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Weatherstripping & leaks

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  • Weatherstripping & leaks

    This isn't my first GM b-body wagon, and every one I've ever been in had shot weatherstripping. I am actually starting to wonder if they left the factory with decomposed weatherstripping since my grandparents had a few of these wagons back in the late 80s-mid 90s and I remember being rained on while riding in them back then. The last few times I've gone off looking for new weatherstripping I couldn't find anyone with OEM-spec products and the dealerships claim the original GM old stock are unobtanium.

    Today discovered that Fairchild makes some 80s GM weather stripping now, but both their catalog and the online retailers carrying the line [incl Rock Auto] are pretty confusing in what actually fits what. Some actually list a "2-door custom cruiser." But there is no 2 door custom cruiser. The custom cruiser is the wagon model. Anyway they distinctly list "Complete Glass Runs" for the GM B-bodies [Caprice, Buick estates, Custom Cruiser], list inner & outer "Belt Weatherstrip" pieces for the 4 doors [but don't mention wagons], list front door seals for both the 4doors & wagons, and list rear door seals for the 4doors [but don't explicitly mention wagons].



    Amazingly the doorseals are all I need right now. Probably because I don't have a stock tailgate [the B-body wagon tailgate seals, tailgate window seal, and rear cargo area side windows are major leak points- and as far as today indicated no one yet makes anything for them]. So I ordered part# KG3021 [front door seal kit, which is explicitly stated to fit wagons], and took a chance by ordering KG3025 [rear door seal kit, which is said to fit 4 door models but doesn't mention wagons]. When they arrive & have a day to try putting them on I'll find out if the rear door seals will work. The front door seal kit mentions having a mysterious "large blue clip" that the rear door seal kit doesn't mention. I have no idea what this means.

    Water seams to get in through the windshield, but I don't know if that's because the windshield adhesive has deteriorated or if the roof itself is leaking. Also don't yet know if the roof is sheet metal or fiberglass. The headliner bond is shot, but the headliner itself does not appear to get soaked during heavy rain. Somehow the rear passenger quarter panel gets filled with water. I might have to cut a drain hole into it. Suspecting a lot of water is in there right now, because that corner is lower to the ground and when I go up hills you can see water coming out of that corner. So I have to figure out if it is getting in from the roof, landau bar mounting holes, or however the vinyl roof trim attaches to the body.
    Last edited by sgath92; 06-10-2012, 02:17 PM.

  • #2
    Well, they're all in now and they fit perfect. The stock weatherstripping used yellow plastic clips on the front doors, and white plastic clips on the rear doors. 3M makes a black super weatherstripping adhesive now [back in the day it only came in yellow] and I highly advise using black so any adhesive smudge that shows isn't noticeable.

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    • #3
      what year is your coach?

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      • #4
        1988. Haven't been able to drive it in the rain yet to see if it has cut down on how much water is getting in, but the car is really quiet inside now. Before at speed it always sounded very windy but with the door seals replaced its quiet even when the windows are down.

        The curtains, btw, were screwed into the door seal channels so they had to be taken out to replace the weatherstripping. Still haven't put them back in yet.

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