Update To The 1963-1965 Window Felt Update

[Riviera63]

Today I removed the passenger side door skin to replace a bad vent window regulator and a bad inner door handle assembly. I had ordered a set of window felts from Repop last year. I put the rear window felts in last year no problem and the new ones were identical to the old. Since I had the door skin off, it was time to do the front felts. I got them out today in preparation to putting them in tomorrow. The outside felt that attaches to the door outer chrome strip was identical to the old. When I went to compare the felts that attach to the inner door panel I found  a difference. The felts that were attached to my door panels looked the same as the felts looked for the outer chrome side. Flat fuzzy strips. The replacements were a V configuration. Can anyone tell me what configuration the original felts were? I am assuming that mine are original as they are stapled as per original and do not look like they have been replaced. Has anyone run into this situation? I don' want to install the new ones and find that they don't work/bind. Any help appreciated. Thanks.

 

Bill

 

 

Edited November 30, 2017 by Riviera63
revise text (see edit history)

[rodneybeauchamp]

That is what I got in the OPGI kit. Outer ones have a scraper weatherstrip, the inners just fuzzies with a chrome bead.

 

Have just checked on my car and it appears just to have fuzzies attached on the outer belt mouldings, front door and rear quarter.

 

Interesting! Photo below of those bits from the kit.

[Riviera63]

9 minutes ago, rodneybeauchamp said:

That is what I got in the OPGI kit. Outer ones have a scraper weatherstrip, the inners just fuzzies with a chrome bead.

 

Have just checked on my car and it appears just to have fuzzies attached on the outer belt mouldings, front door and rear quarter.

 

Interesting! Photo below of those bits from the kit.

 

Thanks Rodney, It appears that you have the same originals as I have and got the same type of set for the replacements. I would be interested in hearing from someone that has installed the replacement set. 

 

Bill

[rodneybeauchamp]

The OPGI are supplied by PUI (Parts Unlimited Inc) under the Windowfelt brand weatherstripping. When trying to search the PUI catalogue, no Riviera was mentioned, just Skylark and another full size Buick (possibly Electra but not sure). 

 

So so not sure about what we got. However if they do fit, they may be a better seal than just the felts. I had mine sitting in rain most of yesterday and the felts are still damp after 24 hours under cover. Not to mention the wet carpet from the vent window seals.

 

????BTW have you replaced the vent window seals by any chance as am not sure who to purchase from. There was a review on the OPGI site that mentioned the Steele Rubber ones they supplied either did not fit 63 or were too difficult. Rubber the Right Way include the division channel rubber. Too many choices, HELP!

 

 

[RIVNIK]

Rodney!!     Steelerubber sells the "63 vent seals on Ebay. Not sure if they're the problem ones or not, but there is a customer help no..  Another vender sells a "63 vent window seal kit w the vent glass edge strip & the door window to vent post seal w the metal tips included.(did I say that right?) I haven't checked prices on these type of things in some time........they are very expensive!  anyhoo, good luck!    Drew

[Riviera63]

Went to install the window felt that goes on the top of the inner door panel. I found that the repro has a bend in it about where the vent window begins. The original is straight. Had to try to straighten the repro. Got it so it will fit but, doing so changes the shape of the upper chrome edge slightly and it still shows a slight bend. No one else would probably notice but, it bugs me. I have contacted Repops about that and the difference with the V versus the original straight felt. Will keep you posted.

 

Bill

[Eric's.64.Superwildcat]

I was just looking at the rubber replacement kits (which include the felts) on OPGI and Clark's.  Clark's doesn't have an 'Everything' kit and it's more expensive than OPGI once you select all of the individual pieces.  Is it possible that Clark's is selling from a different supplier?  Does anyone have experience with the Clark's window felts?  

[Scott Mckenzie]

I just went out to the garage to check,the original fuzzies are flat and the repops are the same v shaped replacement. Curious stuff what?

