Weather Strip Replacement - Doors

[Pat Marshall]

I need to replace the long weather strips on #1494. These are the long ones with the "V" shaped ends. I searched the Forum in hopes that someone had posted how to do this. It's either not there or I couldn't find it. I did find an unanswered old request from a Forum Member asking for the same information.

So, if anyone has replaced their door weather strips, I would greatly appreciate your "How To" expertise.

[Barry Wolk]

I’ve seen people splice old ends onto new weatherstrip material.

[Pat Marshall]

Thank you for your response, Barry. In the the case of 1494 the "V" end is deteriorated as is the weatherstrip through the bend at the lower rear of the door. The rest looks good. Splicing a new end may be the way to go. Replacing the weatherstrip on the forward part of the door looks problematic because there is such little clearance between the door and the trailing edge of the front fender.

Which adhesive do you recommend? 3-M?

Several people who have looked at this thread have done full restorations. I was hoping for a little more discussion.

[Barry Wolk]

I alway use Superglue for the splices. The key is to get both sides of the splice as flat and smooth as possible. I use a 100-tooth carbide blade for the cuts. I put the seals in PVC tubing to hold it still while slicing it off.

If I could not find replacements for the ends I'd make my own. Even if your ends are in bad shape they would serve to make a mold for new rubber. Cast a plater mold from the original and fix flaws using the repaired casting to serve as the new positive. This is what Mark II enterprises did with many rubber parts until demand had him make product-specific molds.

Your best adviser here would be Roger Zimmerman as he has casting down to a T.

[Egenolf]

Pat,

unfortunately, I am not yet so advanced in the restoration of 2503 that I could stick in the door weatherstrips ,but I always use a special profile rubber adhesive.

In my experience, a new weatherstrip needs a long time to fit exactly. Until then the doors will be difficult to close.

[Blacktophat]

Super glue does make a nice and seamless connection. I used black super weatherstrip and gasket adhesive by 3m. And yes right now my doors are a little hard to close. These products were recommended to my by my brother a professional body man.