Weeks of agony have led me to post this. I searched everywhere, watched every video, read the factory manual, read the FAM, and read every thread I could about door seals before I began the process of re-assembling my painted doors and getting them back onto the truck…
After painting the doors, I installed them without weatherstrip for a test fit, and the doors adjusted out nicely and were flush- like a modern car!
I ordered and installed the standard door weatherstrip, with the taller “nose” of the strip on the outboard side of the door facing towards the cab, per many of the instructional videos online. Not only would the doors not close and latch, they were bowing out in places, weirdly and nothing looked right. Forcing them closed and keeping them that way for a year wasn’t going to,solve the problem, either.
I tore out the fresh weatherstripping and re-adjusted the door- it looked and operated perfectly.
So, I ordered the “Thin” door weatherstrip from The Filling Station, and installed it correctly with the tall “nose” of the strip on the outboard side of the door, facing towards the cab. The door closed better this time, but still could not even be forced into position after numerous adjustments with the hinges. I even began tearring up the hinge plates,with a Dremel to allow the hinges to go further outboard. That was unnecessary and a mistake…
I tore that weatherstripping off the door, and took the other new “thin” weatherstrip and installed it backwards on the door, with the taller “nose” of the strip against the inboard side of the door this time. Huge difference. Door now closes and latches correctly and is proud of the cab by 1/8”…. Which is still ridiculous.
What’s even worse is watching videos where they install the seal, install the door, and then slam it shut and it fits perfectly,…and I have read the same accounts by people in this forum who have little trouble with the standard replacement seals….if has baffled me for weeks!
The problem? The weatherstripping that is being sold does not fit all of our trucks,,,apparently, some trucks have larger clearances between the door and the cab than other trucks do. My doors fit very closely.
None of the door weatherstrip sold looks anything like the original weatherstrip that I removed from my doors. It has been on there since 1950. Look at the pics below:
These are all side views. #1 and #4 are the same- the standard weatherstrip sold by most venders.
#2 is the original weatherstrip removed from my truck.
#3 is the “thin” version for our doors that is also available….
Trouble with the “thin” version is that it is too wide, and extends beyond the edge of the door when it is installed. A big problem, if you have nice, minimum gaps at the front and rear because the taller nose of the strip will hit the edge of the cab and fold back, looking like crap and making the door difficult to close again…
The solution? We need a better door weatherstrip that more closely matches the factory specs…at least for trucks with doors that fit like mine.
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When I find the Goldilocks door seal, I’ll post it here..
