Clamshell weatherstrips

any ideas where to get clamshell tailgate & way back window weatherstrip for a 76 Olds Custom Cruiser?

Steele does not offer them, and I have a rainforest effect happening back there.

thanks

 

Is that the fuzzy stuff in the body frame?.

You can buy a roll of the 2" wide, black, female part of a Velcro set and trim to fit in the track. I used it on my fixed rear door vents and it works better than the original. You measure the width and the two sides of the slot and cut the width of the velcro (fuzzy) and then use a wooden spoon handle or something without a sharp edge and insert it into the slot. A good rubber glue will secure it in place. Contact cement dries hard, but rubber glue will be removable over time.

 

its the weatherstrip that runs down both sides of the window on the inside AND outside, runs vertically

warped on the inside and cut about 2 inches from the bottom (near the gate) on the outside

 

Ah so, grasshopper!

Leave it to a Ford Guy to second guess a Jimmy. Check the Links Directory off the main page. There's a few other Weatherstrip links there, and I'm pretty sure one is commented for GM Clamshell strips.

 

thanks Norman

 

couldn't find those over there.... If they can be found please inform me for I know quite a few clamshell owners looking for them

 

will do, and if you can find me a set of those chrome vent shades, I really want them!! (great cars 75RivGS we have similar taste!)

 

You can count me in.... need some for the gate areas of my Chevrolet Estate wagon '72.

 

clam rubber

Try this site:

www.sales@KarrRubber.com

I wrote it down when I got my wagon and would spend hours looking for parts. I never bought the seals but I definetely need them. I suggest calling them.

I just picked up my wagon yesterday that was stuck at a mechanic/?friend's house when I moved from Dallas to Houston. Today I ripped out all the carpeting and floor insulation (3 large garbage bags) because it was moist and rusting my floor pans. I kept asking the guy to cover it while he was finishing the carb and other minor things on it, but he obviously didnt. No one loves a car like the owner. Any way it needs lots of weatherstripping but at least now the rain wont sneak under the carpet. Pics coming soon.

 

That link looked funny (didn't work either), more like an email, so I tried editing it.

This works: http://www.karrrubber.com/

 

Count me in this search too! I need the exact same weather strips for my '75 clamshell too!

 

For the last two mornings it has rain tons here in Dallas, and the back of my Buick is as waterlogged as the Andrea Doria!

I thought about installing a bilge pump, but decided to come up with a real fix for my crumbling weatherstrips.


I went to my local Pick-N-Pull to look for a suitable replacement, and hit paydirt!


Finally, a good reason for the Ford Aerostar minivan's existence!

Turns out, the rubber strip along the top of the RH cargo and passenger door opening closely approximates the size and shape of the original clamshell vertical window strips.


It is incredibly cheap, easy to mount, and extremely plentiful, as the 86-97 Aerostar is now showing up in the junkyards in droves.


I removed the pillar trim, but this is easily damaged, and not a must for this repair, it just helps in finding the screw holes...you can mark them with a marker or tape.


There are 5 screws holding the retaining strip in place.


It may be necessary to cut the old WS away at the top and bottom, depending on how much of your old stuff is salvageable.


The piece of Aerostar weatherstrip...one is enough, but I used two, because I liked the section the went beneath the cargo door...it seemed to be flattened out, better resembling the original stuff.
The metal channel need to be spread a little, opening it up so it would mount on the retaining strip better.


I used some dum-dum in the weatherstrip channel, put the retaining strip in place, and screwed it in place. I left about an inch of material extending up in the roof area, and an inch down past the bottom, to be trimmed later.


This shot is of the LH side, showing the horizontal WS screw...this should be used to punch through the extra new WS and affix it to the roof. I learned through trial and error that the rigid channel should end at the metal retaining strip, but the rubber WS should extend past.


The finished product! It holds tightly to the window for a nice seal.
I have yet to lay a bead of black adhesive caulk along the edge where the pillar and strip meet, but plan to one I have all of the rest of this complex system of weatherstriping figured out.



Hope this helps the Clamshell Community!

 

Special thanks to Rob (75RivGS) for helping me to understand how to put pics in my posting. I was having a lot of trouble figuring it out :confused:, and he came to my rescue! :2_thumbs_up_-_anima
Rob,:You_Rock_Emoticon:

 

You're welcome

A post where lots of clamshell owners were waiting for.


Already spreading the word here to other clamshell owners.... in a few months Aerostars at scrape yards with the cargodoor WS still in place, are as rare as clamshell wagons for sale

 

BTW: I suggest to make this thread a sticky