Getting my car painted, what the best T-top weather striping to buy and the easy to install, were can I purchase a set. Just don`t want to purchase
a cheap set. Any info is please.
Thanks
Al
1983 TransAm

 

None of it is easy to install. It takes some effort to get it right. If you do a search you will get a range of opinions. My best recommendation is to stay away from OER. It is junk. I used Soffseal for the t tops and was happy with them.

 

2x for Soffseal.

Avalible from any of your favorite resto shops.

Year One
Classic Insudstries
etc

 

GM Parts Direct had the best price on original seals for me, but that was a few years ago.

 

Thanks for all the help, so the best place to purchase them would be GM Parts Direct
or Classic.

 

Or Year One, or Ricks Camaro, or.... etc... Heck, I think Hawks has them too.

I actually got mine from Autozone.

Only complaint about Classic Industries is their shipping rates are high. I did see they were offering free shipping for Black friday though.

 

I am trying to replace my t-top outer seals..the ones that the door window glass goes up against when rolled up..ive seen various aftermarket ones online for about 50 bucks free shipping...i see hawks had them for 69 bucks plus shipping..do u think its worth the extra money thru hawks? is it a better product than 1aauto or other companies? I cant find any original gm part so aftermarket is my only option i believe? Thanks for the help

 

3x soffseal
They made the original weatherstripping for our cars. A little differently made now though, no plastic reinforcement on the ends for door and seal around it. Don't skimp where it counts.

 

http://www.lonestarcarparts.com/


This place sells Softseal @ the CHEAPEST price I could find.And I have had it on my car since 2006 with no leaks !!!


DO NOT GET METRO or anything from 1aauto,have heard TONS of complaints !!!!!! Classic industries is a RIPOFF !!!


Dave

 

[quote=3rdgenparts;5685413]http://www.lonestarcarparts.com/
This place sells Softseal @ the CHEAPEST price I could find"





1982-1992 Camaro / FIrebird Hardtop Complete Weatherstrip... (190812182899)
Member id lonestarcarparts | Feedback Score Of 35887 | 99.9%
Sale date: 03/22/13
$255.00
+ $21.50shipping

 

I bought the t top drip edge from 1A. Not sure who makes it as there was no brand name on it. But I suspect they all sell the same one made by the same company as they all look the same. There are 2 versions - rubber and plastic. I really liked the look of the rubber, but I did not have any luck getting the double faced tape on the edge to seal to the t top. It kept pulling away from the t top, and I suspect that it was due to the way it was molded. I called up 1A and told them I was not happy with them and they replaced them with the plastic version. They fit well, and I am happy with them.

 

I got mine from Steel Rubber Products in Denver NC.

Steele Rubber Products

Excellent products and customer service.

 

I was assuming you were talking about the drip edge. But not sure after reading this again. Do you need the seal that the window closes against or the gasket that allows the water to roll away from the window when it rains? The seal that the window closes against is manufacturer specific and should be changed when you change the t top body seals. They will not seal right if you mix and match companies.

 

Outer drip seals ..and i already ordered them through hawks the rubber syle..nine are rubber style so goin with original ..hope they work out

 

If you have any experience with dealing with weatherstripping, may I suggest you put it on rather than the body shop. I had a bad experience trusting my body shop with any weatherstripping. I got all new rubber and they installed it poorly. It leaked, when I weant to remove and diagnose, it stuck to the paint. then I noticed that the center bar was supposed to have a rubber cushion. Guess what they painted over it. Now for the doors. They left the drivers door window wobbly, why b/c they screwed up the outer door seals and ran oversized screws to secure it. Ended up using all my old weather stripping. So if you can do it, put it on yourself. That's my two sense.

 

I picked up a full set of soft seal. I will reinstalling everything myself as
soon as I get it back from the body shop. I purchased a new black t bar
from Hawks hope it goes good I did loose a few screws.
Thanks for the info guys.
Al

 

Good luck man

 

Should do them in a heated Garage or wait till the weather breaks.

 

Install them in a heated garage or on a hot day. Will make it easier to mold to the top.

 

i bought my kit from lonestar years ago because it was suppose to be softseal. I left the package closed for like 4 years. Well had the car painted and opened the box to find this garbage metro seals. They fit like ***. T-Top has a huge gap where the a-pillar is. door seals are worse as the doors wont close now. I adjusted the doors as best as i could but still wont close. The old door gaskets were better then this crap

 

They all have a huge gap where the A pillar is. You need to fill it properly with weatherstrip adhesive or butyl caulk.

 

I replaced all of the rubber including the t-top seals, it took two days with some help from a friend. I never did it before but if you take your time it's not that bad. The hardest part was the rubber at the top of the door. You have to take the door panels off and make some adjustments. I got all from from Classic Industries.

 

I used GM for the t-tops, and Softseal for the doors. Both have been good so far.
Do your prep right, and install properly, and all should be good.

Alicat.

 

GM or Fairchaild seals,... only buy other brands if you can't find - or afford - them.

 

Sorry to do some necro-posting here, but anyone knows which cars came with plastic and which with the rubber drip edge seals? I noticed Hawks also has both and they tell you to go with whatever you car has originally. I'm wondering what the reason for different ones might be and if one variant has advantages over the other?
Thanks in advance!

 

Maybe someone will chime in for you, we carry them in the weatherstrip section of our website. I had our weatherstrip manufacturer bring these to market for you guys a few years ago, because they were getting hard to find.

We offer free shipping and a lifetime warranty on them too. Here's a link to them on our website. Camaro Drip Edge Seal

Tony

 

I think the plastic is for the later years of production...91-92 perhaps. I know my '88 came with rubber when new.

 

Just listening.

 

How do you know they made the OE??

 

Does the later plastic version then have any advantages as to seal or durability over the years (decades) or was it just a cost driven decision at GM?

 

I started installing soffseal on my 87 IROC and so far I am very happy with the results. I have it installed on the passenger side and it is soft and seals well with out giving the window any issues when rolling it up. After I put a little STP on the weather stripping. It is a little dry out of the package. Looks just like the factory IMO. I have the OER brand on my second gen ttop and that stuff is stiff and has no give to it. It is so bad that the windows will not roll up all of the way. I will be changing that over to soffseal possibly this winter.

 

Yet another bad report on OER parts.

 

I have other OER parts like the replacement dash pad on my 80 Camaro with nothing bad to say about it. Just the weather stripping.