Weatherstrip installation problems

[huggerorange]

Im sure many members have installed new weatherstrip on their 1967-1972pickups in here. I have a '69 chevy c-10 that im trying to install weatherstrip on, but the problem im encountering is that the door weatherstrip that is glued on the door jamb channel isnt letting the doors close properly . I have to slam the drivers side to get it to shut and to just get it to that point i had to adjust the hinges quite a bit, now my door gap isnt as nice as it was..Im having the same trouble on the passenger side or worse. Are there any other tricks i can do or other weatherstripping I can buy from another company that is thinner and softer maybe? I bought my seals from LMC and I have a hard time believing my problem is the truck since I had a good size gap in between the weather strip channel and door, before I installed the new seals. I d like to get my door gap alignment the way it was even if it means getting a new weatherstrip kit.

[68gmsee]

Welcome to the board, amigo.

I just put some on my 68 GMC truck. I got them from GMCPaul and are the push on type. These work great on our trucks. Yes, I had a little trouble closing the doors at first, but not as bad as you seem to be having. I suspect that it's because I did mine over the summer. I think if you wait until summer time they will become more supple.

Anyway, some of the guys have been poking small holes at random locations on the rubber to let the air escape when they shut the door. If you want to get some push on type that are already used, do a "search" to see what the guys are taking off salvage yard vehicles. I believe S10 truck is one type but there are others.

[jorgensensc]

pretty common problem. There are some from Newer fullsize trucks that work, but they are still a little hard to shut. The best ones I understand are from a dodge durango and are sold by a vendor on this site. I have not used the dodge weatherstripping yet, but I hear it works great!
Shawn

[69gumby]

The directions for my door gaskets said to cut a small angle on each end where the two ends butt together. When the ends come together it will look like a small pie wedge shape. This gives a place for the air to escape. After I changed the seals I did have to open a window as I closed the door. That went away in a few months now all is like new. I have also herd there is a vent flap somewhere in the heat and air system that can get stuck. This flap is meant to relieve the air pressure when the doors close. I have never found this but was told that it exists.

[70GMCer]

I used 82-93 S10. Got a very good set from a junk yard for $10. I never had to slam the doors and seals nice.

[big_al_71]

When we did my truck I had no issues at all. Measure cut glue it on and done but then again I live in Florida and it probably was over 90 degrees outside.

[cdowns]

heat carefully with hair dryer then slkam the door will help in formonig it for proper fit

[ED67C20]

Sometimes the pinch weld flange can get bent outward toward the door in some places. That would cause the seal to be too tight in that area, making it a slam to shut and loud pop open when you press the door handle button. Some bodymen will bent the flange out to fix a wind/air leak if buying a new seal for the customer is not an option. So in reverse that pinchweld flange can be bent inward to make the door shut easier. The old trick to check the fit of the new or old seal is to sit in the truck and shut a $1 bill in the door seal. Then slowly pull out the bill. It should slide out with some resistance all of the way around the door opening. It it pulls out very easy then that is an area where the seal will be poor. If it pulls out very hard, like you are going to tear the dollar bill, this area is too tight causing the door to be hard to shut. It is common for the door to be in good alignment except for the top of the door. The top of the window frame can be carefuuly bent out for alignment. You can also check this by taking off the seal and sit in the truck, then shut the door. Check the space from the pinch weld to the door with your fingers all of the way around. It should be even- the same all of the way around. Door alignment can be tough especially if the hinges have been replaced or removed and reinstalled for paint work. If seen bodymen struggle with this before, It takes a lot of time and patience. Hope this helps.

ED67C20 (Bodyman- Painter)

[68gmsee]

There's another trick I do when shutting the door. I slowly close the door until theres about 4 inches to go and I give it a good shove.

I find that when all the windows and kickpanel vents are closed it takes a little more effort to shut the door because of the pressure buildup. So, by going slow until the very end there's not as much compression.

Just another thing to try...

[huggerorange]

So many different i deas to try out, I think ill go for waiting awhile , leaving them on and letting them soften up applying some heat sounds good as well . The seals are both glued on already so it cant hurt . Hopefully with time i can adjust my doors back to that good alignment i had before. I tried the bending of the pinchweld flange and it did help where the weather strip was tightest. I still have to slam the doors but there was an improvement and at least i can get them to close now. I had replaced the door hinges and did some welding to the rockers awhile back, so that probably had something to do with it, eventhough i left a gap for the new seals. If nothing else works I will definately try the durango seals, does anyone know who sells them? And do they cover as much of the pinchweld as the originals? Thanks for all of the advice, wasnt expecting so much feed back, really appreciate it.

[LockDoc]

-
Another thing to think about. If your door locks don't want to work now it is because there is too much pressure on the door latches when the door is closed.

LockDoc

[huggerorange]

never thought about that , thanks for the tip. Im going to check my door locks out.