Monday, June 23, 2014

Replacing the Corvette's Halo Seal

And you thought Corvettes had devil horns, not haloes! :-)  The halo seal is the piece of rubber that goes from the bottom of the driver's door, over the top of the car, to the bottom of the passenger's door, behind the driver's head, where the removable top goes.  This seal degrades over time because of ozone and UV damage, and the constant removal and installation of the removable top.  Side effects of the degradation include water leaks (which have not been a problem for me), and wind noise (which has).

I bought a replacement halo seal from Midamerica Motorworks (the upgraded quality one for $119.95).  The Chevy dealer would have replaced the seal for something approaching $400, so I figured that if I couldn't do it, I was only out $120.  If I could do it, it would be a big savings.

My wife and I spent two hours on this operation, and I am so glad that I had her help.  She has spatial intelligence that I often lack.  At one point, we were supposed to be able to press the seal into a channel, but we just could not get it to pop in and stay in.  At this point, she suggested spraying the channel and the seal with cooking spray, and sliding it in from the side.  It took a couple of tries, but this solved the problem.

Anyway, the car is noticeably quieter from wind noise than it was before.  There is still a bit of a rattle and squeak problem on gravel roads, but this indicates that O-rings are a quick and easy solution that works for many, and lithium grease on the weatherstripping will solve most of the squeaks.

2 comments:

  1. If I'd known you were doing that, I'd have suggested silicone spray lubricant, to the same effect, from doing the same thing on the door seals of my old Mercedes.

    At least, thankfully, you didn't have to use weatherstrip glue...

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  2. Actually, we used a few spots of clear silicone sealant where the original had signs of it.

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