[Turbinator]

On 7/18/2017 at 8:57 AM, rodneybeauchamp said:

The OPGI are supplied by PUI (Parts Unlimited Inc) under the Windowfelt brand weatherstripping. When trying to search the PUI catalogue, no Riviera was mentioned, just Skylark and another full size Buick (possibly Electra but not sure). 

 

So so not sure about what we got. However if they do fit, they may be a better seal than just the felts. I had mine sitting in rain most of yesterday and the felts are still damp after 24 hours under cover. Not to mention the wet carpet from the vent window seals.

 

????BTW have you replaced the vent window seals by any chance as am not sure who to purchase from. There was a review on the OPGI site that mentioned the Steele Rubber ones they supplied either did not fit 63 or were too difficult. Rubber the Right Way include the division channel rubber. Too many choices, HELP!

 

 

Rodney, I purchased a full set of window fuzzies and weather stripping from Clark Corvair. I did not install the window fuzzies, but had the fellow that installed my carpet and upholstery do the job. Now, I'm very satisfied with the product from Clark Corviar ( US family owned company who has excellent customer service. )  I'm happy to take pics of what I have and send along if you think it would be of any help. Clark Corvair has a good deal of interior and exterior goods availalble for sale because the owner owns a Riviera and grew tired of not having parts for his car. First the owner started making factory original upholstery for the 63-65 Rivieras, then he added items like the weather stripping, etc. Find them at www.Clarkscorvair.com.

[Turbinator]

On 7/18/2017 at 9:34 PM, Eric's.64.Superwildcat said:

I was just looking at the rubber replacement kits (which include the felts) on OPGI and Clark's.  Clark's doesn't have an 'Everything' kit and it's more expensive than OPGI once you select all of the individual pieces.  Is it possible that Clark's is selling from a different supplier?  Does anyone have experience with the Clark's window felts?  

I just bought a "full set" of window felts as well as weather stripping, carpeting, and upholstery from Clarks. I had a hefty bill. Clark's got most everything right from the beginning. The small things were taken care of overnight, for instance two right window felts were sent rather than right and LEFT. A small surprise was their vinyl covered buttons had the tops of buttons come off on 3 different occasions buttons on the drivers seat. Clark's fixed the problem by sending replacement buttons that day. No questions, no problems, they just sent the replacements. ( I've done some investigating and it appears the button hardware Clarks use to grip the vinyl doesn't hold like other button hardware. Other button hardware actually have serrated teeth around the circumference of the button hardware that bite the material to hold the material in place. Ive got time so I'm going to make the replacement buttons myself and see what happens.) Clarks covers could have come off because I'm 250lbs, so my body weight could have been the problem as well.

[Riviera63]

18 hours ago, Scott Mckenzie said:

I just went out to the garage to check,the original fuzzies are flat and the repops are the same v shaped replacement. Curious stuff what?

 

I was not sure I wanted to remove the old inner felt or not. I decided to go ahead and do it. I got the new felt to work and it does not look too bad. That being said, there is a wrinkle in the chrome strip where the vent window begins as the replacement strip had a bend in it where the original was straight. I was able to straighten it enough to make it fit and look reasonably good. I am not happy about the wrinkle. (see pictures) There was another complication with the reproduction. The original has the lower portion that attaches to the door panel trimmed back. The reason for this is the section below the vent window where the lip of the door panel fits is shallower than the area below the window. If it is not trimmed back the door panel will not sit flush as it supposed to. (see picture) The reproduction is not trimmed back. I  cut (more like mangled) this area back with tin snips so this section would fit. If you go to do this make sure you test fit BEFORE you attach the felt strip to the door panel. This lower portion is also thicker on the reproduction than the original. I had to also strip the rubber coating back on this section to make it thinner for an easier fit. This is not a problem on the rest of the strip. As I previously said I have contacted Repops with this information and will continue to pursue it. I have saved the original strip and would like to send it to them so that they can make the correct piece. I would be curious to know if felt strips from other makers have these same problems or if someone does make a set with the correct inner felt configuration. The rest of the strips of the set were dead on. 

