No problem getting into the weather stripping on the two rear doors as they are open at the seams. The other seals might be different, I will find out today.

I did the entire length,, and here is how i did it...No Soapy Water (I just didn't wan't moisture in the seals and the soap when dried will make it near impossible to get the backer rod out if needed)

Okay
1) ran a fish tape through
2) taped about 3" of backer rod to the end of the fish tape, keep it nice an compressed so it doesn't bulge out past the original diameter if possible.
3) with the moulding straightened out I had my 4 year old son hold the fish tape

4) I pulled the moulding over the backer rod, I did not pull the fish tape/ backer rod through the molding. It just slid through.

5) I left about a foot on each end so it would have time to recompress/shrink back while I went around the coreners

6) put the moulding back on and did the following...

7) After I waited a few minutes to let the backer rod shrink back up (it might not have helped but I thought what the hell) Left about 1" or 2" of extra backer rod exposed from one end and slipped it into the other end of the moulding like it was a dowel.

I would strongly recommend against any soapy water, lubricants, etc. if you do not need it. Avoid the mess and smell if you can.

P.S. I can't take credit for the backer rod, it was already done on here and thankfully so.

P.P.S. If you ever need to remove the backer rod, try and put a compressor and nozzle in one end and work the backer rod out the other end (moulding should be straight).

I used to do this on something completely unrelated but the air makes the rod vibrate and loosen itself from the walls as you slowly remove it.

 

Personally, I did the entire seals on all doors, eliminated all rattles and made overall truck quieter. I only had "trouble" with one door, the passenger rear, and once I lubed that one with soapy water from a spray bottle it went smoooth. All other seals I did dry with no issues!

 

there is no downside to using soapy water. if you need to get the rod out just re-wet. personal preference i guess. soapy water dosnt smell or make a mess imho.

 

Okay, I am a convert. I just finished doing the barn doors and front doors without my 4 year old (damn he actually was a help).

I used liberal amounts of simple green on the front units pulling the moulding over the rod because it was warm and they kept sticking.

I used simple green on the barn doors for where the moulding shrinks down to a small slit.

Now for the shocker, the previous owner siliconed the rear main seal (the big one) all the way around. Go figure.

Now I am stuck wondering if I should cut the moulding and run the backer in it, or just order another one and do it right (new + backer rod should equal Bentley like interior, right?)

Oh well.

I am off for some lunch and I'll see how it sounds with all this done.

 

you mean he sealed the seam? the seam is designed in there so if you get a hole in it somewhere water can escape. if it is just the seam cut it lose. i would pull it off to see why he did it. maybe it wouldnt stay on the little lip any longer

 

I did mine by cutting a slit across. I figured that there is already a slit on the bottom where the 2 ends meet, so what's the harm? I would only do the rear corners of each door because doing it all around could make it too hard to close the door. You would save time and money on the length of tubing. I did not pull the stripping off the frame. If I were to do that, then I would just buy new stripping from Ford and redo the entire thing. May cost more, but at least it would be OEM and good as when new and less hassles.

 

I mean he siliconed where the trim slides/clamps over the body sheet metal, as in now when I want to take it off I will have to clean a ***** load of silicone off because it is still sort of tacky/gooey.

However, here is the best part...

I was real pissed that I was not going to be able to fix the rear door before this memorial day trip (350 miles each way) and there was a very annoying rattle. The sound came right off the glass. It would have really gotten at my wife, who would have then gotten at me.

Well, I was driving to go pick up some lunch and figured what the hell. I got to the parking lot , jumped in the back and started slamming doors, shaking seats, etc. to find out where the rattle is coming from exactly.

Folded the 2nd row down and wait a second, what was that? sounds the same only a little duller.

Turns out the most annoying rattle was the 2nd row center seat belt, it had been retracted into the plastic holder and was shaking around. With no 3rd row in the back, the sound went right back, bounced off the window and came back to my ears that way.

Sonnofabtch, that was a long way around to get to that.

With that fixed and 80% of the doors done (just the big hatch to finish) it is really a nice ride. Alot of the "sharper" high pitch road noise is muted.

Now the problem is I can hear all the front end noise, which means sway bar end links, hubs, etc.

F'it, good enough for this road trip.

Thanks again to everyone. This really is a mod everyone should and can do cheaply and effectively.

 

"good as new" dont always mean good.

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Just curious to see how that foam backer rod is holding up?

 

Mine (backer) got squashed flat on the barn door after a week.
Got some latex tubing 3/8" O/D with 1/16" wall of e-bay and this fixed all the rattles on the doors.
50 feet will set you for 4 doors ,now missing another 15' for the barn door.

 

I wouldn't bother with the foam backer and go straight to the rubber. You should be able to find some at an outdoor/sports/fishing store that sells sling shot supplies. My has been about two yrs and no issues.

 

Thanks for the info. I found the backer rod at HD for $5 for 50 feet and I thought . I kind of figured it was too good to be true. Did find some latex on Amazon for $28 for 50ft.

 

nI'm going to sound like a complete idiot, but well, here we go. I want to do this, got bad rattle with rear driver side door and back hatch, going to try electrical tape on the back hatch. But for the rear doors, when I pull the sill panel is that all I need to remove to get to the sill? Does the rubber part just pull out after that? I just follow it around, pulling it carefully out of the track? Then when I put it back, I'm guessing it just slides back in? Thanks for the great pics though.

 

The rear door seals are just a friction fit but the hatch seals are glued with some heavyduty *****.

 

this is going to sound REALLY silly, but what is FRICTION FIT?