How do you change the top weather stripping?

[rothsean]

It looks like it is held down by rivets... top of door, once solid piece.

[Michael Babb]

It looks like it is held down by rivets... top of door, once solid piece.

Very Carefully . . .

When I replaced mine I followed these steps,
1) Remove gas strut on the door and them opened the door fully. (helps to have someone with you to help hold the door open)
2) Cover & protect torsion bar (I used thick plastic tubing that I cut a slit length-wise and slipped it over the torsion bar)
3) us a "large" drill bit to CAREFULLY drill out the rivet - being careful to NOT make the hold in the door any bigger.
"Large" as in about the same diameter as the rivet. . . you want to remove rivet material, not door material. :)
the back part of the rivet will fall down in the door and be gone forever
DO NOT push too hard, as you don't want to cause the back of the pop-rivet to push up on and cause a bump on the top of the door
4) when old trim is gone, reinstall new trim with small pop-rivets. . . .same warning. Use small rivets, and do not push too hard.

[rothsean]

Very Carefully . . .

When I replaced mine I followed these steps,
1) Remove gas strut on the door and them opened the door fully. (helps to have someone with you to help hold the door open)
2) Cover & protect torsion bar (I used thick plastic tubing that I cut a slit length-wise and slipped it over the torsion bar)
3) us a "large" drill bit to CAREFULLY drill out the rivet - being careful to NOT make the hold in the door any bigger.
"Large" as in about the same diameter as the rivet. . . you want to remove rivet material, not door material. :)
the back part of the rivet will fall down in the door and be gone forever
DO NOT push too hard, as you don't want to cause the back of the pop-rivet to push up on and cause a bump on the top of the door
4) when old trim is gone, reinstall new trim with small pop-rivets. . . .same warning. Use small rivets, and do not push too hard.

Where do you buy small pop-rivets?

[Michael Babb]

Where do you buy small pop-rivets?

I got a bunch of rivets in different sizes in a combo pack when I purchased my pop-rivet tool from Home Depot or Lowes . . .The replacement trim (from DeLoreannewparts.com) came with the proper sized rivets as well:
http://deloreannewparts.com/store/media/prodTpanel.gif (http://deloreannewparts.com/store/page4.html)

[Michael Babb]

This is the tool that I got. I like it as the head rotates to help it get in to interesting places.

Arrow Fastener Twister Rivet Tool (http://www.homedepot.com/buy/arrow-fastener-twister-rivet-tool-rht300.html)
13771

[David T]

Slip a piece of metal tubing over the drill bit leaving only about 1/8" exposed so the drill can't go too far in when drilling out the old rivets. Protect the torsion bar so you cannot scratch it. An old piece of garden hose can work.
David Teitelbaum

[mluder]

Definately recomend the replacement kit from the DMCH or affiliate shop. They include the correct sized pop rivet. The danger is if you use one that's incorrectly sized you run the risk of telegraphing thought the top of the door skin.

Also, Be sure to hold onto the metal retainer piece as the replacement kit only includes the rivets and the rubbers.

Cheers
Steve

[Rich]

Be sure to buy a proper pop rivet tool. Also, prepare to fish out all of the old rivet remnants from inside the top of the door (headliner popped off) after the drill-out so they don't rattle around inside the door afterward. An inspection mirror will help you spot them in there with the door open.

All in all it's not a tough job, just time-consuming. I found that drilling did not always work, as the OEM rivets sometimes just spun and then could not be drilled free. At that point a Dremel hand grinder or equivalent tool is your friend, allowing you to slice the heads off and push the shanks loose. Carefully.

As noted, do nothing that will dimple the top of the door skin as you work on removing those rivets.

Some owners like to replace the rivets with screws. Again, approach with care in case the screws might be too long. It can be done right either way but the rivets are the "book" way to do it.

[rothsean]

Thanks for all of the advice, I will do this project soon.

[MML]

. . .The replacement trim (from DeLoreannewparts.com) came with the proper sized rivets as well:



Bringing this thread back from the dead - does anyone have the dimensions of the 'proper' size of rivet? My driver side strip has finally come loose, it's hanging on by one rivet. I need to fix it urgently!
If I can't find rivets I'll use cut-down screws.

[Rich]

Use rivets if you can.

You can find them here: LINK: Pop Rivet SP10780 (http://store.delorean.com/p-9439-pop-rivet.aspx)

As I recall these are the real deal - stainless.

To alleviate the repair urgency vs shipping time you can fashion a duct-tape-type temporary fix so that things stay unbent til the rivets arrive.


....My driver side strip has finally come loose, it's hanging on by one rivet. I need to fix it urgently!
If I can't find rivets I'll use cut-down screws.

[MML]

Use rivets if you can.

You can find them here: LINK: Pop Rivet SP10780 (http://store.delorean.com/p-9439-pop-rivet.aspx)

As I recall these are the real deal - stainless.

To alleviate the repair urgency vs shipping time you can fashion a duct-tape-type temporary fix so that things stay unbent til the rivets arrive.

Cheers Rich, I never thought to check the website! No mention of size though... I could possibly find them cheaper in bulk on Ebay... anyone got a spare they could measure? :-)

[dn010]

When I changed these strips years ago, I opted to use hex head screws that are cut down in size in order to not cause damage yet are easy to remove. I chose this path because I do not want to go through the hassle of drilling any more rivets out and possibly damaging the roof in the future. The rivets are still rolling around in the roof section somewhere...