 

Bill

 

P.S. I heard back from Repops and they claim that theirs were pulled from a 1963 Riviera. They questioned whether mine had been changed as if I would nor know the difference. I sent pictures of my originals to as compared to theirs. I also offered to send my original in for them to look at and copy so that they could produce a correct one. I also stated that while I made this one work I would be looking for another vendor to get me correct inner door window felts. If any of you have gotten some that are correct I would appreciate you letting me know where. Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 20, 2017 by Riviera63
revise text (see edit history)

[Riviera63]

I heard back from Mark at Repops. He has listened to my inquiry about the window felt discrepancy. He took the time to troll the forum and saw that there had beenother complaints as well. He did send me pictures of the ones they used to make theirs and they do have the V rubber. He said these were taken from a 1963-1965 Riviera. Which year he did not say. He has asked that I send my original inner felts to him. He has said that he will send me some new ones in the correct design as the originals and will make up a pattern so that future runs will contain the correct inner felt pattern. Very refreshing to have someone actually listen and take positive action. Instead of the "we're right, you're wrong", end of story line that we too often hear. I will keep you posted.

 

Bill

[DualQuadDave]

I hope he changes them. I have installed at least 5-7 sets of these and they are all poorly fitting. Same with the vent window felts and the rubber seals.  I almost would rather have original broken stuff than the new crap. It's that bad.

[Riviera63]

8 hours ago, DualQuadDave said:

I hope he changes them. I have installed at least 5-7 sets of these and they are all poorly fitting. Same with the vent window felts and the rubber seals.  I almost would rather have original broken stuff than the new crap. It's that bad.

 

I can only speak for the Repops version of the window felts as those are the only ones I have tried. They will only be changing the door inner piece. The only problem I had was with that piece. The other six pieces were just fine. I don't know how many other manufacturers of these there are. I had also contacted Glenn at CARS about this problem and asked him to send me pictures of their felt set to see how they compare. I do not know who makes theirs. I will also tell him about the coming change by Repops.

 

Bill

[Riviera63]

I just received my "revised" inner door window felts from Mark Cotter at Repops made up from the original I sent them. The revised ones have the straight chrome and the flat fuzzy strip as my original ones had as opposed to the bend in the chrome and the "V" rubber that I had received in my original set. They still contend the one I sent in is a replacement and not the original. If you have ever changed these in a 60's era car you know what 50 years of accumulated dust and original OEM staples look like. There was only one set of staple holes in any of pieces I changed. Just for curiosities sake I would like to hear from those of you that have 63-65 Rivieras what configuration is/was your original inner door felt? Straight fuzzy or V rubber? That being said Repops was gracious enough to listen to me and follow through on what I was telling them. I find that very refreshing. It seems today too few companies care about what their customers think let alone care enough to listen AND follow through. They originally said they would use this new configuration for further Riviera sets. Whether they will do this remains to be seen. If you go to their website they have a contact page with e-mail. They are very prompt in getting back to you. 

 

I had reached out to Glenn at CARS about who made their window felt sets and what the configuration of their inner door felt was. I never heard back from him. Have any of you purchased the window felt set from CARS? If so, what were their inner door felts like?

 

Pictures 1 & 2 show my original inner door felt compared to the V inner door felt that came with my new window felt set. Pictures 3-5 show my original inner door felt (the one on top) compared to the revised felts I just received.

 

Bill

 

 

 

 

[NC1968Riviera]

3 minutes ago, Riviera63 said:

Repops made up from the original I sent them

I had purchased a glove box from Ekler's for my 69 Caprice that was made by Repop's. It was no where near a match for the original gb in my car. My new unit was marked with a Repop's sticker so I contacted them about the problems I was having. I was contacted by Brian House, Production Manager/Purchasing Agent for Repop's, who suggested I send them my original glove box and they would try to create a new unit from it. I sent them the original and a few weeks later they sent me the new unit and my old one. The new unit was an almost exact replica of the original with the exception of one of the screw anchor points was a little out of place.

 

Like Bill stated above, I don't know if Repop's will use the version they made for me to replace the incorrect versions they are selling for non-AC 69 Big Chevrolet's but they were very kind, considerate and very professional working with me to get me what I wanted.

