Solution for rear window weatherstrip issue.

[jake63]

Found a compatable replacement for our deteriorated weatherstrip. The exterior window sweeps on "bubble body" Camaros and Firebirds, the mid 90'S ones I believe. I removed both from a junk yard car (driver and passenger) in a junk yard that still lets people in. Put a putty knife between top of door and rubber toward back of door and tap it in and up then cut it with tin snips near the mirror. I checked GMpartsdirect.com and I believe they can be bought new for 40 bucks a side. The rubber has a lip on it, but that's under the trim piece so it doesn't show.

You set the lip on top of the steel toward the front of the car, and it's lifted up about a 1/4" at the rear.

If you look at your originals you'll see that the holes are at different heights from the bottom also.

I drilled the front first, then the rear, then the two in the middle.

Couldn't find 5/32 stainless rivets so I drilled them out to 3/16.

[Crazy K]

nice work!!!!!!

[kaptnjack]

I also have been looking for a suitable "replacement".

 

I recently grabbed a sweeper strip from a 95 Pontiac Bonneville front door. Easy to get at a yard...they snap in so a little backward and up pressure with a putty knife from the ouside pops them out without dissassembly of the donor car door, window, interior trim or panel. While I still have yet to get my rescue home and therefore have no real way to test.....visually the bonneville strip looks compatible with a wide and rigid mount surface, a wide rubber sweep with almost exact profile (I think) and with only slight modification if any because of a second less prominate sweep integral to the piece like mentioned above.

 

Can I ask for more pictures? How much trim and roof material has to removed to try this project? Do you have to pull everything insode and out including glass to do this?

 

I cant fully confirm this until I get the car home and can look at it closer. I cant wait to get mine home so I can take it apart and figure it out..

 

 

[jake63]

Here's another pic. You have to remove the two side moldings, the third brake light one can remain, also the black door trim attached to the car, there's a screw behind the black trim that holds the side molding on. There are also three nuts that hold this piece on inside the trunk (pain in the ass to get at). No glass has to be removed, I'm just in the process of restoring this car that's why so much shit is removed.

In the pic the side molding is just sitting on there, it is not fastened down.

[dhs1223]

That looks great, I had looked at other GM cars hoping something would work, but no luck, I guess I should have kept on looking as I obviously didn't check enough cars, but, the yards closest to me rarely if ever have any F-body cars.

 

Great job, I hope we can count on you to answer some questions about the removal of certain parts, as it appears you have exposed a lot of things.

[MonteCarloDude]

noice.

[Doc]

I am in need of those. Can you tell what year that was off of.

[ManicMechanic]

1993+ Camaro or Firebird.

[Doc]

Thanks for the info

[DOHCRagtopguy]

Good job. Nice to see that we can improvise something, mines all wrecked. Is the donor strip long enough? Looks like it may be a little bit short or isthat an optical illusion?

[kaptnjack]

I was at a yard this week and looked at the 93 camaro sweepers.....they are roughly 3ft long so there is plenty of material there to do one side.

 

Both sides will require two sweepers

[j_mezz]

did you get that from camaro vert or coupe...or does it matter?

[jake63]

It was from a coupe, not sure if it is the same on a vert. Firechicken is the same too. And yeah it's plenty long enough, but you do need both sides.

[Doc]

Called local dealer and they still have it new around 60 bucks a side compared to 500 or 300 for new old stock being sold on ebay.

[j_mezz]

Noticed a camaro in a parking lot this afternoon and you're definitely right, it looks like a pretty good match. Nice discovery, thanks!!!

[jake63]

As stated above, on gmpartsdirect.com, they are $39.27 a side under "door" then "door and components" then "belt w strip" and there's an illustration. It states that they are for 93-02 camaro.

As for the thank you's I'm glad I could help. It's a shame we cant get stuff for these convertibles, they are the coolest 4 passenger convertibles newer than the seventies IMO and you can actually drive them around without needing a small business loan to buy gas.

[theghoul]

Hmm..

 

Gonna check into these.

[Doc]

Thanks thats cheaper than going to the dealer.

[kaptnjack]

I did this yesterday.

 

The 93+ camaro/firebird strip is a good replacement.

 

My observations.....

 

The retaining clips stapled onto the new strip must be removed before application...the pry off easily enough. There are three felt/rubber bumpers that also must be popped off.

 

Attention: when drilling the rivets out of the old or drilling the new strip...insert a piece of heavy solid plastic, sheet metal, flashing etc between the quarter/rear glass and the mounting flange. If your drill slips or punches through...the sharp point will shatter the tempered glass. The flashing/metal will prevent this....still requires care and attention.

 

The new strip is not quite as tall as the original and adjustment must be made when drilling and mounting to compensate for this. There is plenty of material and mounting surface to do this.

 

The new strip is at a slighter angle than the original and when flush mounted the weatherseal is not tight against the quarter window. This can be resolved easy enough by either spacing the mount surface or even better..slightly bending inward the mounting flange on the fender to create more of an angle more closely representing the original. ...about 6 degrees approximately.

