what is the correct care needed to be taken of the T tops weatherstripping and channels in the roof of the car ? i want to keep them as damn nice as they are right now, no splits or cracks or nothing in the main rain gutter channels, whats good to use, armor all, or what ? mabe theres a product out there that may make them soft and maybe swell a little to help seal even better and not drip on passenger side on back seat and floor ? i dont understand how it leaks when theres not a damned thing wrong with any of the rubber on the car except the door glass outer(and i guess inners too)scrapers(i am gonna replace them to keep doors from rotting out if i can find a decent deal on a set)

what can i do ?

thanks for anything !!!!1

 

do not fall into the armorall trap once you use it you have to keep using it if you dont they will get real dry fast and crack. I have been told you should put a coat of vasoline on it at start of winter to keep the soft and from crackking. But everyday care Im still looking for something. Vasoline would probably work but you bag might get messy.

 

i just now used some tuff stuff tire stuff for now just to get it started, could always wipe the excess vasoline off with rag, i also wanna help out the windshield weatherstripping too, even though the car is getting anew windshield in the near future anyways

thanks !

 

I have been using the black magig protectant and it works very well,i used t ouse the 2001 stuff but after seeing the Black magic on a friends car i have been using it ever since.

Als oi make sure to use it on the t-top seals and etc... at least once a month or so. (and my Formula has not had a leaky t-top in about the last 4 years)

 

Don't use vasoline, petrolieum(sp) eats at the rubber.

 

Go to your local parts store, or even someplace like Kmart, walmart, etc and get 100% pure silicone in a spray can. Park the car in direct sunlight to let the rubber expand, and carefully spray the rubber down. No need to rub it in, it'll soak in on its own after a few minutes. Do this everytime you wash the car. A nice side effect is that the silicone repells water.

BTW this is the method that GM recommends you preserve the weatherstripping, as listed in the shop manual and in various technical service bullitins.

 

how do you spray it down every time you wash your car without spraying silicon all over your paint?

 

Hold a towel just behind the weatherstripping, use the tiny red tube and spray close to the weatherstripping. Just use a little caution and it won't be a problem...

 

silicone, duh for me ! of course ! hell yeah, thanks guys !!!

paint is overrated, mine has already been repainted original color and is not in good condition really, i gues sits ok shape, so it doesnt matetr if it oversprays on paint as long as silicone doesnt eat paint, lol( i think is original type color, even though its dark brown and codes say 65L and 65U which dont show up in decoder as brown- help)?

 

GM changes the color codes every so often, the codes in the decoder here are from the late 90's, so they might not be accurate for early thirdgens.

Silicone won't really hurt paint, but you don't want to get it anywhere that you might want to have paint stick in the near future. Also its typically used as a lubricant, works well for hood latches, lock cylinders, door hinges, etc... Way back when, I got some on my shoes and flew down the steps of our old house, so be carefull what you get it on.

 

hehe, i like to use penetrating oil like pbblaster on undercarriage parts like the sway bar bushings and control arm bushings and to keep the shocks hardware and brake line fittings all clean, i sparayed everywhere under the maro the other day when i was doing brake job, so everything is nice and lubed front and rear now, and the doors too, stuff that past owners never do...,.


thanks !

 

my dad says that johnsons baby oil is a good choice

 

i also like the silcone spray..

the main thing is to just keep dirt off of it.. a wet towel can thing that, then dry it and use some of that spray.. dont want to make too much of a mess..

 

i use armoral and it comes out beautiful.

 

True, BUT do not use it BEFORE you paint a car... then you get fisheye....

some of the final glazing materials used to polish paint actually have silicone, so it really does not hurt anything...

John