The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop door closing after weatherstrip applied

:confused: I put new weather strip on my doors on the 53. They line up well seem to be pretty tight. The only problem I have is that now I really have to slam the doors to get them closed. Does anyone know if this will work itself out as the weatherstrip wears in??? Or do I need to readjust the doors. They line up pretty nice I really don't want to mess with them.

PS. I didn't want to hijack Denny's thread on weatherstrip.

ill be doin this soon so ill be watchin ...

me too

If the door's properly adjusted AND you have the correct profile weatherstrip, the weatherstrip shouldn't make the door close hard. There are a couple of possibilities. The door could need adjustment, you have the wrong profile weatherstrip or the weatherstrip is routed incorrectly (it can happen). If the door's gaps are even & straight and the door skin is in line with the fender & cab (not sucked in too tight) about all it can be is the wrong profile (too thick) or mispositioned weatherstrip.

You need to leave the door closed for a few days and it should be ok after that.I have done many trucks and they are all that way if you use after market stuff.I know with the gm repop stuff it does not do that.

I got my weatherstrip from Chevy Duty on recommendations from folks here that the profile was correct. It is a little fatter than others I have seen.

It appears to me (and i am no expert) that the doors are aligned. The passenger door looks near perfect. The gaps is uniform and the body lines line up. The door is flush to the body when closed.

The drivers door is a little different. It has always been a tight fit. The door opening is slightly smaller than the passenger side so the gap is tight. (I atribute this to the hand mad nature of these trucks as it was like this when I got it.)The body lines are perfect but since I added the weather strip the door is slightly proud of the body when closed. The drivers door is harder to close.

It appears the weather strip is installed in the correct location/orientation.

I will leave the doors closed a few days and see if it improves. I will let you know what happens.

Tiny, Do you have a recommnedation for a weatherstrip supplier if i have to go the route of removal and reapplication?

If you're driver's door is proud of the body with the weatherstrip where it wasn't before, it sounds like there is a bind. I wouldn't think the hinges would allow the door to be proud just because of the weatherstrip.

I believe Sofseal (sp?) and Steele are the only folks making weatherstripping. A visit to their webpages should give you an idea of what's available if it's necessary to change it.

I have just the opposite problem with my 38. The weatherstrip doesn't seal tight enough. I've slept since I bought it & don't remember the vendor I got it from.

I buy from chevy duty or(classic truck parts) now and the gaskets are always tight when you first install them.Give them a while to break in and they should be ok.

I'd recommend Steele Rubber Products, the size and profile will be correct/exact - everything I've seen from SoffSeal is oversize and incorrect shape - talkin 55-59, but I'd expect all years to be the same quality from both makers

Bill

Thanks guys...I will wait for a few days since that is the easiest thing to do. If I need to replace it I will take your advice.

The drivers door is only proud of the body in the back. It was sunken in and I adjusted the hinges. if the break in period works, I will adjust again to see if that solves it.

Both my doors have settled in nicely. The passenger door was good all along. I removed the drivers door and adjusted the upper hinge where it seemed to be needin it. Didn't make much difference. But now that a few weeks have gone by I think the door closes a little easier.

Anyway for anyone who will be doing this it does take patience and a whole lotta test fits.

Good luck
Rich

If the door isn't compressing the rubber seal when you close it then the seal is to small and your going to have air and water leaks. The rubber needs to be a little over size so naturaly it's to be expexted that you should have to give the door a little tug to close it.

The factory adjustment for clearance at the front of the door says it can be flush or up to 1/8" proud of the front piller if needed and is made by bending the hinges. If there isn't enough clearance it will pinch the seal and pull it away from the door in the area between the hinges.
I've gotten two sets of door seals from Chevy Duty and both had the GM restoration stickers on them and they fit fine.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

....Welcome to the world of reproduction parts...

I would put Steele Rubber Products first on the list of virtually all rubber material for our trucks, from the 30's to the 60's. When I did the rubber on my 37, I used every piece they made for my truck and they make every piece for a 37. Until I finished my ruck, there was one piece they didn't make. It was the piece the clutch peddle arm bumps against on the under side of the toe board. I had a partial piece and they made a new one for me. Ever since then, that piece has been in their catalog. They also will take your original motor mounts cores and make new ones for you. They are the best motor mounts made for the 216-235-261 engines. They are really the best for GM rubber products. Their stuff is made by them and they control the quality. No China stuff. It costs a little more, but will last along time. Mine has been in place for over twenty years. After you mess around with weatherstrip and rubber parts, you don't really want to do it again for awhile.

Tiny -
As far a 37 weatherstrip, there really isn't any. It's done with windlace.

Joe

Hey All ,
Anyone got a pic of there door with all the rubber installed in its proper local ?
PO had the cab seal mounted to the bottem edge of the door ???..with pop rivets ...I would Appreciate a good pic of a door from the back side that shows how IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE ...
Thanks !
Tim

This might help Tim, if ya need more holler.
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2711529160098611668JiSKic
Denny Graham

Alan Horvath has an interesting page about door rubber. With some decent pictures too.

Thanks Denny an Fredoly ! ..added both to fav's for future reference !

Brothers has a tech page with door and window rubber install pix.