Weather Strip Replacement ???

[Corvette-Pilot]

My Vette's last owner kept her outside all summer long so most of the weather stripping is cracked.
I see Mid America has a complete kit to do the whole car or individual parts.
They have an after market brand that cost less than the OEM.

Anyone ever try their stuff?
What do you think, worth it or not?
Any other sources that are worth checking out?

Thanks

 

[vetfever]

I actually ordered and changed my rear hatch weatherstrip on my 96 Coupe this weekend. I ordered it from www.weatherstripspecial.com - they are very reasonably priced, and prompt in delivery. As for the product, it looks as good as the OEM product, installed and fit perfectly and I saved alot of $$. Only time will tell as to the long term quality. I would check out the website. Good Luck!!

 

[aoriii]

weatherstrip

I've also just ordered a front winshield weathertrip from weatherstripspecail.com . I've not yet recieve the part (only been about 3 days), but when I get it and get it installed, I'll let you know...



Trey

 

[Corvette-Pilot]

Good lead,
I'll check them out !!

Thanks

 

[tyrel]

There's also a vendor on Ebay who sells the entire kit for around $600. Just do a search on "corvette weatherstrip".

 

[berky2500]

Thanks for the link, I just ordered one for my windshield while I'm on a trip to Hong Kong, it should be there when I get back.

Wild!

 

[Rain]

Ebay search

http://search.ebay.com/search/searc...=MetaEndSort&ht=1&query=corvette+weatherstriphttp://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&SortProperty=MetaEndSort&ht=1&query=corvette+weatherstrip

Rain

 

[Corvette-Pilot]

I actually ordered and changed my rear hatch weatherstrip on my 96 Coupe this weekend. I ordered it from www.weatherstripspecial.com - they are very reasonably priced, and prompt in delivery. As for the product, it looks as good as the OEM product, installed and fit perfectly and I saved alot of $$. Only time will tell as to the long term quality. I would check out the website. Good Luck!!

I checked out this site and the prices blow away MAD. $436 vs $650 for the same set of stripping ! !
I'm willing to bet if I ordered this from MAD that they would then drop ship them from weatherstrip.

I still have to give the GM dealer list above a call to compare the real thing.

 

[yellow_2002_germany]

I was going to recommend The Last Detail but I just looked. OUCH!

GM: $895
Repro: $595

 

[berky2500]

The front weatherstrip for my 85:

I checked GM, $274, I had already bought one from Corvette America, $179. It will be returned when I get back, weatherstrip special, $99. I would just do the whole kit if I had the money and the time, but I added up the prices and there isn't a huge difference between the package and individual prices.

I have saved more money coming to this forum, it ought to be a requirement to be a member of CAC before buying a vette.

 

[hott85]

I ordered a front weatherstrip on-line Wednesday from weatherstripspecial.com and it arrived this morning. Talk about quick-delivery.

Great savings - $99 bucks!

 

[Corvette-Pilot]

I added up the prices and there isn't a huge difference between the package and individual prices.

I also added it up. The kit saves you $6.
Actually the price is the same but they toss in a free tube of adhesive.
Still seems like a great deal

 

[LT4John]

hott85,

I am also looking into ordering the weatherstrip on-line, could you let us know what you think of the product?

Thanks

 

[Vis Croceus]

I just installed seals from weatherstripspecial.com. I installed the seven piece soft top kit and the windshield header seal. Also ordered the main door seals but they are backordered.

Their seals are very different from the OEM seals in material and construction. The originals are soft foam and solid core, and have a textured surface. These are harder rubber and hollow and have a smooth surface. If you care about looking original then you won't like these.

I'm hoping the difference in materials means that these will last longer than the p.o.s. OEM ones.

There are a couple of places where these are not as well made as the OEM - the reinforcement plates in certain locations are not as large or even not there. There are a couple of pieces that have more seams in them than the originals did, and I'm concerned that they will tear along those seams eventually.

One side effect of the harder seals is that they are kind of hard to install - guessing that the softer OEM seals would be more compressible. But then because they are hard to install they are also held firmly in place without any glue. I haven't used any glue, but will go back with some in a couple of spots.

Overall, given that they cost a lot less than OEM, I'm happy. We'll see how they are in a year.

 

[berky2500]

Since I have a new windshield seal from Corvette America (sponge rubber) and one from weatherstripspecial, I compared them and found differences similar to what Steve describes. The Corvette America strip is almost identical to the factory strip in looks and feel. It is softer, a glossy black, and has the thin rubber coating over sponge core rubber like the original. The weatherstripspecial piece is stiffer, and feels like a more solid piece but with the hollow core to give it some flex. It is also a dull black color and several shades lighter, so it won't look exactly like original. The corners and ends however looked identical based on a 60 sec or so comparison.

However I noticed more small flaws at the corners and seams in the Corvette America piece that are probably normal for that type of piece and were probably there in the original as well. Since I already know what the sponge rubber will look like after years in the sun (chunks missing, dry and crumbly and leaks like crazy), I think I'll keep the weatherstripspecial piece and begin a long term test. I'll save $70 for the time being, but will keep in mind that most often you get what you pay for, here's to hoping technology has improved both the quality of the part and made it cheaper to produce.

Maybe I'll remember to update this in a couple of years.

 

[Corvette-Pilot]

Thanks for the reviews guys.
Now the decision is as clear as mud :crazy

Pay the price and get the original, save some $$$ and take a chance??

My original strips are 9 years old and I can get away with them since I try not to drive in the rain. Either set should give me quite a few years.

Please keep the reviews coming !

 

[hott85]

LT4 John,

Haven't had a chance to install the strip yet, since my car is in the shop being serviced. Can't provide a comparison to OEM because I don't know what they're like.

Will let you know how the installation goes and how it seals.

By the way.....helluva LT4 you've got there....nice...

 

[vetahlk]

I just got finished installing the weatherstrip on the rear hatch on my 93. It took about two hours and was a piece of cake. The part that took the majority of the time was cleaning before installing the new strip, and don't forget removing all the dirty finger prints all over the body and glass afterward. I bought an after market on E-bay from jhn317 and it fit perfectly and appears to be of very good quality. By the way I paid $84 including shipping and handling.
John

 

[Corvette-Pilot]

Great lead.
I looked this guy up on ebay (jhn317) and he has the hatch strip for BIN $79.

Might drop him a line and see what the other pieces cost.

2 hours?
What was involved?

 

[rocklyons]

weatherstripspecial.com

I hope you guys are right. I just ordered the windshield piece and the 7 pieces for my convertible top.

Rock