Hi, I go by aiki and this is my first post.

My father retired and purchased a 76 El Camino Classic SS as a retirement project. As too often happens, soon after his retirement he became ill and has had to go into a nursing home.

I'm trying to restore the El Camino as a surprise for his birthday, to lift his spirits. I hope to be able to take him for drives in it and perhaps get him involved in a club.

The vehicle is in fairly good shape, only needing minor rust repair and replacment of some rubber parts, as well as a paint job.

My question is, how do I locate new window felts? The old ones are totally shot and I'm not having luck locating replacements. Are there any other GM felts that will interchange with this vehicle or that can be adapted to it?
Would it be possible to fabricate felts from some universal material?

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated and I look forward to participating in the forums.

Thanks, aiki :-)

for that year car I would try Year One and or OPG
http://www.yearone.com/
http://www.originalpartsgroup.com/
the felt and weather striping should be the same as a chevell
Good luck

Thanks for the tip, I'll try them both.

Welcome to the site, and I hope your father gets to enjoy the Elky.
You can also try http://www.elcaminostore.com/ or http://www.ecparts.net/Catalog.htm for window felts and other parts.

Lee "Caveman49"

Thanks Lee, I'll try them too. Maybe I'm just dense but I'm having trouble navigating on Year One and OPG. Not sure why.

I didn't have much luck with year one, they only seem to go up to 1972 for the Elky, then skip the 73-77. Unless I'm just not looking in the right catalog.
You can also look at NPD http://www.npdlink.com/

Well, maybe it's not just me after all. :D I'll keep tryin'.

new window felts are expensive! 8O I can't remember seeing a 73-77 in a junkyard that didn't still have the window felts intact.

Yep I agree, they are a bit pricey! I believe the El Camino store had them for something like 70 or 80 dollars.
You may want to do a search on this site, I know some folks have redone theirs with different materials, like ElkyPete for one.

Mine is a 76 and the inside ones aren't too bad, but the outside ones are terrible. They're hard as a rock and have started to chip.'m wondering if there might be a way to fabricate some out of stock weatherstrip. I thought maybe i could take off an old one and look at the profile and the fasteners. Does that make any sense at all?

Go to tips & tricks and you'll find several posts on this. You can also click the search button and type in window felts.

Thanks Caveman, I'll do that. I'm really glad I found this site! :-D

Yeah aiki, it has helped me out more than once, I'm glad I found it as well.
I called the El Camino store and they still had felts in stock, but they want well over a hundred dollars for them. I ordered new body mounts and hardware for my 74, it was 300 dollars. It's the law of supply and demand that gets ya! I couldn't find them anywhere in this area, and most places I've tried are out, so I said what the heck, splurge!!!

Lee

No kidding. Those with the supply can demand as much as they want. It's cool that the 76 Classic SS I have is fairly rare, but it's not so cool trying to find parts. I've dropped over a grand on parts and books in the past week. If fabricating the felts doesn't work I guess I'll bite the bullet too and buy them from The El Camino Store while they have them. I probably should set aside some $ for a hotel room if my wife finds out how much I'm spending on this little project.

Try Ebay. I say two sets for sale about a month ago. Neither of them were sold.

I need to do the same for my 77.

Elky77

Try your local Chevy dealer. I bought a pair of outside ones about a year ago, I think it was less than $100.00 for the pair. They may still be available PN 9673658 & 9673659. You may have to find a parts man who is willing to look as I was told they were unavailable by 3 dealers before I found my stuff. I buy all my parts from this dealer from now on.

Mike

Thanks Mike. I'l try the local dealers, it'll be a big help to have the part number. I figure I'll start with the dealer that's been in business the longest. It'd be great to find a guy who was willing to go through the inventory for NOS stuff they might have laying around! :D I'll post if I have any luck. Thanks again.

Ric

Back in 98 or 99 when I was doing that portion of the 76 I paid $130.00 for a set and you need two sets. They are not that easy to install either so be real careful you don't want to tear them up. The outside felts have a stainless steel trim bead that is contoured to the body cruve, maybe that is why they are so costly, I don't know.

You really need to have the window out when changing the outside felts. There are three or four sheet metal screws holding them on the door (Phillips tip) the inside ones are stapled to the upper door panel. I use pop rivits going back in with them. Dry fit them several times if needed to get the positioning correct. You could have to adjust the contours a little for it to match the doors correctly. I'd use some body and seam sealer between them and the door outside when replacing them. The screw holes can rust faster if you don't. I would guess a sealer like that red or black RTV gasket sealer would work in place of the seam sealer if needed.

I got mine from The El Camino Store, they were the only place I knew of that sold only Elky stuff and had the year model stuff I needed. Things have changed a little more since then.

Good Luck.

Thanks for the advice Pete. The 76 was my Dad's, one of those projects that he had planned for his retirement. When he finally retired his health took a bad turn and he had to go into a nursing care situation. He gave me the Elky, which frankly I hadn't ever paid much attention to. It sat in my driveway for awhile and then I drove it a few times and started to research it and talk to my Dad about it. Naturally he had become very depressed about his health, but he kind of perked up when we talked about the Elky. So, long story short, my goal is to get it restored ASAP while still doing it well and to involve my Dad in it as much as his health allows. It's become a good way for us to spend more time together and that's good for us both.

I'd forgotten how much I was into cars as a kid, sort of lost interest as I got older, but as my wife pointed out the 76 is the kind of car I was good at tricking out when I was a kid so it's kinda natural. :D

Now i've bought a couple other Elkys for donors and just to salvage them from the crusher. I have this image of going cruising with my Dad in his 76 before too long, he can't drive anymore, but he still enjoys telling me how to, I'll always be the kid to him. LOL

So, thanks again for the advice, I'll take all I can get. Ric

You really need to have the window out when changing the outside felts. There are three or four sheet metal screws holding them on the door (Phillips tip).

In lieu of removing the window, you can create a new tool for your tool box with a little heat:
http://elcaminocentral.com/users/ponchovilla/OtherStuff/newtool1.jpg
I removed my outside window felts today and am now in the hunt for new ones. As Elky Pete points out, they appear to be quite expensive!

Necessity is the mother of invention, right Poncho! :D Thanks. Let me know if you're looking for anything else for your 77, I'll be bringing one, without an engine or tranny but with everything else, home in a week or so. It's a 77 SS. I've only seen pics so far, but I paid for it so I guess I need to pick it up.

hi

I bought the outer window felt a few months ago at: http://www.gtrestoration.com/

Got them for a 90 us dollars(pair) !!!!!!!!!!
A lot cheaper


good luck
Marcel
The Netherlands

Thanks Marcel.
That's a great source, they had several other things I needed as well as a great price on the felts. I really appreciate your help.

Many thanks,
Ric