The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Panels 'N Burbs 48 Chevy clamshell doors weatherstripping?

I'm at the reassembly stage with the rear doors. When I took this all apart 5 years ago, there was an old weatherstripping piece attached to the lower inside edge of the top liftgate where it would rest against the top outside surface of the lower tailgate. I don't know if it was factory applied or added by a previous owner to cut down on rattling. I have a reprint of suburban-specific factory parts and I see no mention of rear clamshell weatherstripping nor can I find any for sale from the aftermarket parts dealers. But it seems as if this area will leak air and wind-driven water like crazy! It also seems like any weatherstrip added to the lower tailgate wouldn't last very long in real world use. Maybe in 1948, Chevy wasn't worried about air and water infiltration through the rear doors. Has anyone else added additional weatherstripping and if so, how? Thanks, Dave

Pine tree I am in same stage as you on my 49 burb w clamshell. It has no weatherstripping. I am just getting it back on the road and it rattles like he//. I think my issue may be upper hinges. Can someone please post pictures and comments on how to correctly fix the problem? Thanks.

I am planning on using the same weatherstripping that I used on the doors for the rear. When I bought the burb, it looks similar to that stuff when I pulled it off, plus it seems to be a decent fit.

I did some additional digging in the GM replacement parts archive and found that there was replacement weatherstrip sold in a 60' roll. Armed with the awareness that weatherstrip was indeed called for, I improvised my way through sealing all the way around the upper end gate and the side and lower edges of the lower end gate. I used some leftover higher-profile weatherstrip that the previous owner of my burb had mistakenly bought for the front doors. In one area, I cut and sanded off a part of the weatherstrip profile that was too high. In another case, I glued the weatherstrip on upside down. Whatever it took to get a profile to suit the need at hand. The whole area has a nice, snug feel to it when both gates are closed now. It looks pretty decent too. Also, I made some replacement rubber bumpers for the sides of both gates as the originals were shot. I also elongated the mounting holes on both endgates where they attach to their respective hinges to give some vertical or lateral movement to suck up some of the slack or minimize binding. Everything is a compromise between the ideal and the real. Dave