually DO leak because they are not the high quality soft sponge foam that GM uses. The harder the rubber the less it will seal and conform to the shape it contacts.
Good luck !
remember, the cleaning is the key !
07-13-2014, 12:07 AM
#4
The only tool there that would apply to the weather strip is the scraper. The others are for door panel clips, tabs etc.
The scraper takes 5 times as long as a dremmel with a wire wheel. And does not do as good a job.
if you do not have access to a dremmel tool, there are small wire wheels that can fit in a standard drill BUT you have to be extremely careful so you do not scratch paint. In fact,. I would lay a strip of masking tape along the edges to protect the paint & trim from scraping or the wire wheel.
When I keep harping on cleaning the tracks and channels its because that is where many leaks originate.
If the new rubber cannot get completely down and seated in the channel in a uniform and smooth position, its gonna leak.
Getting the old crud OUT is the key to success. The new rubber seats much easier when there is not any rough stuff holding it from slipping in place. Many folks take the tracks off and clean them on the work bench,. that's fine as long as you can do so without bending them.
IIWM, I'd do a YouTube search on the subject and see whats there as video instruction,. I';ve found LOTS of extremely useful and educational video on youtube, and some other entertaining stuff to watch as you search...
This really is not a difficult task as long as you come prepared. I'd allow 2 days to do the 7 pieces of the cabin, top, A & B pillars, hatch and door panels. Cleaning is most of it and the "practice" fitting of each piece.
Seriously, don't skip that part. Lots of people get impatient and after doing 1 or 2 sections successfully they just start stuffing and gluing the rest. Suddenly they have 3" too much rubber at the end of the roof panel and they used glue liberally on what DID fit....or the hatch LOOKED so EASY they just laid it in and glued as they went 'cause it looks loose all along the sides...and the corner down by the door is nowhere close to "laying" down where it belongs. And the rest of the piece is glued... oppps. A dry run would have showed the areas to be concerned with....
This is WHY we DO the dry-fit for each piece and take our time. Also, you'll want to look at the stuff that's on the car now, and study how its oriented so you will know as you install. Especially the B pillar. The area that's the rear of the door glass is a little odd, because it transitions in shape to meet the glass then to make a corner. Know how that should be before you get committed with the 3M. When you're working with several hundred dollars worth of foam rubber, it worth taking some extra time to be SURE its right. IMO at least...
3M weather strip is ....put it like this, before there was black weather strip, the stuff was nick-named "Yellow-Peril" for a very good reason. Another reason you use it sparingly.
have fun !
The scraper takes 5 times as long as a dremmel with a wire wheel. And does not do as good a job.
if you do not have access to a dremmel tool, there are small wire wheels that can fit in a standard drill BUT you have to be extremely careful so you do not scratch paint. In fact,. I would lay a strip of masking tape along the edges to protect the paint & trim from scraping or the wire wheel.
When I keep harping on cleaning the tracks and channels its because that is where many leaks originate.
If the new rubber cannot get completely down and seated in the channel in a uniform and smooth position, its gonna leak.
Getting the old crud OUT is the key to success. The new rubber seats much easier when there is not any rough stuff holding it from slipping in place. Many folks take the tracks off and clean them on the work bench,. that's fine as long as you can do so without bending them.
IIWM, I'd do a YouTube search on the subject and see whats there as video instruction,. I';ve found LOTS of extremely useful and educational video on youtube, and some other entertaining stuff to watch as you search...
This really is not a difficult task as long as you come prepared. I'd allow 2 days to do the 7 pieces of the cabin, top, A & B pillars, hatch and door panels. Cleaning is most of it and the "practice" fitting of each piece.
Seriously, don't skip that part. Lots of people get impatient and after doing 1 or 2 sections successfully they just start stuffing and gluing the rest. Suddenly they have 3" too much rubber at the end of the roof panel and they used glue liberally on what DID fit....or the hatch LOOKED so EASY they just laid it in and glued as they went 'cause it looks loose all along the sides...and the corner down by the door is nowhere close to "laying" down where it belongs. And the rest of the piece is glued... oppps. A dry run would have showed the areas to be concerned with....
This is WHY we DO the dry-fit for each piece and take our time. Also, you'll want to look at the stuff that's on the car now, and study how its oriented so you will know as you install. Especially the B pillar. The area that's the rear of the door glass is a little odd, because it transitions in shape to meet the glass then to make a corner. Know how that should be before you get committed with the 3M. When you're working with several hundred dollars worth of foam rubber, it worth taking some extra time to be SURE its right. IMO at least...
3M weather strip is ....put it like this, before there was black weather strip, the stuff was nick-named "Yellow-Peril" for a very good reason. Another reason you use it sparingly.
have fun !
Last edited by leesvet; 07-13-2014 at 12:10 AM.
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