CS Convertible Weather Striping

[WhiteOut]

Does anyone know a good place to get weather stripping for a Cutlass Convertible. My car is starting to have major issues with the striping that runs along the lower edge of the rear quarter windows. Apparenly nine years of the top going up and down have taken their toll and the rubber is hard and cracked on both sides which I'm afraid is going to let water into the car. GM has discontinued the part, and I've yet to find anywhere that sells it.

 

Any ideas???

[DOHCRagtopguy]

If you find a place, please post it. I have the same problem with my 93.

[kcac]

Is this it? Mine is looking pretty sad, too.

 

http://www.gm-auto-parts.com/parts.htm

 

[topless94style]

i need some also

[GnatGoSplat]

I need some too.

It looks like ass all broken up and stuff like it is.

[Pselus]

mine is already crap...plus the weather stripping on my top leaks under VERY hard rain and when it goes through a car wash (which means I hafta hand wash it every time I want to)

[WhiteOut]

Hmm...this seems to be a relatively common problem on the convertible. So what the hell are we supposed to do? And no, I've check the GM parts site, I can't even find the piece listed on the site. It took for freaking ever for the dealerships to find the part as well, and all they could tell me was that it was discontinued.

[topless94style]

I found weather stripping i think on that site listed above, but it was expensive as hell.

[GnatGoSplat]

mine is already crap...plus the weather stripping on my top leaks under VERY hard rain and when it goes through a car wash (which means I hafta hand wash it every time I want to)

 

I had that problem, and I coated it with silicone dielectric grease. Works great, not even any leaking where the top meets the A-pillar at the front side windows.

[jeremy]

and when it goes through a car wash (which means I hafta hand wash it every time I want to)

 

 

I thought everyone knew that you shouldn't drive a convertible through a car wash any way....that last 3 convertible that I have owned even told you no to in the manual....

[DOHCRagtopguy]

VERY bad to put a ragtop thru the car wash. The hot air blast at the end is very hard on the seams.

 

In my owners manual is says not to do it also.

 

I'll have to try the silicone grease trick around the doors. Thanks for the tip.

[kcac]

Maybe I read the parts list wrong - check out this PDF. It's a scan of the 1988 - 1997 Cutlass parts list.

http://www.polar.icestorm.com/sfl/cutlass/cutlass_conv_top_parts_list.pdf

 

PDF is about a 1.2 mb file.

[1stgenbird]

I just purchased the parts from the dealer last fall. The left side is available but the right side is discontinued. Just buy 2 lefts and drill the rivet holes to match the ones on the right side. That's all there is to it. Be careful when removing the body molding that it doesn't break. I snapped one of mine since I guess it must have been too cold when I replaced the parts.

Heat up the molding with a hair dryer and carefully and gently pull it off. They are held on with some kind of double sided tape.

[Pselus]

I never knew not to take it through...

woopsie

 

 

where can I get some of this silicone grease?

 

I need a whole new top anyway...my seams are already splitting and the wire is coming out (the wire that holds the shape to the top) so that when I put the top down I have this loop of silver wire hanging off the back of my car....it sucks

[GnatGoSplat]

where can I get some of this silicone grease?

 

GM sells some, but I don't have the GM Part #.

Permatex makes some. Normally I can only find it in tiny superglue-sized tubes, but my friend at O'Reilly Auto Parts ordered me a larger tube of it. It's Permatex Dielectric Grease.

[DOHCRagtopguy]

The company I work at (CRC Industries) manufactures it. Part number 03082 - Di-Electric Grease. It is a 16 oz. aerosol. An electrical supply house should carry it.

 

Don't be confused by the name, I guarantee that is the correct stuff. I'm gonna use some on my ragtop myself.

[GnatGoSplat]

Aerosol? Isn't that the runny watery spray? Actual thick grease out of a tube works a million times better than the sprays.

[DOHCRagtopguy]

If you load it up like crazy, it will run. If you spray it on lightly and then spread it with a rag, it would be ok.

 

We make a pressurized tube also, but it's called Food Grade Sealer and Lubricant. That is a small 6 oz. can. I'll get the part number when I go back to work tomorrow.

[kcac]

Dredging up an old topic here. The wieather stripping under my left rear window finally gave out and needs to be replaced. Did any of you Cutlass convertible owners solve this problem?

 

If so, how did you fix it and how much did it cost? If you had someone do the repair for you, what did it cost?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice

[Psych0matt]

Someone was telling me the other day you can get a bicycle repair kit, and basically put that over top of the broken up piece, looking pretty good, without costing 100$. I haven't done it yet, but if I remember who it was on the board I'll let them 'splain it.

[1stgenbird]

Ya know, you can order this weatherstripping from GM and replace it yourself. I did it and it's not difficult. Go to you local GM dealer and ask them to look up the part number. Only one side is still available but I orderered two of the same and just redrilled the rivet holes to match the one I took off.

 

Just use a hair dryer to heat up the body molding and carefully pull it off. It is held on by double sided tape. Once it is off, then using a drill or small snips, clip off the rivets holding the weatherstrip and remove the old one. If you are replacing the side that is not the one available, use the old weatherstip as a template to mark where the holes need to be drilled and do so. Hold it in place and pop rivet it in. Get some new doublesided tape for the molding and reattach it and just like new. Might take a half hour each side.

Forget the bicycle patch kit, thats ridiculous.

[1stgenbird]

One more thing. I don't remember the part number which is why you need to ask the GM dealer. The cost for each was around $40.00 at the dealer. I know I odered one at the dealer and the other through GM parts on-line which was only $25.00.

 

https://secure.intercityweb.com/PartsOrder.aspx?SSID=dgbqpvf5ovqjjt45r2xwbk55&DAID=748

[WhiteOut]

The stealerships in my area want $52 for the part, I bought one and just haven't done it yet. I figure I'll do it before winter hits sometime.

[kcac]

Thanks for the advice guys. The one side has just completely opened up, so I appreciate the information on how to fix this.

[95DropTop]

dredging up an old topic here, but I went to buy the electric grease/contact cleaner and noticed at Radio Shack that the main ingredient is mineral oil. I bought a $2 bottle of mineral oil at Kmart in the pharmacy (if I get constipated, I have some left over!) and put some on all the seals. (not the one that is ripping away and tearing apart, but the ones around the top where I have been having some leaking) It left a nice wet surface but a few hours later, it was dry to the touch. It absorbed into the seals and I have had several DOWNPOURS since and not a hint of water inside! I had two spots where the water would penetrate and run down the door (soaked my speaker covers) and one in the passenger rear compartment where it ran down. Neither leak has come back since treating it. So don't spend $10 on a can when you can get a pint for $2.