C5 Weatherstrip replacements

One of these days I am going to get the C5Z repainted, and when that happens I will want to get the mouldings above the door windows on both sides replaced, since they are both broken somehow. I already have new ones that I bought set on the shelf in the garage, but I was looking at accounts or replacing those mouldings, and it seems that most people are saying that the weatherstrip that goes between the window and that moulding will usually get destroyed in the process. Apparently the weatherstrip is glued in place and trying to remove the weatherstrip is not a gentle process.

So I decided I should get a set of weatherstrips as well. In case anyone is interested, the GM part numbers for these items is as follows:

10333467 (passenger side)
10333468 (driver side)

I found a guy on Ebay selling a set from a 2004 Z06 and he claimed they had no rips or tears in them, so heck, I decided to buy them. Well, when I got them, I found quite a few rips and tears in them, all on the side that would have been glued to the moulding. Pictures will be below. Honestly, I'm not happy with the rips I see, but never having done this sort of thing before, will they be a significant problem? Will they likely be the source of leaks and other headaches? Or is this a non issue and I'm just worried about nothing?

More pics....

I took some wider angle photos of the side of the weatherstrips that the window would press up against, and they look OK to my untrained eye. The issue is that I don't know how significant the damages I see would be if these weather strips were installed. But honestly, I rarely ever take the car out, and never knowingly if I'm expecting rain, because I live on a dirt road, and mud bogging in a corvette isn't as much fun as you might think it is...

Yeah, I know I SHOULD buy new, but I'm not sure if these weatherstrips are still available from GM. A lot of websites say they are, but if my past experiences are any guide, I won't really know until I place an order, and then MAYBE get an email response a few days later telling me that GM no longer makes them, so SORRY CHARLIE. I do prefer new, but had these been perfect and with "no rips and tears" as the copy ad said when I bought them, then I felt this would have worked. Now I CAN return them, according to the seller and Ebay, but I'm just having second thoughts as to whether these would actually be OK, and I just have my "corvette perfection OCD" gene kicking in.

More pics showing the side that actually attaches to the molding via what looks like tracks.

But maybe I have been jumping to a confusion here. I was assuming that these weatherstrips are glued into place as well as being "locked" into tracks. And it is because of the glue that chunks of the weatherstrip may come away from the main piece while being removed. Or is it that pieces come off because of being locked into the tracks and being stuck there when being removed? If this is so, then I need to rethink keeping these used weatherstrips if they are missing significant areas that are needed to keep them locked into the tracks. Having never seen the weatherstrips laying on a bench, I just don't know if there is something significant missing from them or not.

I actually can try to match them up with the moldings because I do have the spare moldings laying on a shelf, so perhaps that will show me more. Still, if there are some sort of tabs that more securely hold the weatherstrip in place that are missing, I really won't know that even trying to fit them into place.













I may need to try to order new ones just to see if they are still available from GM. If not, I may be stuck with having to try to work with used ones instead. Perhaps I could get my own weatherstrips off of my car without damaging them, but heck, that is going to be pretty chancy. No telling how those moldings got broken as they are, so not sure what removing the weatherstrips and the moldings might show underneath them. I might not really want to know, and maybe best to leave this to whoever I get to paint the car down the road. But I DO want to get whatever might be needed now before all this stuff just becomes real tough to find on an older model C5.

Ecklers has weatherstripping, even carries some OEM GM stuff. If you can't find what you need there you might try Charles Clark Chevrolet in McAllen, Texas. I have bought parts for my CTS V over the years. They sell online for up to 40% off list.

www.clarkchevrolet.com/

https://www.ecklerscorvette.com/wea...weatherstripping.html/Brand:General-Motors-GM

Well, the problem with Eckler's, at least in this instance, is that they want at least TWICE what anyone else is advertising these weatherstrips for. :ack2:

https://www.ecklerscorvette.com/cor...rip-fixed-roof-coupe-frc-right-1999-2004.html

I guess the ones they carry are gold inlaid.

FYI, I have found the weatherstrips on a number of GM parts suppliers, but that doesn't mean they are actually still available from GM. I did sent an email to one to inquire about actual availability, but have yet to hear back from them.

And apparently there is an aftermarket set available from a company called Metro Moulded Parts that are a consideration if the quality is there.

I took a hard look at the used weatherstrips I have in hand, and there looks like a good bit of glue I would have to be scraping off of them in order to use them. And there is a push pin hole on one that is broken. I've got till the 20th to send these used ones back, so I am trying hard to get some answers before I make any further decisions. To many "if"s involved right now that I just don't have answers for.

Just as a followup, I found a GM dealer selling these weatherstrips NIB, so I bought them and returned the used one I bought off of Ebay for a full refund. The new ones look MUCH better, and definitely the way to go for stuff like this.

They showed up just today.