47-59 Door seal

[nvrdone]

I just replaced the door seals on my '49 since they were old, torn & worn out.
Installing the seal on the left door went fine and the door shuts great.
The right door is the problem. The seals on both doors were installed the same way as per the directions. Also, the gaps on both sides are the same.
On the right door I now have to slam it real hard for it to close completely
Any ideas we where my problem may be would be appreciated. Thanks.

[dsraven]

had same exact issue on a 54 of my buddies. he installed aftermarket seals from a popular supplier and thats what happened, door no closey. he replaced those new seals with soffseal product and had no problems. i have heard that steele's is also a good seal that fits well and allows door to close properly
also heard of some guys simply letting the truck sit in the sun with the door closed tightly and the rubber conforms better so door will shut better

[nvrdone]

these are softseal. so maybe sitting in the sun would help, That's if we get above 30 deg and the fog goes away. Interesting that the left door fits great and the right one doesn't.

[dsraven]

I always fit the door to the opening without seals or latches. Then install latches and adjust those, then the seals.
It's easy to install the seals backwards but looks like you have that covered already.
Could call customer service at soffseal?

[leegreen]

3 summers on my CPP brand seals and they have not gotten much easier to close, Drivers needs a good thump and passenger needs a hard slam... on the todo list for sometime. Plan A is to try some generic stick on rolls of weather strip of lightly smaller profile than what I have. Plan B is to order another brand

[nvrdone]

Ok, thanks for the help. When I removed the old seals, I checked the door gaps & alignment. Everything was good. After installing the seals, the left door shuts fine. The right door needs such a hard slam that I'm afraid the glass is going to break.
I also tried the dollar bill trick where you place a dollar bill on the seal and close the door to check how muck drag there is.
I think next I will try Raven's trick. I can't leave the truck in the sun because day time temps are 30 deg & fog. But it will go in the garage and I can crank the heat up to 80 deg.
Wish me luck

[mr48chev]

Originally Posted by dsraven

I always fit the door to the opening without seals or latches. Then install latches and adjust those, then the seals.
It's easy to install the seals backwards but looks like you have that covered already.
Could call customer service at soffseal?

His truck has been on the road for years with everything fitting without an issue. We haven't had temps much above 40 for the past two weeks and that doesn't help. Nvrdone and I live about 25 road miles apart. He lives out past the place that makes some pretty good beer with the hops that they grew right next to their brewery.

[dsraven]

Yup, I figured it was a driver but sometimes that'd when small things get overlooked. Anyway, he's got it covered by the sound of it.
Nice to find a good place for a cold brewski and a reason for a little road trip.

[nvrdone]

So I played with the seal again last night. Found a twist in it right where the door angles back at the windshield. Took the seal out & cleaned off all the glue. What pain. Then I taped the seal back in - no glue yet. Today I will drive the truck and check for any air leaks. It it's good, I will glue the seal in. Wish me luck.
Hey Rob: Sounds like you have been having a heat wave!! we haven't been over 30 deg all week. But my garage is a comfy 62 deg.

[jweb]

I installed seals from Precision and had the same problem. Had to remove them and install these

https://metroparts.com/door_side_sea...et&Model=Truck

[JDarby]

jweb After reading about the seals you recommended they look to fit the bill!

Too bad I've already purchased mine, if they don't work out I have a solid backup!

[e015475]

I tried the Precision and Sofseal seals on my '49 without much luck.

I could just barely get the door closed by slamming it with the Sofseal

I got pretty nerdy about it and rolled up some balls out of modeling clay and set them in place of the seal to see how much clearance there was around the door. (I carefully measured with a dial caliper)

What I found is that the narrowest distance the seal has to compress in is just above the door striker where the body flares out below the belt-line of the cab - the worst possible place for the door to exert leverage against the seal.

I figured the Sofseal had to compress to about 30% of its free height - that's why the door won't close - too much compression and not enough force against the seal. I could get the bear-claw latch to engage in the first position, but to get it to go to full closed required slamming the door pretty hard. Sitting the truck in the Phoenix sun didn't help much.

Steele Rubber products sells two heights of door seals. For my truck door opening, the shorter Steele seal would cover the widest portion of the door aperature but was still compressible at the tightest spot.

I installed the shorter Steele seal and it works great on my truck.

They were kinda spendy though. It was $160 a few years ago, but worth the money IMO

[leegreen]

seal fit issues have been going on for years.
from 2016: https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...d.php?t=714754

check post 11 by miraclepieco this is what I planned to try on my pass side when I get around to it. What I have now is hard to close, but it does seal.

I like the description of clay tell tales to get height reference, I'm now thinking to try that and trim down the seals i have in the tightest spot(s). I should still have some jars of kid's plasticine in the shop left over from a OT hood fit issue with engine swap

[e015475]

Originally Posted by leegreen

I like the description of clay tell tales to get height reference, I'm now thinking to try that and trim down the seals i have in the tightest spot(s). I should still have some jars of kid's plasticine in the shop left over from a OT hood fit issue with engine swap

I found some notes in my computer on the measurements- these are all with the door flush in the aperature.

Around the window, the gap runs .200 to .225". Just about where the beltline is measured .125". About halfway down the b-pilar side of the door it measured .310, but at the top and bottom of the lower door skin it measured .200-.225" again.

I have these measurements noted as three decimal places, but keep in mind I was measuring a squishy clay ball

[nvrdone]

Well, today was a good day. The door seals are in & are alot better than what I had.
There is still some air noise around both doors but it's much quieter than it was. When the weather warms up I will try the soap trick to find the leaks.
Also, getting the seal around the door hinge is a real pain. So I drilled a centering hole in each hinge. Then I pulled the six mounting bolts and slid the door back on the hinge about 3". That gave me plenty of room to feed the seal in.
So on to the next project on my list.