I installed new door weatherstripping on my 67 4x4 highboy. The doors are hard to close. Will these break in and get easier. I even adjusted the hinges and strikers to ease it up a bit, but its still a hard slam. Any ideas out there. Thanks. J. Vorhies

 

Tis my understanding the doors will be xtra tight for a few days.


John

 

After replacing mine I had to roll the window down some to close easy from inside. Air tight now?

 

probably water tight.lol

 

I had the same problem with my '78 when I changed the weather stripping. I had to very slowly and carefully take it off and and re-install it very slowly making sure it was exactly in the right place. Its was a pain in the a$$ and its still not 100% right but a lot better. I think buying a very good quality weather strip makes a lot of difference and its usually only one or two small spots in the stripping that makes the door hard to close

 

i had the same problem when i replaced mine,this was 4 years ago..was air tight for a while,i just kept driver window cracked open when closing door..it last for a few weeks..

 

my 79 dodge was the same way when i had the weatherstripping replaced, it lasted for about a week. Haven't had to replace it on the ford...yet (i'm sure its coming though. lol.)

 

That's exactly it! The Old VW manuals used to even tell you to "crack the window" before closing the doors.

 

Give it time it takes several weeks for the seal to break in. It hasent been compressed to fit the contour of the door I did mine several years ago the doors shut like new type sound but takes very little effort to close nice today.Try not to mess with the door adjustment much or you,ll be readjusting them again after the seal has set to door.

 

Thanks for all the input. They are getting easier to close now after a week of slamming. I will end up adjusting the doors and strickers back to where they were once it gets a little easier to close. Thanks again.

 

Paraphrased from the Ford instructions that used to come with door weatherstrips.

After installing the weatherstrip, use masking tape liberally to hold it in place, especially at the corners. Close the door till the latch just touches the striker plate. If the dome lamp stays on, remove the bulb.