 

I have also used several of their under hood insulation kits and I have found them to be accurately produced. The kit for my 68 even had the circular section cut out above the air cleaner.

[Riviera63]

26 minutes ago, NCRiviera said:

I had purchased a glove box from Ekler's for my 69 Caprice that was made by Repop's. It was no where near a match for the original gb in my car. My new unit was marked with a Repop's sticker so I contacted them about the problems I was having. I was contacted by Brian House, Production Manager/Purchasing Agent for Repop's, who suggested I send them my original glove box and they would try to create a new unit from it. I sent them the original and a few weeks later they sent me the new unit and my old one. The new unit was an almost exact replica of the original with the exception of one of the screw anchor points was a little out of place.

 

Like Bill stated above, I don't know if Repop's will use the version they made for me to replace the incorrect versions they are selling for non-AC 69 Big Chevrolet's but they were very kind, considerate and very professional working with me to get me what I wanted.

 

I have also used several of their under hood insulation kits and I have found them to be accurately produced. The kit for my 68 even had the circular section cut out above the air cleaner.

 

I have replaced the glovebox in my 63 and it was made by Repops. It looks great and fits well.

 

Bill

[Turbinator]

Bill, great story for hopefully an American manufacturer. Terrific the company fulfilled there obligation to provide you with what you paid to receive.

Red Riviera Bob

[Turbinator]

Bill, I bought my rubber stuff and window fuzzies from Clark’s Corvair. Everything went well for me with Clark’s goods.

Red Riviera Bob

[Riviera63]

It is a year later and I finally got around to replacing the inside door panel window fuzzies with the replacements that Repops made for me to replace the V-shaped ones that I talked about in the beginning of this thread.They fit very well and the chrome looks as original. The only things I had to do were drill some extra holes for the staples in the area that goes under the vent window. They must have used full width stock with staple holes and then when they trimmed it shorter some of the staple holes were in the piece trimmed off. The other thing I had to do was trim the end by the door lock to give it a diagonal cut like original instead of a square corner as it came. Both minor adjustments that did not cause any problems. Not one of my favorite things to do but, I am glad it is done. The new pieces look like my originals and the install turned out well.

 

Bill

 

 

Edited August 1, 2018 by Riviera63
correct error (see edit history)

[TheOldMan]

I know this is an old post but I just bought the set from CARS and the inner felt still has the bent notch around the vent window. I called and the person I talked to was not very open to what I had to say.

I too tried to straighten the wiggle out and like Bill said, it is not very appealing to look at.

If Repops is like Bill says they are, straight by the vent window, I might have to purchase the inners from Repop.

 

 

Too bad CARS did not help me.

 

Dennis.

[Riviera63]

2 hours ago, TheOldMan said:

I know this is an old post but I just bought the set from CARS and the inner felt still has the bent notch around the vent window. I called and the person I talked to was not very open to what I had to say.

I too tried to straighten the wiggle out and like Bill said, it is not very appealing to look at.

If Repops is like Bill says they are, straight by the vent window, I might have to purchase the inners from Repop.

 

 

Too bad CARS did not help me.

 

Dennis.

 

Dennis,

 

I alerted Glenn Cecchine at CARS about this problem 2 years ago and he said he would look into it and contact their manufacturer. Obviously, he did not. Vendors have a hard time admitting they are selling the wrong part. Even Repops did not want to believe it after I sent in my original and they made me new ones. They were still trying to convince me my originals were repos that had been put in somewhere along the line and that theirs were correct. Maybe if enough people alert them to this they will believe it. Sent you a PM.

 

Bill

Edited May 1, 2019 by Riviera63
revise text (see edit history)

[Chasander]

Clark Corvair corrected the problem after they sent the wrong ones

[Riviera63]

2 hours ago, TheOldMan said:

I know this is an old post but I just bought the set from CARS and the inner felt still has the bent notch around the vent window. I called and the person I talked to was not very open to what I had to say.

