Hello,

I just noticed surface rust on the roof of my 1998 F150 XLT. It is along the side wall of what I'll call the "water channel". I don't know if that's the right name, but it's the roughly 1 inch wide channel that runs along both driver and passenger sides of the roof.

I'd like to sand out the rust, prime, and repaint, but it looks as though the channel itself is lined with something. It may have been weatherstripping at some point--it is really cracked and brittle on my truck.

Does anyone know what this stuff is? I'd like to dig it up to look for rust under it. Any recommendations on how to get it out (putty knife?) and what to replace it with would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Pete