Door weatherstrip leak

[Bigdav160]

I'm putting in Dodge Dakota weatherstrip. I will need to miter the corners.

Back in the old days we would glue the connection with super glue. I never had one fail.

[highwinger]

I called Fairchild.com too. They have a strip material without the miters G3003 and also a truck version G3004 w/ one miter. However, while on hold I found this push-on w/s that might be the deal: 1616. No miters of course. (Precision said they were looking into this too.) JC Whittney sells it: http://www.jcwhitney.com/fairchild-i...256y1969g2u0j1

The beauty is no adhesive! What do you think?

[Bigdav160]

Looks very close to the Dakota weatherstrip I purchased (RockAuto)

The plus:

Looks good
Holds tight
Seals all the around

The minuses

I'm having trouble getting the door to close
It seems the trouble is with the thickness at the front edge of the window frame.

I'm going to play with it some more.

[highwinger]

Oh, you are using Dakota weatherstripping on your burb. Can you post a specific P/N? I'd love to hear what you do to get it to work.

[highwinger]

I received the steele truck w/s parts last night and gave it a try...

First observation was the Steele parts are wider but shorter. So, it leaves a gap outside the w/s instead of between. I'm not sure if it would leak tho. Second was it wouldn't hold onto the body like the Brothers (PRP) parts. Not sure if it closed the gap since I could get it to hold on by itself.

The first pic is the cross section comparisons. I'm holding the Steele.
Second pic shows the gap above the Steele while holding it on
Third is the gap bewteen upper front door & Brothers w/s
Forth is the gap bewteen upper rear Brothers w/s & corner...note that with the door closed it looks good on the inside. Not sure it would provide a leak path from outside in. I think the compression of the w/s is supposed to seal to the body outward too which I can't believe it does at that point.

[highwinger]

wrong first pic

[highwinger]

Plan C

Precision recommended the '82-93 S-10 push-on weatherstripping saying it fits better than the Dakota's. So, I now have those on order

http://precisionrestorationparts.com...chevy-s10.html

Returning the Steele's.

Both Steele & Precision have been great to deal with. I sent them the above pictures and have had lengthy conversations to figure this deal out.

Precision also said they will be starting a new push-on design for the burbs if you can wait 6 months.

[Grumpy old man]

I have to say there are NO exact gaskets and all require some effort to install if you can't mentally adjust what you have to fit maybe you need to find someone who installs them for a living .? these are not 1 gasket fits all nor are they idiot proof , if you have never done this before find someone who has before talking about how they don't fit as described ! people do this as a living because it's requires skill and experience not just dumb luck and they fit ! if you work in an office or cubicle and have never restored a truck it will not be easy or cheap to do the first time, Find experienced help first !

[highwinger]

I got the S-10 weatherstripping saturday but didn't get enough time to finish the install.

First impression is I really like the press-on capability. The w/s takes a good bit of force to push on over the pinch weld, but well within reason. No hammering or anything needed. I used a dremel with a cutoff blade (wheel) to miter since the U channel is steel reinforced. I can't say I have it down perfectly (or very well) yet. I may have to trim a bit more to get a good joint to bond.

The cross section is a bit different than the Brothers parts so I'm not possitive it well work. It has a little lip above the bulb which may do what's needed, but it also moves the bulb down a bit leaving room above the door to retain water I presume. I believe the original design filled that area.

Next, it's not going to press onto the bottom since the U channel wall is thicker than the original. I expect to use the Brothers w/s in that section but haven't look at the how well they join.

Last, I don't think it is long enough to go all the way around the door opening. So, adding the bottom section will help. Otherwise, you'd probably need three lengths to get two doors worth.

I'll see how far I can get tonight.

[highwinger]

I was able to finally get the weatherstripping installed (driver side only). I haven't tested though yet.

I was happy to find one piece was sufficient in length (a few inches to spare) to wrap around. Also, I was able to force it into the lower side which must have been modified on my burb since it doesn't line up in front or back and there are pop rivets and fiberglass along the mid section. See pics. I assume in tact burbs won't have the forcing issue.

I'm not thrilled with the joints. I miscut the front miter so I had to splice in a piece. Unfortunately the miters are at the critical locations.

One thing I haven't addressed is the holes spaced throughout the length on the bulb section. I assume they are breather holes allowing the bulb to compress. No pic, but they are located around the outside which concerns me with getting water in the bulb. I suppose it will drain on the bottom though.

I closed the door this morning and it is a good bit harder to close the door. I prefer that over leaking for sure. I'll give it a spray tonight to see how it works then give it a go in our summer showers tomorrow hopefully.

Btw, I've been updating Derek at Precision since they are making a new press-on for the burb. I would hope they can make it a little easier to close and include the miters.

[highwinger]

...and the pics...still getting random posting issues

[highwinger]

Just heard from Precision that their new press-on weather stripping would include the moldong joints

[highwinger]

I leak tested the newly installed weatherstripping...there's many of these that apply...

The door is much harder to close AND it won't open with my pop lock. Actually, I have to press on the door to get to get it to open with the pop lock.

I still got some water in but after fuming and cusing for an hour, I believe it may have been from the vent window. Hard to tell. I need to get someone else to spray while I watch the water path from the inside.

I really hope Precision's new burb specific press-on material will solve all the current issues.

[Average Joe]

Great info here. Sub'd for future reference.