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Project Blank Slate: Stop Rattling The Doors Off With OER Molding

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To be effective, molding should be flexible and seal to prevent outside elements from coming in. It should also provide some noise prevention. In our case, we needed new molding to stop the noise from being created by the metal door vibrating against the door rockers.

We’ve gotten our Blank Slate project car [2] far enough along in the build that it’s time to crank the engine over, break the drivetrain in and get some chassis dyno numbers. Like all the projects that we are involved in, the historic chassis dynomometer run will be videotaped for prosperity and for you, our loyal readers.

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To make our project car roadworthy, we needed molding all the way around and we knew that OER had the original quality products that get the job done.

We’re lucky enough to have our own in-house DynoJet chassis dynomometer [4], and a solid videography crew to capture these Kodak moments. What we were not lucky enough to have was door and window molding and mounting clips. Putting the car on the dyno with no vibration suppressing door molding would have caused the doors to vibrate and generate a racket that would have cleared the garage. No bueno.

Fortunately, we knew where to go to solve the issue. Classic Industries [5] offers a full line of OER products [6] that are manufactured to exact factory specifications and will fit and function just like the original part. The beauty of OER manufactured parts is that many of the products are officially licensed by the OE manufacturers. We decided to get a few of the molding and accessory items we needed to get the Camaro on the dyno, then on to the streets.

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Our friends at Classic Industries carry the full line of OER molding and clips for many of the domestic musclecars from the 60’s and 70’s.

Our Parts Order

OER makes it easy when it comes to weatherstripping. Their F-Body weatherstrip kit (Part #R5101) includes the door frame weatherstrip for both doors, roof rail weatherstrip for both sides, trunk weatherstrip, all side windows weatherstripping and window felts along with the vent glass vertical weatherstripping. This kit truly covers all of your cabin weatherstrip needs.

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In addition to the body molding kit, we needed side marker lights to keep the Five-O off of us while road testing.

We also ordered the OER Windshield molding clip kit (Part #C78A) which replaces the windshield molding clips for the top and sides of the windshield. If you are replacing all of the moldings, like we are, there is also a lower molding clip kit (Part #K527) that is purchased separately.

When re-installing or replacing the windshield, we highly recommend the urethane windshield adhesive (Part #08609), that you can also pick up through Classic Industries. This is a rapid-curing sealant that works well with all flush-mounted and bonded windshields or back glass.

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The side marker lights in the front and rear went in without a hitch. Now we wouldn't have to worry about being hassled by California's finest.

We also needed a couple of side marker lights before we hit the streets so we went back to the well and ordered OER’s side marker lamp kit (Part #R5013) for 1969 Camaros. The kit comes with four lenses – two for the front fenders and two for the rear quarter panels – with the appropriate amber or red lenses and chrome bezels. The last touch we added from OER was a replacement GM headlamp switch knob (Part #3954210).

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The door molding also went in easily.

Before We Started

Like anything else on a project car, the new part installation is only as good as the foundation that you are working with. We took a good look at the surfaces where the weatherstripping was going to be attached. Using a keen eye and the mentality that “good enough, isn’t good enough,” we checked the surfaces inside and out.

The only weak area was in the greenhouse at the sill of the back glass. The steel had rotted away on the driver’s side where the glass meets the metal. Years of neglect allowed the cancer to spread out to the point where an 18-inch section of steel needed replacing.

Normally we would seek out repair panels from Classic Industries, but occasionally our shop hands need to get some fabrication under their belts to stay current. This was one of those times. Cutting out the damaged sheet metal gave us a great map of the area that needed the attention. The crew also took the time to remove the primer from the surrounding steel to ensure all the corrosion was cut out and to provide a good ground for welding.

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We needed to do a little fabrication to the rear glass mounting area. With the correct tools, this is an easy job.

Cutting out a couple of strips of sheet metal a little larger than the area that needed the new transplant metal installed, the crew began to measure and form the repair pieces. They used a combination of metal hammers, a metal brake, a sheet metal shrinker and stretcher along with the chime area (the protruding rings) of a 55 gallon drum to assist in generating a smooth radius curve in the repair panel.

Installation

The weatherstripping installation is a very straight forward and simple process. Holes are cut in the weatherstrip where screws or clips need to be inserted. The weatherstripping is flexible enough to stretch around the doors and windows as needed.

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Using sheet metal hammers, a shrinker, stretcher and TIG welder, our crew made the repair as good as new.

While we await a new windshield and back glass to complete this part of our project, our crew can break the engine in on the dyno and even do a few dyno pulls after break-in, all without rattling the doors off of the car. Stay tuned to our project Blank Slate build thread [24] and follow along as we prepare this vintage Camaro for the autocross course.