I too tried to straighten the wiggle out and like Bill said, it is not very appealing to look at.

If Repops is like Bill says they are, straight by the vent window, I might have to purchase the inners from Repop.

 

 

Too bad CARS did not help me.

 

Dennis.

 

Dennis,

 

Did the fuzzies they sent you have the V rubber or the felt?  Make sure any replacements that are straight and have the felt as the originals. 

 

Bill

[DrownedRiv]

I bought mine from Clarks last year and the were wrong also; they have the V sweeper and a pronounced bend at the vent window.

 

I wish they "corrected" mine like they did for CHASANDER. 

 

When i wrote to Clarks to question if they were the correct ones, the answer they gave me was:

 

"We realize these are not 100% exactly like the originals, but they are the best available that we are able to get on these.

You may return if you are not happy with them, Thanks."

 

I havent yet tried to "make them work"

Nick

#15937

[Riviera63]

1 hour ago, DrownedRiv said:

I bought mine from Clarks last year and the were wrong also; they have the V sweeper and a pronounced bend at the vent window.

 

I wish they "corrected" mine like they did for CHASANDER. 

 

When i wrote to Clarks to question if they were the correct ones, the answer they gave me was:

 

"We realize these are not 100% exactly like the originals, but they are the best available that we are able to get on these.

You may return if you are not happy with them, Thanks."

 

I havent yet tried to "make them work"

Nick

#15937

 

Nick,

 

If you go back further in this thread you will see that I had this problem with the window felts from Repops. They did right by me and made me correct ones. Contact them. The guy I talked to at Repops is Mark Cotter. He is the one that took care of my problem. He should be able to make you the correct pair as I sent in my original so that they could make a form. Even after I sent in mine and he made me new ones he still did not want to believe that theirs were wrong. Maybe after another person or several people come to him with the same problem he will believe that theirs are wrong. His e-mail is markc@repops.com

 

Bill

[NC1968Riviera]

28 minutes ago, Riviera63 said:

 

Nick,

 

If you go back further in this thread you will see that I had this problem with the window felts from Repops. They did right by me and made me correct ones. Contact them. The guy I talked to at Repops is Mark Cotter. He is the one that took care of my problem. He should be able to make you the correct pair as I sent in my original so that they could make a form. Even after I sent in mine and he made me new ones he still did not want to believe that theirs were wrong. Maybe after another person or several people come to him with the same problem he will believe that theirs are wrong. His e-mail is markc@repops.com

 

Bill

I had the same issue with a Repop glove box for my 69 non-AC Chevrolet Caprice glove box. The one they make simply would not fit my car. I emailed their customer support and ended up sending them my original, albeit torn up, glove box. They made an exact replica from my glove box and sent both back to me at no extra charge. But, as Bill stated above, I think they are still selling the incorrect glove box for that particular non-AC model of car.

[TheOldMan]

21 hours ago, Riviera63 said:

 

Dennis,

 

Did the fuzzies they sent you have the V rubber or the felt?  Make sure any replacements that are straight and have the felt as the originals. 

 

Bill

 

Thanks Bill,  I will make sure the ones I receive will be just like the original ones on the car......mine like yours are original.....

[DrownedRiv]

Thanks Bill, but unfortunately i bought mine from Clarks not Repops...

Clarks wouldnt do anything nut let me return them.

I read your ealier post and now i regret buying from Clarks.

[Riviera63]

26 minutes ago, DrownedRiv said:

Thanks Bill, but unfortunately i bought mine from Clarks not Repops...

Clarks wouldnt do anything nut let me return them.

I read your ealier post and now i regret buying from Clarks.

 

Nick,

 

I realize you bought yours from Clark's. I would contact Repops to have them sell you a set that is correct. Contact Mark Cotter to get the pieces you need. I know they can make them because they made them for me. You can return the incorrect set to Clark's. At the very least keep your current set and contact Repops to get you the 2 pieces that you need.

 

Bill

[DrownedRiv]

Appreciated Bill. Will try.

