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I recently replaced all the weatherstrip in and around the doors of my '63. Ever since then it has taken much more effort to close the doors. Is this to be expected and if so how long does it normally take for the w/s to "relax". I have checked to make sure the w/s is in the correct locations and not mis-aligned. Any suggestions would be welcome.
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Re: '63 weatherstrip
Yes, it'll take quite a while for the rubber to conform to your car. John Hinckley wrote a thread (archives) on how the factory achieved its 'glove like' fit that involved pre-heating the weatherstrips such that the first closing of the door caused the rubber to deform and 'learn' the specific geometry of the door gap... -
Re: '63 weatherstrip
Randy, My 63 used to have NOS GM door rubber. You couldn't close the doors without slamming the crap out of them. Horrible. So we tore that stuff off and bought the softer repro kind and now the doors close real easy. Soft??? Can't remember the name. Maybe someone will chirp in. My doors on my 63 close like a Mercedes. Forget that GM rubber. Same thing with the hood rubber. That hard GM hood rubber is the pits also. Use the soft stuff. JohnComment
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Re: '63 weatherstrip
Thanks John. I assume the NOS GM rubber never softened? Did you replace it with Soffseal by chance?Comment
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Re: '63 weatherstrip
You might try smearing a coating of Ru-Glyde on the weatherstrips and leave the doors closed for a week or so. We used the stuff in the factory for awhile for the same purpose. A big decrease in door closing effort can be achieved by adjusting the door striker O/b a couple mils. As the rubber takes a set, you can adjust it back in.
There is usually a wide manufacturing tolerance in the durometer range of some OEM weatherstrips from the same manufacturer. One batch can be soft, one hard, relatively speaking.
Another thing to look at is the attitude your door hangs to the seal surface. The door should hang plumb to the seal surface or you'll get wide and tight places in the seal gap which can cause wind/water leaks and hard closing effort.Comment
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Re: '63 weatherstrip
Randy, Thanks for saving me from another sr moment. Soft Seal is the name. That's what we used. Highly suggest them.. My 63 coupe doors close perfect. Course you have to spend a lot of time aligning them up too. I had some good craftsman working on the doors for quite awhile. You can hold the doors about 4 or 5" and then close them and they latche perfect the first time. Better than my new vehicle. JohnComment
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