Drip rail removal
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Car: 1991 Z28
Engine: 5.7 TPI
Transmission: 700R4
Drip rail removal
Thought I would finally remove the drip rails on the Z28- this is Southern California and we are heading into summer...
Tried pulling them on an 84 I found in the junkyard- I like to test out an idea there whenever I am shopping for parts.
Seemed easy- pull down the weatherstrip- unbolt the track- unbolt the drip rail- discard- reinstall track and weatherstrip.
Went home and repeated procedure- easy as cake! In fact, mine being 91 instead of an 84, my drip rails were not even screwed on! They were stuck in place with some sort of adhesive. The trickiest part was getting the weatherstrip out without ripping it. I had a little trouble, but it went back in OK- I am going to replace it all anyway, so not too worried if it isn't 100%.
The result? Well, it looks a whole lot cleaner- I always thought the drip rails looked like an afterthought, anyway.
But I was not prepared to the difference in wind noise at moderate speeds with the window down. That one little change in aerodynamics greatly reduced wind turbulence around the window. In fact, the noise has shifted rearward- I don't hear any noise from the airflow boiling over and around the drip rail, but I now hear it hitting the 'B' pillar! It is not just a 'butt dyno' sort of impression either. I had noticed the turbulance and the noise on the drive home from the junkyard, so I was looking for any changes in that after the mod.
Of course, I could be imagining things! All and all, I really like the look.
Tried pulling them on an 84 I found in the junkyard- I like to test out an idea there whenever I am shopping for parts.
Seemed easy- pull down the weatherstrip- unbolt the track- unbolt the drip rail- discard- reinstall track and weatherstrip.
Went home and repeated procedure- easy as cake! In fact, mine being 91 instead of an 84, my drip rails were not even screwed on! They were stuck in place with some sort of adhesive. The trickiest part was getting the weatherstrip out without ripping it. I had a little trouble, but it went back in OK- I am going to replace it all anyway, so not too worried if it isn't 100%.
The result? Well, it looks a whole lot cleaner- I always thought the drip rails looked like an afterthought, anyway.
But I was not prepared to the difference in wind noise at moderate speeds with the window down. That one little change in aerodynamics greatly reduced wind turbulence around the window. In fact, the noise has shifted rearward- I don't hear any noise from the airflow boiling over and around the drip rail, but I now hear it hitting the 'B' pillar! It is not just a 'butt dyno' sort of impression either. I had noticed the turbulance and the noise on the drive home from the junkyard, so I was looking for any changes in that after the mod.
Of course, I could be imagining things! All and all, I really like the look.
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