[Riviera 66]

Anyone has a picture of the felts / fuzzies installed for the 66 riviera? and who sells for the 2nd gen.Riviera?

[Electra63]

Hello.  I'm late to the party on this onei have a Buick Electra 1963 which I've owned for about 6 months.  Window felts and sweeps is something I'll be needing to replace soon hence I was searching the forum for this topic

 

Here is a pic of my inner felt on the drivers side which I know 1000% is the original.  My car has had no modifications to the trim at all prior to me buying it.

 

The piece is straight so when I come to replace it I'll be calling the relevant people to be sure I get the right part !  Thanks for doing the leg work on this !

 

 

[XframeFX]

8 hours ago, Electra63 said:

I'll be calling the relevant people to be sure I get the right part !  Thanks for doing the leg work on this !

Well your application is an Electra (congrats on your purchase!) Might be different to 1st Gen Riviera's.

3 Things on the Riviera:

1. Want the inner felt strip to remain straight, no Bends.
2. The forward length is to have the felt whiskers to be stripped off the chrome to slide-in next to the vent window.
3. You want the chrome ends to be rounded

This research was started with  Riviera63 who set things up with Repop. Thanks to Bill, I bee-lined to that source and was supplied with an exact duplicate.

Beware of Felt strip sets.

 

 

 

Edited January 3, 2023 by XframeFX (see edit history)

[Electra63]

Noted, thanks. 

[Fonge]

Jumping in. I decided to replace the window sweepers in my 63 Riv. My Riv (10/29/1962 build date) has the straight inner door sweepers that fit to the top of the inner door trim panels. The 1963 Riviera Buick Body Service Manual refers to them as inner door panel "trim assemblies," p. 2-4C; they are shown as "inner strip assembly" on p. 2-5C, Figure 2-9C. Reading this forum, I was aware of the straight vs. non-straight (kinked, bent, etc.) assemblies. Anyway, I called Vince at Repops (479-394-4500) and told him I wanted to be sure to get the kit with the straight assemblies. Vince is conversant with the straight vs. bent issue and knew exactly what I was talking about, having gone through this with other Riv owners (and he also apparently inherited the issue from the guy whose name appears in previous posts). He was pretty sure the Repops kits now came with the straight assemblies, so I ordered a kit from a Repops retailer. As with many of you, the kit came with the bent or dog-legged (as Vince called it) assemblies. I called Vince back, let him know what happened, and asked about getting a pair of straight assemblies. He got right on it and a week later, I had my straight inner door trim assemblies, and they are a correct fit. Notwithstanding previous posts, I can say without reservation that my customer service experience with Vince and Repops was way better than most. And by the way, Vince offered that it sounded like Repops needs to assign a separate, unique part number to the straight inner door panel trim assemblies to avoid future confusion and disappointments. Not sure if that's done or if it is going to happen, but it sounded like a capital idea.

Best regards, pfondreski

[Zimm63]

Interesting.  My body was built in the first week of November 1962 and has the dog legged sweeps.  I'm very sure they were originals when I got the car, and have since replaced them  with a set from Clarks.  

 

According to Jim Cannon, the first week of November saw several transitions including the 120 to 140 speedometer.  Maybe this is another of the running changes in the early cars.  

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by Zimm63 (see edit history)

[XframeFX]

2 hours ago, Zimm63 said:

the first week of November saw several transitions including the 120 to 140 speedometer.  Maybe this is another of the running changes in the early cars.

Add to that the Deluxe Interior Master Chrome Power Panel and Base on the Driver's door having a steeper angle in early production causing me major grief. Knowing this and mixing the two pieces, I forced the top screw out of frustration and cracked a perfect base I had just colour changed (clear top coating it was a pain too).

I'm certain much early Riviera assembly was done by hand!

 

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by XframeFX (see edit history)

[Dundee]

Slightly different zone but just in case anyone looking at upper door roof rail seals I purchased from CARS as pictured and can confirm they are not spliced where the corner bends are as depicted in their catalogue.

Edited April 29, 2023 by Dundee
Wrong supplier quoted (see edit history)