The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Rubber trim around doors and windows for a 54 Chevy Truck

Is there a place on the internet or a book one can get that shows exactly where all this rubber trim goes on the doors and how to install them. My 54 Does not have any rubber trim on it at all. Thanks for your help

Isn't that book usually less expensive from Chevy Duty or one of the other parts houses?

Truck Shop ... $22.00
Jim Carter ... $33.35
Chevy Duty ... $24.95
Chevy\'s of the 40\'s ... $30.00
Classic Industries ... $29.95
Brothers ... $29.95
American Classic Truck Parts ... $28.00

RHuddle56, if you are restoring or doing a lot of work on that 54 and if you haven't done so already, you should get one of these "Factory Assembly Manuals", they are a great help.

RHuddle56,

The Factory Assembly manual does not explain how to install seals and weather stripping but it has some diagrams of where most of these parts go (except for rear doors and windows on suburbans).

It seems the reprinted Factory Assembly Manual does not include "General Instructions". I think there is a reference to this in the reprinted Factory Assembly Manual in the diagram in Section !, Sheet 20.00 (inset #3: FOR ASSEMBLY OF WEATHERSTRIP AND BUT JOINT CEMENTING SEE GENERAL INSTRUCTION SECTION 0 SHEET 1.04

Does anyone have a copy of the GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS (am I reading the Factory Assembly Manual incorrectly)?

Tim

Just shows you gotta be careful buying off ebay.

Which rubber piece are you talking about? The weatherstrip which is glued to the edge of the door proper, or the windlace, which slides in a channel around the perimeter of the door opening? The book gives instructions for the latter, but actually is useless, as the repro windlace being sold does not have the features necessary to do it the way described.

Tim
See section 1, sheet 11.00

Brian,

What features are missing on the repo windlace?

Also, where did you find instructions (book and page)?

[thanks for the page # - you posted it while I was composing this message - what parts did not match - I was able to do all that was described on sheet 11, except I chose not to crimp the channel]

Thanks,
Tim

Tim
I think we are each one behind each other on reading the posts!
The original windlaces had notches at just the right places. I think that would make it a lot easier. I just finished installing my windlaces, what a pain in the a$$.

I am refering to the piece that goes around the door-I am assumming it is glued on. But the piece at the bottom of the door-is it the same piece held on with the metal strip? Also the metal track that goes around the inside of the door from the floor of the cab floor around the window-just how hard is this stuff to put in. Does it slide in or to you have to work it in with a screwdriver/ I would like to see a picture of a door with the rubber trim installed. Thanks Robert

Brian,

You got that right - my daughter help me and she learned a few new words as we struggled to success.

Tim

Lots of vaseline.

Also make sure no places in the channel are crimped; and, start at the top and work towards both sides.

Good luck,
Tim

The black foam weatherstrip that goes around the door is glued on, it is the same strip around the bottom of the door, but the metal strip is used for extra security I guess. This is talking about the weatherstrip ON the door.

The windlace slides into the channel, and as Tim said, be sure the channel is open. Cut off a short piece of windlace and use it as a test piece, you need to eliminate any tight spots. I did not use vaseline, I thought petroleum products might react with the rubber and degrade it eventually. I used an "armour-all" type product, it is a lot of silicone. Do not use a screwdriver; you will just tear up the rubber.

Brian,

I agree with you about not using Vaseline. This is an example of taking the advise of a vendor. I did not want to use a silicone product because of problems it might cause with painting (ever been the victim of "fish eye"). A glycerine product might be the best (something like KY-Jelly).

Your suggestion is excellent - about cutting off a test piece of windlace and running it through the channel - I figured this out after inventing a few new incantations when the windlace got stuck.

By the way, when you put the weatherseal on the door with Super Weatherstrip Adhesive (I assume), how messy was it? How did you clean up the dried excess adhesive?

Thanks,

Tim

I gave a machinist friend of mine a piece of this track from a donor truck and a piece of windlace, he made me a block 3/4" long shaped to just fit very snug inside of the track. I tapped this all away around the track and the windlace slipped right in.

Hey guys
This is my first post, hopefully of many more. The fact is we glued the trim on a 54 chevy about 3 months ago and haven't cleaned the excess yet. Maybe if it was masked where you didn't want glue! That stuff is really messy though. The part that goes into the channel was easy, I just had my wife do it. (much more patient!)
Jim

It is either 3M super or regular adhesive, I cannot remember. I have had both, and did not notice a difference. Stuff has a limited shelf life after you open it. But you are right, it is pretty nasty stuff to clean up. Try some 3M adhesive cleaner. If you thought the adhesive was expensive, just wait til you see this stuff!

Your wife installed your windlace???? She must be tough, mine was a 2-man job, one pushing, one pulling.

She is tough. We (she) is sitting here and tells me she started in the middle and stuck one side in and pushed the other with a wide screwdriver. Told you she was patient.
Also here's my website. Lots of pictures when you navigate to "Cruizen" and truck pictures. I maintain a section of my site for our local cruises.
www.jandcawards.com
Jim

Use the 3M super weather strip ashesive. Read the instructions on the box, or tube. Only do about 12" at a time!! Coat both surfaces, let it get tacky dry, apply another coat, then put into place. Do another 12" or so, till done. If you try to do the entire length, it gets twisted, tangled, and makes a total mess. Also, really hard to fit the weatherstrip into the pillar side of the door edge with the door installed.
My suggestion is fit the door, mark the hinge bolt locations, take the door off, install the weatherstrip and re-install the door. the seal will smush as necessary to fit, or you can tweak the fit at that time. Lots of adult beverages are usually required to do this right!

I have done both door strips. I had the wife hold one end out of trouble as I applied the adhesive. She kept that end out of trouble while I applied from the other end. It was a piece of cake compared to the chanel strip. First channel took me hours. Second one took me 10 minutes with my newfound education. I tried every lubricant known to man, and by the last lubricant, I was ready to use ground up babies if someone suggested it. The ONLY thing that worked for my tight fit was to bend the chanel open slightly. And yes, I cut a test strip and bent and tried until it slipped thru EASILY. Then, it was a piece of cake instead of a piece of well, you know.

That 12 inches at a time thing sounds like just the ticket. I WILL try that next time. Hopefully sooner than later cause that would mean my 46 burb would be closer to DONE!

Lots of great advise here!
Jim