clamshell quistion

buzzy restoring and looking at things I have the following question the seal between the window and lower door part of the clampshell does it needs to seal completely ore does it function like a gutter so the water goes out side ways?
this seems to me logical because of the way its shaped and shuts Greetz cisco

 

I assume you're referring to where the lower edge of the rear window meets the top edge of the tailgate when the window is fully lowered and the tailgate is fully raised (circled in red below). Yes, there is supposed to be a rubber seal there for the window to sit into.




Tailgate lowered so you can see the top edge. Arrows point to the rubber weatherstrip that the window mates with when closed.

 

thx a lot a picture is better than words I indeed mean this seal mine looks different tomorrow I make some fotoos I think it isn't the right seal it functions like a gutter the picture will show it thx and greets

 

To my knowledge and in my experience, none of the rear-window and tailgate-related rubber weatherstrips are reproduced for the clamshell wagons, so if any seal is badly deteriorated and needs to be replaced, it's possible that someone tried to make work something else that wasn't specifically designed for this application.

 

I think so 2 but I make the picture anyway you see
isn't there anyone who knows Wat the seal really looks like
I can try to make a company reproduce it wil cost me a little fortune I think and I got an e bay request out fore it a yused one is also good, reproduction will be. easier with the. right dimensions
and to my knowledge from 71 to 73 gm used the same rubber for al clamshell
I am learning along the restauration thx and Greetz

 

I think GM used the same weatherstrip for all six years of the clamshells ('71 to '76).

A good used one will probably be difficult to find as it would have to come off of a car that was otherwise too far gone to be a restoration candidate, and if any clamshell is in that bad a shape, it's likely that the weatherstrip on it is in bad shape, too.

Any NOS weatherstrip found on ebay is likely to be VERY expensive, and remember that it will also be 45-ish years old. Rubber weatherstrip ages just sitting in the box. Exposure to the sun and other elements speeds the process along, but, still, I would inspect any NOS piece carefully before buying (which I realize may not be so easy if it's something for sale on ebay) to make sure that it isn't stiff and crispy just due to being nearly a half-century old. There's a reason the recommendation is to discard tires once they're 10 or so years old no matter now much or how little mileage is on them.

 

hmmmm stil hoping fore someone with a good picture ore dimensions of the seal
there is also the option to make it myself with liquid pu
it's not so expensive I yust have to make the casting mould
I have to stop the leakage I already glued the front and. side quarter windows al bad and. dried out glue it leaked like an old boat
in 6 months I already have more than 400 hours in it stripping painting get the rust out did almost the underside completely only the middle part left
you got to love it otherwise people think I am nuts got to love the old big v8

 

me again this is how it looks on my kingswood

 

another view

 

In that first photo, the rubber doesn't look too bad. It just looks like it needs to be properly reattached. I think I'd try to do that before pulling it all out and trying to replace it with something that wasn't designed to fit there or with something you spent a small fortune on to have remade. Heck, I know I'm judging the situation by only one photo, but it looks like you could fix the problem with a $10 tube of weatherstrip adhesive and about 10 minutes of work.

 

do you think it's the original seal?
if it is it works like a gutter the water goes out side ways and not out and over the backside
I try to make a clearer picture thx again

 

and more

 

It looks close to original. The way it works is just as you described, water runs off to the sides. The piece that sits inside the window is the critical part as if that is compromised water gets inside. The other rubber piece on the outer side isn't as critical.

 

i wasn't shore thx fore the explanation
I shall restore it and look how bad it really is when hosed
but I was right in my observation water goes down side ways
Greetz cisco

 

I have a company who is willing to make a mold to reproduce the rear clam shell tail gate.

The problem is that they need a sample that they can use for 8 months to do it. The problem is if I remove mine, I won't be able to drive the car for that time. My parents drive the car (in Vegas) as their every day drivers. It is a 1976 Chevrolet Caprice with the 454.

Does anyone have a set (even if it is all dry rotted) that I can buy, so I can get this tool made???