Soff Seal roof rail weatherstrip install

Today I started installing a set of roof rail weatherstrips in the beater. Now, Im generally against installing a bunch of new parts on this car. They really don't really fit with the theme of the car. They tend to stand out like sore thumbs. Generally speaking, when a part is needed Im installing used parts- parts that still have life left in them but are cosmetically unacceptable for most other cars. True recycling!

That being said, I had to break this rule on the roof rail weatherstrips. The wind noise when I was driving it was killing me. That and the glass rattled. I had to do something. Didn't quite realize what a pain in the rectum this was going to be though.

So I started the install today. The roof rails came out literally like dry toast. The first issue was getting the remnants out from where they enter the quarter panel. So out came the rear seat and interior quarter panel. I pulled the windlace down a little to access the weatherstrip channel. What a mess. Dry toast everywhere!!

It was tough to get the new rubber locked into the channel. The trick was to use a lot of WD-40 and a popsicle stick. What also came in handy was a cotter pin puller tool. So after a little cursing, I got the driver's side in. Pulling the interior is a must to get these run into the quarter properly. Bad news- now both pieces of glass needed adjusting. So off came the door panel The drivers door glass had to be pulled in at the top, upper stops adjusted and the glass moved rearward. Door glass moved almost a 1/4". Quarter glass needed a little tweaking. So after a half hour futzing with adjustments, I got it! I put the interior back in sans rears seat (still need to do the passenger side). Glass fits nice into the seals now. I cant wait to drive it. Im curious to hear the difference.

A few "while I was there" items- tightened up the loose outside door handle, greased up the quarter window regulator, scrubbed the snot out of the interior panels I took off and both seat cushions with hot water and Simple Green .

All in all, the Soff Seals aren't bad, They were cheap enough but lack the molded corner where it transitions from the windshield to the roof. Pictures to follow tomorrow

 

I don’t think any of them have a molded corner.

 

Nice work Fred! Dorman makes the roller that is captured in the long track. The one that is attached to the bottom of the glass. When you have to "help" the quarter windows up and down, that's the roller that's worn out. I replaced them in the convertible and the glass goes up and down effortlessly now

 

I bought the TPP roof rails for the Aquamist car and they have it. They're super expensive and TPP really talks them up on how better they are. Not sure how they fit yet though. That's going to be a summer project after the emotional scarring heals from this install.

 

I'm eager to hear how the molded ones fit!

 

Thanks, I laughed out loud on that one! And no packs of $100 bills either!!! I did find a few pennies though. I checked the dates just in case

 

So this is what the TPP seals look like. As you can see, they have the molded corner. Compared to the Soff Seals, the TPP's definitely feel softer. And oddly almost a little thinner.

Here is what the roller looks like. Its attached to the bottom of the glass. They make a special tool to unscrew the metal washer from the glass. I think I got mine from a Chevelle place. if you don't have the tool, get it! Its invaluable. What happens is that, over time, the edges of the track cut into the groove in the roller. So the roller start becoming loose in the track. You can see the ground up plastic in the groove. Disregard my ugly mechanic hand-



And its sideways....sigh...Anyway, this is the new nylon one that comes in the Dorman assortment-

 

Not exactly sure what the spring's purpose it. I assume just to keep the roller lined up/ in place? I assume "rollers" are supposed to actually roll right?

 

Just checked a quarter window I have kicking around in the basement. Came out of my 72 Skylark parts car. No spring or accommodation for one on the bracket

 

That's a good question Bill. The factory did use black adhesive. There was remnants of it in the channel. Should you use adhesive? Probably. I didn't though. They fit in so tight that I didn't feel it was really necessary. They're definitely not going to fall out. And if the car eventually breaks in half from the rust, I can remove them easily!

I started at the front. The front has a molded end so there is a definite starting point. At the other end, it runs into the quarter panel and just ends a few inches past the stainless channel as did the original. I had to cut a few inches off the end as it was a little too long.