 

There is a very slight concave arc to the fender panel. The original strip flange was cut with a hacksaw in three places to allow the molding to conform to the arc. This may or may not be necessary...I didnt.

 

Make sure you cut it long enough. I used the original as a template and mine ended up about 3/4" short. Proper fit will be from just touching the B pillar trim in the front to just under an inch under the top welt when top is up. Measure, test fit, top up, top down, window up, window down, test fit, measure...cut.

 

Attach with aluminum or stainless rivets to prevent rust. Use a long shank rivet, mine was too short to properly catch all the flange and rubber material and one popped loose under compression. Longer is better.

 

Clean the flange of all prior adhesives, tapes, caulks etc...wipe down with alchohol, apply foam mounting tape along flange, cutting out for rivets. I had to use three layers of what I had on the shelf to bring the attaching surface out enough to compensate for the different lip on the new strip...YMMV depending on the tape you use. In my situation....the spacing worked out great and meets up to a factory finish install. I will redo this tape with only two layers or less next time...three layers matched up well with the weatherstrip but caused the plastic cowl mold to stand out just a hair more than I liked.

 

All that being said....Mine looks really nice and fresh and factory after assembly with the exceptions mentioned above. I made all those mistakes this time around. I will redo this installation with the recommendations posted for an even better fit and alignment in the next week or so....now I just have to scrounge up some more camaro strips to do it again.

 

Now that I have been there...it will be a breeze this time around and I know what to adjust and where.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jake63]

I just put on the side moldings this past weekend. Instead of fattening up the mounting tape I cut some of the lip off the weatherstrip with a razor knife, around 1/8", it's under the molding when done so it doesn't have to be cut neatly.

[rossg]

I did this yesterday.

 

The 93+ camaro/firebird strip is a good replacement.

 

My observations.....

 

 

The retaining clips stapled onto the new strip must be removed before application...the pry off easily enough. There are three felt/rubber bumpers that also must be popped off.

 

Attention: when drilling the rivets out of the old or drilling the new strip...insert a piece of heavy solid plastic, sheet metal, flashing etc between the quarter/rear glass and the mounting flange. If your drill slips or punches through...the sharp point will shatter the tempered glass. The flashing/metal will prevent this....still requires care and attention.

 

The new strip is not quite as tall as the original and adjustment must be made when drilling and mounting to compensate for this. There is plenty of material and mounting surface to do this.

 

The new strip is at a slighter angle than the original and when flush mounted the weatherseal is not tight against the quarter window. This can be resolved easy enough by either spacing the mount surface or even better..slightly bending inward the mounting flange on the fender to create more of an angle more closely representing the original. ...about 6 degrees approximately.

 

There is a very slight concave arc to the fender panel. The original strip flange was cut with a hacksaw in three places to allow the molding to conform to the arc. This may or may not be necessary...I didnt.

 

Make sure you cut it long enough. I used the original as a template and mine ended up about 3/4" short. Proper fit will be from just touching the B pillar trim in the front to just under an inch under the top welt when top is up. Measure, test fit, top up, top down, window up, window down, test fit, measure...cut.

 

Attach with aluminum or stainless rivets to prevent rust. Use a long shank rivet, mine was too short to properly catch all the flange and rubber material and one popped loose under compression. Longer is better.

 

Clean the flange of all prior adhesives, tapes, caulks etc...wipe down with alchohol, apply foam mounting tape along flange, cutting out for rivets. I had to use three layers of what I had on the shelf to bring the attaching surface out enough to compensate for the different lip on the new strip...YMMV depending on the tape you use. In my situation....the spacing worked out great and meets up to a factory finish install. I will redo this tape with only two layers or less next time...three layers matched up well with the weatherstrip but caused the plastic cowl mold to stand out just a hair more than I liked.

 

All that being said....Mine looks really nice and fresh and factory after assembly with the exceptions mentioned above. I made all those mistakes this time around. I will redo this installation with the recommendations posted for an even better fit and alignment in the next week or so....now I just have to scrounge up some more camaro strips to do it again.

 

Now that I have been there...it will be a breeze this time around and I know what to adjust and where.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

would like to see how this is done

[rossg]

does any one know the gm part # so I can order these?

[jake63]

As stated above, on gmpartsdirect.com, they are $39.27 a side under "door" then "door and components" then "belt w strip" and there's an illustration. It states that they are for 93-02 camaro.

As for the thank you's I'm glad I could help. It's a shame we cant get stuff for these convertibles, they are the coolest 4 passenger convertibles newer than the seventies IMO and you can actually drive them around without needing a small business loan to buy gas.

 

You can find them here

[kaptnjack]

I grabbed a couple more nice strips from a 94 camaro at my local www.pullapart.com last week for $1.25 each

[jake63]

I grabbed a couple more nice strips from a 94 camaro at my local www.pullapart.com last week for $1.25 each

 

Sweet!