[KILLSHOTS]

So here's my experience, guys. Hopefully I can explain this so it will make sense...

When I restored my 87 convertible and I replaced the top, headliner, etc., I decided to replace all the weatherstripping as a "while I'm in there" measure, even though it didn't need to be replaced. BIG mistake! I'm not going to bash anybody here; Tommy at Willcox is an AWESOME guy who has gone out of his way for me, and I think Corvette-Rubber is a quality company, too. That being said, I will personally never use a weatherstrip again that is not the OE-style latex product. I found the new stuff to have a smooth rubber-like coating on it, and it made the product far too stiff. Our door windows bow in slightly at the top, and are designed to come in contact with the B-pillar strip first so that the window will slide along that strip and tuck into the channel of the upper strip on either the targa or convertible top. In my case, after I replaced the weatherstripping, my window would not tuck into the channel of the B-pillar convertible strip any longer; it would only close OVER it and crush it. The car wouldn't seal and leaked badly. After much investigation, I found the culprit: the windshield header/A-pillar strip. It was far too stiff, and the window was coming in contact with it first, and not sliding along the B-pillar strip and into the channel of the top's upper strip. Hopefully this makes sense.

My point is this: in my case, replacing weatherstripping permanently altered the way the car sealed, and it was never right again. If I had chosen to spend the extra dough on OE latex stripping, I am confident that my experience would have been very different. Do yourself a favor and don't cheap out when considering replacing weatherstripping.