I had noticed more wind noise from the rear when driving on the highway. So I pulled the rear C pillar vent grills and ducts out for a look.
What I found was the 26 year old rubber flaps had dried out and curled so they could not seal the openings.
I went down to a local aerospace supply business and bought a roll of silicone rubber sheet and cut out replacements using the old flaps as templates.
The original flaps are stapled to the duct, so I removed the old staples with a screw driver and pliers quite easily. I got to thinking that Mr. Toyoda (family spelling) thought staples were OK, so I used my Arrow t-50 stapler with Monel 1/4" staples to attach the new flaps.
I placed the ducts with new flaps on a block of wood and stapled right into the block. Afterwards I took pliers and bent the staple tips over for extra security. Easy!
Cleaned everything up and put them back in place. The whole operation took about 15 minutes to do both sides.
Below are some pictures.
The road test confirmed the noise was gone, and since it was hot I had the AC on. I think the ac works better also?
No matter what, it was a quick and easy repair with a product that will outlast the original parts by a long ways. If anybody wants silicone flaps I have enough material for more sets, check the "for Sale" section later today. I want to cover costs of the $$ilicone sheet.
Doug
What I found was the 26 year old rubber flaps had dried out and curled so they could not seal the openings.
I went down to a local aerospace supply business and bought a roll of silicone rubber sheet and cut out replacements using the old flaps as templates.
The original flaps are stapled to the duct, so I removed the old staples with a screw driver and pliers quite easily. I got to thinking that Mr. Toyoda (family spelling) thought staples were OK, so I used my Arrow t-50 stapler with Monel 1/4" staples to attach the new flaps.
I placed the ducts with new flaps on a block of wood and stapled right into the block. Afterwards I took pliers and bent the staple tips over for extra security. Easy!
Cleaned everything up and put them back in place. The whole operation took about 15 minutes to do both sides.
Below are some pictures.
The road test confirmed the noise was gone, and since it was hot I had the AC on. I think the ac works better also?
No matter what, it was a quick and easy repair with a product that will outlast the original parts by a long ways. If anybody wants silicone flaps I have enough material for more sets, check the "for Sale" section later today. I want to cover costs of the $$ilicone sheet.
Doug
