Customs New Weatherstrip Door Seal Wont Let Doors Shut, Need Advice

Hi guys just replaced the rubber door seals on my 62 Bullet Bird custom and the drivers door wont shut without a massive slam which is going to break something. It worked perfect with the original worn seal. I know this is a common issue with all this new rubber we are able to buy.
I applied some wintergreen oil on the rubber to see if it would soften up but these new seals are so stiff and it made zero change.

Looking for any advice on how to soften the rubber up to solve this issue. Someone mentioned DOT3 brake fluid but this will eat the paint off the door and jamb so i do not want to attempt this.

would mineral spirits or any other chemical help soften the seal quickly?

thanks again

 

Hate to say it but you need softer seals. Some of the aftermarket seals are made of the wrong type of rubber and way too hard.

 

Or you could do like I did. Install new seals. Let the car sit 20 years with the doors closed. Easy Peasy!

 

Are you sure they are the right size? If its just the drivers door I would say an adjustment issue.

 

I have had to back off on the adjustment and then change it as the seals took shape. I have had the same exp. on several projects. Several brands of product also.

 

If the seals are hollow you need to be sure you vent the ends. Taper the ends at the bottom

 

Agree with all the above.

With the doors closed how do they fit with the quarter panel and fender? Do they need adjusted in order to fit the other panels?

If the doors need adjusted out that will definitely help your problems.

One thing I would do is close the car up tight and let it sit out in the hot and direct sunlight, let the metal get hot along with the seals and see if it let's them to start relaxing and molding to their new shape.

...

 

I can't speak specifically about seals for a 'Bullitt Bird" but for my truck, Steele Rubber Products makes different height seals for my application to get the doors to close correctly, Maybe they have something you can use. A lot of AD truck guys have solved their door closing issue with the Steele Rubber seals. Sofseal is another one you might try, but they only offer one height, at least for my application, and they wouldn't crush enough to let the door close completely

I took some modeling clay and rolled it into balls and stuck it in the door jamb while closing the doors, then measured the clearance around the perimeter of the door. It looks like I need the reduced height seal from Steele Rubber. They are a little spendy and I've not tried them yet but I'm hopeful.

Another guy told me he'd solved his door problem by lubricating the seal with corn starch using an old makeup brush he'd obtained from his wife. Powder the seal and jamb, slam it closed and let it sit out in the sun for a few days. Not tried this either, but it sounded good

 

I noticed all the vent holes in the seal were not open as if the mold was bad so i went around the seal and opened up each vent hole with a small punch. I then lubricated with WD40 and it seems to help maybe by 10%. The door when slammed has perfect gaps with fender and quarter panel

Weather been awful lately wish we had a hot day ahead to let it sit in the sun all day. Tomorrow im going to try heating the seal and closing the door for an hour to see if it gets better. All these new seals are too stiff these days but had to change it because of water leaking.

anyone know if a chemical that might be able to safely soften the rubber?

 

I am in the Slick 60s Truck Club ( 61 to 66 F Series trucks ).... Several members and myself installed door seals and had trouble shutting our doors without slamming them shut .... the doors gaps were all aligned nicely .. This was years ago so maybe the molds were made to large or such ?? .... On that note, When installing a new seal on a fridge or freezer door which I have done on ore than few..... The instructions say to coat the seal and the sealing surface with petroleum jelly to let it take a set or such.... I am redoing my truck and when I get to the seals.... I am buying some round hollow seals by the foot after I measure how thick they need to be


Ricky.

 

I had trouble with the door seals on our '60 ford. finally ground the back side off a little at a time until the door shut properly. the seals were so thick the door would spring the door post outward. my problem was at the dogleg portion, under the windshield.

 

I've had to gring the back side of seals like above and sometimes move the latch in to put more pressure on the seal for some days then realign the latch correctly.

 

I have had this problem many times, especially Chevy trucks. I take my heat gun to the weatherstripping and then close the door. Leave it over night, then repeat until it finally gives in. There has been occasions where a hammer and a block of wood was required to achieve that final clearance

 

I had to actually cut a gasket on the bottom of the door of a Fairlane. The gasket fit well everywhere but on the bottom where it was too thick. I used a razor blade and sliced it in half lengthwise just on the bottom of the door.The door closed great,sealed properly, and since it was on the bottom, didn’t show.

 

Make sure that a window is slightly open somewhere when you close the door. Otherwise you're trying to compress a lot of air inside.