[Jamie-ry]

Hello folks, i bought this '77 firebird, vin number says she originally had a 350 and was an Esprit.

it now has a 305. and a 79-81 nose.

she needs weather stripping all the way around minus the trunk.

I have two spots that i'm unsure about at the moment,

1. the rear windshield has this chrome moulding around it, but when you look down between the glass and moulding you can see some eurothane to try and seal the water out, well I can see alot of void spots down there and i'm worried about all the water running down that glass into the body of the car.

i called an auto glass place but they cant do anything this time of year, i'm up in canada, eh. and its too cold. car is parked outside, with a cover.

What should i do about this? is there suppose to be a weatherstrip in around this moulding-to-glass?

2. The window sweep, here is a picture of the driverside, it seems to be ok, but the passenger side is completely gone. everywhere i look there are the options of flat chrome bead, round, and no chrome bead. i can see here it has a chrome bead, but its tucked under the moulding, but i read somewhere online that you're not suppose to use the beaded ones if you have chrome trim. which window sweep do i need to order?

in addition to that, how do i get this chrome trim off without destroying it?

And last,

3. Any idea what engine this might be? i could only get in to see "CANADA" stamped on the passenger side.

Thanks for the help! I cannot wait until spring!

 

[Jamie-ry]

This is what I'm thinking of ordering

http://firebird.musclecarsandclassics.ca/firebird-window-weatherstrip-kit-inner-outer-1970-1981

Is this correct?

Happy New Year!

 

[JPRacer]

Jamie, I don't think there is supposed to be "extra" sealant in the rear window trim. If you take the chrome trim off, there should be just the trim clips around the edges and the black window sealant under the glass which bonds it to the body. Sometines the factory wasn't so precise in applying the sealant and it squeezed out the sides, but you shouldn't be able to see it with the chrome still on. Only thing you can do is remove the chrome trim carefully and maybe clean up under there with a razor blade and check for rust.

The side window "sweep" trim has to be removed very carefully with a pry tool. I have never needed to take it off so I can't tell you 100% how to do it. Maybe someone else can chime in on that. My car only has the outer chrome piece that sits over the black weatherstrip. All Esprits had the chrome trim package so whatever is on there is likely original, save the rear door edge.

Type of engine... you said 305, but based on the picture your guess is as good as mine. All I can tell you is it's definitely small block and def not original Pontiac (GM crate maybe?). Most Chevy blocks were painted Orange from the factory, Pontiacs were all light Blue. Check the casting marks on the heads (if they are factory) down by the spark plugs, or even under the exhaust manifolds on the sides as there could be info there. The intake manifold is certainly aftermarket unless it was painted.

 

[JPRacer]

This page will help with rear window trim removal and parts. The trim tool NPD sells is a life saver:

https://www.npdlink.com/store/catalog/Firebird_Rear_Window-2040-1.html

Here is the side trim kit I think will work. These are the felts which is what you need and not the actual weatherstrip, made for the chrome trim:

https://www.npdlink.com/store/products/firebird_windowfelt_kit_oe_style_4_incl-109115-2020.html

I recommend NPD because they almost always have stock, are quick to deliver (in the US anyway) and their prices aren't as high as Classic Industries and other specialty parts salers. Hopefully they can ship to Canada no problem.

 

[Jamie-ry]

Thanks for the reply, the guy who I bought it from also had guessed it to be chev .

There's one bad rust spot I found on the forward end of the dash where it meets windshield, has anyone had to repair this area before?

 

[sea dog]

When it gets warm enough to work on car, I'd have the rear window removed. The body where rear window is, is a prime rust area on these cars. Have the area checked for rust. Then have repairs made to body. Put rear window back in with urethane windshield adhesive. It is far superior to what was used in 77.

To repair rust spot where dash and windshield meet, you will need to remove both dash and windshield. Removing the dash is not a pleasant job. I did it a while back on my 76. When you remove dash, all the wiring comes out with it.

Once all that is out of car, you can determine the extent of damage. Then you can decide if you need to cut a patch panel from a parts car, or replace the whole body panel. They are available from 2nd gen restoration suppliers including NPD.

 

[Jamie-ry]

This page will help with rear window trim removal and parts. The trim tool NPD sells is a life saver:

https://www.npdlink.com/store/catalog/Firebird_Rear_Window-2040-1.html

Here is the side trim kit I think will work. These are the felts which is what you need and not the actual weatherstrip, made for the chrome trim:

https://www.npdlink.com/store/products/firebird_windowfelt_kit_oe_style_4_incl-109115-2020.html

I recommend NPD because they almost always have stock, are quick to deliver (in the US anyway) and their prices aren't as high as Classic Industries and other specialty parts salers. Hopefully they can ship to Canada no problem.

Just ordered it! and it's cheaper than the canadian supplier.

thanks

 

[Jamie-ry]

When it gets warm enough to work on car, I'd have the rear window removed. The body where rear window is, is a prime rust area on these cars. Have the area checked for rust. Then have repairs made to body. Put rear window back in with urethane windshield adhesive. It is far superior to what was used in 77.

To repair rust spot where dash and windshield meet, you will need to remove both dash and windshield. Removing the dash is not a pleasant job. I did it a while back on my 76. When you remove dash, all the wiring comes out with it.

Once all that is out of car, you can determine the extent of damage. Then you can decide if you need to cut a patch panel from a parts car, or replace the whole body panel. They are available from 2nd gen restoration suppliers including NPD.

this sounds terrible!

Well the rest of the car is in great shape for our area (so much salt used on the roads, cars dont stand a chance here)

so i'll have to take care of that quick

 

[Jamie-ry]

New felts arrived this week, old ones came off very easy . But now I'm not sure how to get the new outer ones on under the chrome belt on the door. I searched the net and can't find anything for cars with the exterior belt mouldings , can anyone help? The ònly thing I found was a conversation that said the moulding ďoesnt need to come off to install the felts under. But when I pry it up I can't get it open enough to get the felt under , any ideas?

 

[Aus78Formula]

Do you mean the small lip that wraps over the outer door skin edge? I didn't think the stainless trim was that tight either. Your seal is plain, no bright strip on it? Thought the large decor strip would roll a little anyway to give access. Mine is now removed but can't recall an issue when I fitted the seals.

 

[Jamie-ry]

Yes, plain non-beaded outer sweep.

but the chrome belt moulding on the door i find is difficult to turn up enough to slide the sweep under.

however, it is cold here, and I didn't want to force it too much with out first asking someone else how they've done it.

Do you just try to push the trim up and outward while you push the seal lip under? or do you try to feed it in from the end and slide it forward? do you use any type of tool to feed it under?

Sorry for the newbie questions, I just want to do it right

 

[Jamie-ry]

I got the passengerside one on, i had to take part of the trim belt off because i couldn't get it to lift high enough to slide the window felt lip under. i noticed the new felt doesn't want to form very well, i'm thinking it just may be too cold, so i got it the best i could and put the trim back on, ill wait for warmer weather to get the other on, for the insides sweeps i'm taking the panels in the house to secure the felts to them.

Question:

The staples, that hold the felts in, i threw them out after i cut them out of the old ones, does anyone know of a better solution to attaching them to the door trim than staples?

the old outer window sweeps were the wrong ones, they had replaced one with a chrome bead and it really didn't sit well with the chrome belting over it.

 

[Aus78Formula]

I just used small rivets. That way they snap before too much pressure but added small flat washers to spread the load and prevent kinks. Took a bit of trial to find one that worked well.