Some good advice?
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From: Santa Clarita
Some good advice?
Today I thought I'd give it another shot on installing my weatherstripping. I got the door to shut but still had about a half inch gap which simply wouldn't close, even after several hours of closing the door. I applied pressure and no go. I just noticed that now I have a crack in the door just at the edge of the bottom of the window above the door latch ( I'm guess from pushing the door closed or slamming the door shut?) . I recall someone said to adjust the door you can bend the top of the door to reduce the gap if there is one. Not sure if this is good advice or not. I didn't push very hard on the top of the window when the door was closed to see if I could collapse the weatherstripping, but now I'm dealing with a hairline crack in the metal. Anyone have this problem before? Seems like a weak spot on these doors. Oh, BTW, I took the stripping off and probably won't replace it this time.
Last edited by imlowr2; Apr 15, 2006 at 04:46 PM.
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Do you have the service manual for yours? In my book it shows the procedure for bending a door. They use a big special clamp, but thats not necessary.
We (dad and I) use to rebuild totalled cars/trucks. We used wooden blocks/shims to hold doors open slightly at the tight spot and pushed on the spot that was out (modern cars) to "slightly" change the shape.
An old ch**y two door car (chevelles, monte carlos, etc,) trick was to lean a 2X4 from the floor to the door sill and slowly push the door like you were shutting it (up the ramp!). The proper way was to replace the hinge pins, but this was fast and free.
We (dad and I) use to rebuild totalled cars/trucks. We used wooden blocks/shims to hold doors open slightly at the tight spot and pushed on the spot that was out (modern cars) to "slightly" change the shape.
An old ch**y two door car (chevelles, monte carlos, etc,) trick was to lean a 2X4 from the floor to the door sill and slowly push the door like you were shutting it (up the ramp!). The proper way was to replace the hinge pins, but this was fast and free.
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From: Kansas City area
Another weatherstripping ordeal. Be careful bending your doors if you have final paint because it is easy to cause a crack in the paint. The 56 doors seem to be weak at the point where the rear upper flat vertical section meets the rounded area right below the window opening. I had a break in the metal at this point that I had to weld after attempting to tweak the doors for a better fit on the weatherstrip. Still think the hollow bulb type generic weather strip is the way to go. It collaspes without the resistance of the OEM type solid rubber. I won't even attempt the OEM on my current project.
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I am glad you pointed that out. We were never dealing with one after it was painted when doing the door tweaking. We got everything ligned up and then painted it. It was totalled cars and salvage yard doors. We had to do it that way.
I think he now has the hairline crack you ran into. Hmmm........
I think he now has the hairline crack you ran into. Hmmm........
I'll have the Roast Duck
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Northshore, MN
is it just the one door? is it possible the weather stripping got switched from left to right/right to left? did you weld on the door or sandblast to produce warpage? just throwing out some possibilities
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From: Santa Clarita
Leckart makes a good point, unfortunately, I had to find out the hard way. I was thinking about brazing the crack instead of welding it but I'll leave it for now. I was hoping the crack was merely the paint, but no such luck, I sanded it and it's definitely in the metal. I'm not tweaking anything on the door anymore by hand or a 2x4 and I think I'll go with weatherstripping that Leckart mentioned, or just not have any at all. I know they sell several kits for the weatherstripping, I'm just wondering how many people end up throwing them away because they don't fit?
I'll have the Roast Duck
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From: Northshore, MN
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From: Riverside, So Cal
Ed -
Is the crack in the door's rear jamb? Or on the door's face?
I'm a big believer in the aftermarket hollow bulb weatherstrip. I haven't put it in for the finished look yet because I'm not yet painted, but AK Fifty-Three (Matt) did his with that stuff and liked it a lot. If the stuff works in Alaska, we're all good to go.
Go to a Pep Boys store.
Is the crack in the door's rear jamb? Or on the door's face?
I'm a big believer in the aftermarket hollow bulb weatherstrip. I haven't put it in for the finished look yet because I'm not yet painted, but AK Fifty-Three (Matt) did his with that stuff and liked it a lot. If the stuff works in Alaska, we're all good to go.
Go to a Pep Boys store.
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From: Santa Clarita
Randy, the crack starts just below the round portion of the door near the bottom edge of the window. It extends about 1" to the back panel of the door above the lock mechanism, (if that makes sense). I've already trashed the weatherstripping I have and am planning to visit PepBoys this week. Thanks. I personally think PepBoys should give you kickbacks on promoting sales for them LOL....
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i'm glad i ran into this topic i have a weatherstrip set to put on my 57 f100,the ones fitted are perished the thing is i live in england and if i have the wrong set it means a reorder from the states,can you advise me what to fix them on with
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From: Riverside, So Cal
dixiefried -
Some folks claim the stock weatherstrip goes on just fine, or relaxes with time so that the door closes correctly. You might be one of those lucky ones.
The rest of us have had problems ranging from minor to impossible. Assuming you fit into that group, the hollow bulb style is a quick and neat fix. However, you can also shave the back of the stock weatherstip (using a razor blade) to make it fit better. The problem is that it is applied using weatherstrip adhesive, which is one of the stickiest, messiest and hardest to remove stuff ever invented.
I would suggest (only because I haven't tried this yet myself) using small strips of double-back tape to hold the weatherstrip to the door and try closing it. Check for where it binds badly. Shave it where it needs it. Refit, shave some more, etc.
When you like it, take the tape off, clean both surfaces (strip and door) with acetone, let it dry and stick it on permanently.
Wipe off the excess weatherstrip adhese while it is still wet!!! (I have done that!)
Good Luck!
Some folks claim the stock weatherstrip goes on just fine, or relaxes with time so that the door closes correctly. You might be one of those lucky ones.
The rest of us have had problems ranging from minor to impossible. Assuming you fit into that group, the hollow bulb style is a quick and neat fix. However, you can also shave the back of the stock weatherstip (using a razor blade) to make it fit better. The problem is that it is applied using weatherstrip adhesive, which is one of the stickiest, messiest and hardest to remove stuff ever invented.
I would suggest (only because I haven't tried this yet myself) using small strips of double-back tape to hold the weatherstrip to the door and try closing it. Check for where it binds badly. Shave it where it needs it. Refit, shave some more, etc.
When you like it, take the tape off, clean both surfaces (strip and door) with acetone, let it dry and stick it on permanently.
Wipe off the excess weatherstrip adhese while it is still wet!!! (I have done that!)
Good Luck!
Last edited by Randy Jack; Apr 16, 2006 at 05:50 PM.
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From: Santa Clarita
I can add a little to Randy's suggestions. I tried to trim the back of the weatherstripping to make it fit better. It's very difficult, even with a new razor, to trim the weatherstripping or get a straight cut on it. I put the weatherstrip on first, but instead of using double sided tape, I simply used masking tape which worked real nice. Even though I trimmed my stripping, the door closed better but not completely. The best adhesive to use is 3M and yes it's very sticky and messy. I didn't use acetone, but I used Carb Cleaner (WalMarts brand) and it removed it real nicely from my fingers, etc. There are two options here. Going the PepBoys type stripping, or I also seen several types of weatherstripping sold at automotive swap meets. It comes on a roll and various sizes, thickness, etc.
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From: abq nm
i got weatherstrippin from macs, supposedly made for 57 to 60 model trucks and that was the biggest nightmare i ever got into. i am going to the hollow stripping route when i get around to it. it's summer so i don't need weatherstripping now!
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