Stage 10

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Stage 10 consists of the miscellaneous stuff I either forgot or am just now getting to.

Weather-stripping....  They say that you get what you pay for. Well after emptying my wallet numerous time for the build, I have found that to be true and false. The false of it is easy to figure out. There are plenty of people out there willing to hold out there hands for lots of money, and under-deliver on both parts and service. The truth of it comes down to OEM or NOS parts compared to aftermarket repop stuff. Nothing compares to OEM parts. Trouble is finding the stuff. It either doesn't exist or NOS parts are cost prohibitive (read as TOO EXPENSIVE!!!).

Weather-stripping is one of those things that thankfully is still available OEM. But, as noted above, if it is available, it is probably too expensive. I added up all the different parts needed to replace the weather-stripping on my car. The parts were as follows:

Inner and outers window sweeps x2 each

upper window seals x2

lower door seals x2 

trunk seal x1

All above parts total cost over $800.00 new from GM. Ouch!!! 

So I do some research on the net and hear good and bad stories about aftermarket stuff. I decided that I would go the aftermarket route as a test. Seeing as how I am planning on repainting my car in the near future, I will be taking the weather-stripping off again, and probably wont be able to reuse it. So the cheap stuff it is. And I figure, if it turns out to be decent stuff, then I know to use it again. But if it is crap, then I know that after repainting my car to go with OEM. Plus I like testing stuff out. 

The window sweeps are the first part of bad news. They aren't curved correctly near the front of the door. So fitment is bad at best. I had to use 2 C clamps to hold it in place pressed down, and drill new holes for the mounting screws. Plus, instead of the little round bead, it is a flat bead. Definitely not correct. 

Here are some pics of the window sweeps. 

Notice the flat bead....

This is the drivers side front section. I was able to get this one pretty close. Still a pain though....

Here is the Passenger front. Way way off. Very unhappy with the fitment of it...

And the passenger side back...

For the window seals, they aren't molded correctly. 

Pics to come...

And the door seals, while being ok, still dont have the best fitment. One problem with them is they lack the plastic inside the foam on both ends, so they crush up into the window slot when the door is closed. 

Pics to come...

So ultimately, I will be spending the 800 + dollars to get the correct stuff. Lesson learned. Sometimes you do get what you pay for. 

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