jdhh74

iTrader: (2)

Hi,

Has anyone used the reproduction upper interior door rails/trim that have the inner window sweeps attached? 1A, Hawks and other places sell them.

Are they any good? Exact match for originals? Any differences?

If anyone has any info/pics to share that would be great!

Thanks,

John

hitmanb88

I bought some of them and installed them actually. Doing a video on my youtube channel here soon about the process. Main thing I learned is they are super easy to bend and not be able to get them back straight again. My passenger side window sweep now is a little crooked

LoneCynic

I do not have any experience with replacing the upper interior door trim, as mine were still good. However, I did purchase the replacement window sweeps from 1A Auto, and can share some information about them, and the replacement process. First off, the window sweeps are a good fit for our Camaros, and very close to the originals. The thing you may have to watch out for is variances between model years/trim levels that all the holes and mounting screws locations may not match up exactly. This is easily corrected with a drill and small drill bit so that you can mount them to your factory mounting locations on your particular car. The do it yourself aspect on my car was that the interior sweep was attached to the upper trim piece on plastic pegs on the trim piece itself that were then melted on the top at the factory to "mushroom" effect hold it in place and a staple gun type staple holding it in place. This setup is not reusable for the new window sweep. I carefully used a pair of pliers to remove the staple, and then the "mushroom heads" on the plastic just broke off as I pulled the old sweep off, and in some instances the whole plastic peg just broke off. The solution (in my case anyway) was to use a couple of grip clips to hold the new sweep in place lined up straight with the trim piece. I then drilled holes through both the sweep and the trim piece one near where every one of the old pegs had been. I then used a cheap rivet gun (these can be purchased very inexpensively at nearly any hardware store or even Wal*Mart) and put a little rivet in each of the holes to secure the new sweep to the interior trim piece. Turned out perfectly, and I was pleased with how the replacement job went. The other thing you might run into as you take the door panel out to do this job is that there is a sheet of plastic to keep any rainwater that gets inside the door from touching the particle board interior panel and ruining it. This plastic could be coming loose from the factory glue breaking down, or even the plastic sheet itself dry rotting away. You'll see "replacement door plastic" sheets for sale on some sites for ridiculous prices. I just went to the hardware store and bought a roll of that thick plastic you put down when painting, or for covering old furniture. They run about 12 bucks. I then laid out two sheets and secured them flat on the garage floor and taped one of the dry rotting door sheets on top and traced it with an exacto knife. The new plastic was thicker and cut exactly like the original sheets. Rather than use glue, I used 3M automotive tape to secure it to the door. It is a time consuming job, and I'd also recommend buying some extra plastic clips for the door panel in case any of yours break removing it so you can just replace them if need be. However, I only broke two and went very slowly and carefully. In any event, good luck to you, and I hope some of this information is of good use to you.

alan91z28

I have used the ones the Bruce sells (Hawks) and found them to be great. I have used 4-5 sets. What I do to attach them to the panel is to place them on a piece of wood sheet (ie osb) that will be firm but non maring and then use a socket that fits into the inner circle of the metal attachment disc. by using this to hammer the disc in place I have always been able to get a nice firm seat without damaging the plastic pin, disc, or panel.

I have found these to be great quality and a big upgrade to cracked or brittle originals.