convertible weatherstrip

[Gary Schisler]

I have replaced all the weathersripping on my 66 convertible with the exception of that piece that seals the top against the rear deck lid. There is a small, round plastic strip that holds the weatherstrip in a groove in the top itself. This looks like a pretty easy job - pull out the round strip, lift off the old weatherstrip, replace it with new, and force the strip back into the groove.

Are there any problems doing this? Any tricks or hidden surprises?

I have been surprised so many times during my restoration, that I didn't want to just pull it out, start to work on it and find out that it required three hands, the strength of Hercules, or the mind of Einstein.

Any and all advice is appreciated, as always. Gary

[Joe L.]

Re: convertible weatherst

I'll only say this: all of the steps that you described relative to replacement of the rear bow weatherstrip are easy until you get to the last one. There are a lot of upholsterers out there that haven't mastered that one.

[Rod McCormick]

Re: convertible weatherst

Gary,

Looks can be deceiving. I replaced my convertible top about a year ago and the inserting the weatherstripping and plastic strip into the rear bow was by far the most difficult step. On a new top, you have to stretch the top to fit the bow, push the top material down into the groove, push the weather stripping down into the groove, and then insert the plastic strip, all with only two hands. And, this is with the rear bow detached from the top frame and working on a flat work bench. By the way, did I mention that you also need to hold in the plastic piece for the length you already installed it or it frequently comes out of the groove?

Now that I've got you worried, installation of new rear-bow weatherstripping and the plastic strip on an existing top shouldn't be as bad as on a new top. Your top material should already be formed down into the groove. Don't pull it out. Just inserting the weather stripping should be easier but I would expect some difficulty due to it being on the car and having to reach over the car towards the middle of the bow. Be sure to use plenty of lubricant on the plastic strip. I used WD-40.

One more thing. Place the weatherstripping around the bow, leaving both ends of the weatherstripping extendind past both ends of the bow. Then start in the middle of the bow inserting the weatherstripping and plastic strip, working towards each end. You can trim off any extra weather stripping on both ends when your done.

Hope this helps.

Rod McCormick '67 convertible

[Gary Schisler]

Thanks for the advice!

Thank you both for your enlightening information. This is one of the jobs that looked too easy. As a matter of fact, the original rear deck weatherstrip is in perfect shape and I thought that as long as I am replacing all of the other, why not replace that. I think I'll leave it alone! Thanks again, Gary