r/vandwellers • u/youarebeyoncealways • 3d ago

Pictures What is this rubber strip called and what does it entail to replace?

Post image

I’m thinking of purchasing a 90’s era Chevy G20 van. It’s in a bit of rough shape outside but inside is pretty decent. I’m not especially handy. Is this rubber strip pretty doable to repair myself? Is there a specific name for it?

10 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

7

u/BklynBeat 3d ago

Ive always called it RV trim molding. Easy to replace. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B077H1WXM3?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title&th=1

3

u/Asron87 ‘88 Ford Econoline. 3d ago

Does it do anything besides looks?

2

u/BklynBeat 3d ago

Helps keep water/rust away from the screws holding the fiberglass top on. I recommend keeping them covered. Looks better and you don't want those screws backing out or water coming in that area

1

u/Asron87 ‘88 Ford Econoline. 2d ago

I want to add roof rack mounts on the gutters. Wasn’t sure if I needed the rubber or not.

1

u/youarebeyoncealways 3d ago

Yeah, it does look like the screws that are exposed do have some rust so I imagine keeping it covered would be better.

1

u/Asron87 ‘88 Ford Econoline. 2d ago

I’d think replacing them with stainless steel fasteners would be a better way to go. Then you don’t have to worry about not seeing if it rusts.

1

u/youarebeyoncealways 2d ago

Aha that makes sense. I’m taking notes here. I would say having the rubber strip does make it look nicer to me, just having a clean seam vs having all the screws exposed.

1

u/Asron87 ‘88 Ford Econoline. 2d ago

I’m going to replace the fasteners with stainless steel, put in the roof rack mounts, then put the rubber on where the mounts aren’t on the gutters.

1

u/youarebeyoncealways 3d ago

Okay that is good to know, thank you!

2

u/khargooshe 2d ago edited 2d ago

Trim molding. I just replaced mine takes about 30 min or less to get the old one out and put new one in. Get it on Amazon you should not need more that 30 ft for your van size. When you put it in cut it an inch longer for an over lap in case it decides to shrink due to weather. I also cleaned up and put anti rust stuff on the screws before replacing the trim.