Rear Hatch Wether Stripping Repair job...
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
From: Bothell, WA
Car: '89 Firebird
Engine: 305 V8
Rear Hatch Wether Stripping Repair job...
Well, here was my attempt at a short term fix for my hatch leaking (until I can buy new stripping).
As you can see from the following pictures, my weatherstripping was very compressed (not to mention full of holes). I could actually see water on the weatherstripping after raising the hatch so i figured it was as good a place as any to start looking for the culperate. The floor of my trunk was getting pretty soaked, actually it came that way when i bought the car two weeks ago.
The driverside was pretty much Identical. My big plan was to use some rubber hosing to fill out the weatherstripping and make it tight against the window again. I bought 4 feet of vacume tubing from the shop and cut it into two pieces, one for each rear corner of the hatch.
Hmmm, that big tear there can't be helping anything...
Afterwords the WeatherStripping looked a lot more "perky"
Unfortunatly the vacum tubing didn't compress very well (by design I suppose) and so my trunk didn't want to pull down all the way.
On-top of that my already flakey pull down unit (would only work one time in 6) decided it had quite enough and gave up the ghost in the locked-down position.
I suppose that's better then the raised position, however it does mean i'll have to destroy my rear trunk panel to get at the thing.
In retrospect, I probably should have used a softer type of tubing,
like that latex tubing they use in medical applications.
I'll likely end up doing the weather stripping and hatch pulldown in a week or two when I have some more $$. I've only had it out in a light rain since I attempted the repair and did not notice any leaking. Will need a heavier rain to be sure however. This is my daily driver so I tend to wait for the weekends before I attemp anything that will affect the drivability of the car.
Just thought you guys could learn from my expirence, maybe do a better job on your own
As you can see from the following pictures, my weatherstripping was very compressed (not to mention full of holes). I could actually see water on the weatherstripping after raising the hatch so i figured it was as good a place as any to start looking for the culperate. The floor of my trunk was getting pretty soaked, actually it came that way when i bought the car two weeks ago.
The driverside was pretty much Identical. My big plan was to use some rubber hosing to fill out the weatherstripping and make it tight against the window again. I bought 4 feet of vacume tubing from the shop and cut it into two pieces, one for each rear corner of the hatch.
Hmmm, that big tear there can't be helping anything...
Afterwords the WeatherStripping looked a lot more "perky"
Unfortunatly the vacum tubing didn't compress very well (by design I suppose) and so my trunk didn't want to pull down all the way.
On-top of that my already flakey pull down unit (would only work one time in 6) decided it had quite enough and gave up the ghost in the locked-down position.
I suppose that's better then the raised position, however it does mean i'll have to destroy my rear trunk panel to get at the thing.
In retrospect, I probably should have used a softer type of tubing,
like that latex tubing they use in medical applications.
I'll likely end up doing the weather stripping and hatch pulldown in a week or two when I have some more $$. I've only had it out in a light rain since I attempted the repair and did not notice any leaking. Will need a heavier rain to be sure however. This is my daily driver so I tend to wait for the weekends before I attemp anything that will affect the drivability of the car.
Just thought you guys could learn from my expirence, maybe do a better job on your own
Supreme Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,985
Likes: 1
From: Massachusetts
Car: candy blue 85 z28
Engine: 305 tpi LB9
Transmission: 700r4 crazy beefed up one
Axle/Gears: ones with teeth
http://www.1aauto.com/1A/Weatherstri.../MW00101/12516
32.95, i would guess with your labor and parts you spent more for the bubble gum repair than if you bough the right weather stripping and got it over with. that is the only way to realy fix it.
Jeff
32.95, i would guess with your labor and parts you spent more for the bubble gum repair than if you bough the right weather stripping and got it over with. that is the only way to realy fix it.
Jeff
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