ConcoursMustang Forums
Restoring - General discussions that span across many different groups of years and models => Parts => Topic started by: bryancobb on December 11, 2010, 04:23:25 PM
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Hi,
EVERYBODY complains about new aftermarket door window and trunk weatherstripping being too fat, causing you to be required to slam the dors and trunk VERY HARD to make it close.
Has anyone found a solution? I don't think the rubber permanently compresses over tine, like everyone thinks it will, does it?
I think it might work well to run the edge that gets the adhesive across a belt sander to remove 1/8" or so before installing it. You think this would work? .... Be a good idea??
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Some guys have used produces to soak the weatherstrip in to soften it. I've found that some do compress over time. Others (on weatherstrip with certain configurations) have hogs out the center of the weatherstrip to lessen the amount of material.
Just what I've seen or heard of
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Bryan, It will compress over time.. Guaranteed. It just takes a few years. Actually, If you ask me, If you have to close the trunk 2 or three times, It's doing it's job!
What you are experiencing is pretty normal with the trunk weatherstrip. Give it a few yearss, and it will "Conform" better. I promise you.
Tony K.
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NPD stuff I used on 2 cars worked fine... maybe they are installing it wrong? Firm closure, but nothing out of the ordinary from day 1...
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NPD stuff I used on 2 cars worked fine... maybe they are installing it wrong? Firm closure, but nothing out of the ordinary from day 1...
Same here.
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I used N.O.S weatherstriping on my doors on my 69 MACH 1 and installed them this past spring. The doors shut very hard and I applied some liquid soap and kept the doors shut for months. They are better but still not to my satisfaction at all. The door fit is very good and I refuse to align a door around a weatherstrip. On the other hand I used a reproduction weatherstrip on the decklid and it has fit perfect and closes easy, yet seals good. I don't know if the reproduction door strips fit any better than N.O.S but I am not impressed with the N.O.S strips at all. I had the same problem 20 years ago with my boss 302 and after about 10 years the doors shut nice. It's ridiculous to to think you have to wait years to get the strips to set in. >:(
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I LIKE the idea of soaking or dipping them in a solvent that makes the rubber get soft. That is a great idea. I am not a chemist though and I don't know what would work. I'm gonna buy a repop trunk gasket, cut it in 2" pieces and test them against time, soaking in mineral spirits, a/c compressor oil, lacquer thinner, MEK, toluene, and xylene.
One of them is bound to get the desired results. I'm concerned that the absorbed solvent will ruin new paint though. I guess belt-sanding off some of the rubber on the mounting face would be the 100% certain solution. It would just take a lot more time.
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I never have problems with Dan Carpenter weatherstrip. The Scott Drake ones are very hard when compared side by side to Dan Carpenter. I believe the Drake trunk weatherstrip is shaped completely wrong also. When I found this out, I tore new Drake weatherstrips off of hard closing doors and trunk, replaced them with Carpenter, and the doors and trunk closed without slamming.
As a disclaimer, I do like a lot of other Drake parts.
Doug
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Good comparison Doug, Thanks
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We had the same problem with the Drake ones on a 64.5 convertible. The Carpenter ones are much better. Marty
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+1 on the Daniel Carpenter repro's.
2 weeks ago I used a set of Drake's on a 67 convert and ended up pulling them off and replacing them with Carpenters from NPD.
Night and day difference.
I think the Drake stuff has too much "rubber" content and not enough "foam".
It is quite a bit harder.
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+1 on the Daniel Carpenter repro's.
2 weeks ago I used a set of Drake's on a 67 convert and ended up pulling them off and replacing them with Carpenters from NPD.
Night and day difference.
I think the Drake stuff has too much "rubber" content and not enough "foam".
It is quite a bit harder.
So if I order them from NPD I'll get the Carpenters?