Thread: Weatherstripping

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The guys at N&N pointed me to SoffSeal E725A weatherstripping for the doors - here's a picture of the profile from SoffSeal:

SRE725A10_SM.jpg

The dimensions shown in the catalog cut are 5/8"H x 3/8"W, with the height being the flat mounting surface measurement, but the flat is very close to 3/8". I made a mistake and mounted it to the body instead of to the door edge, making my doors quite hard to latch and maintain a fairly flush door to body level. I'm getting ready to pull the doors and re-do the weatherstripping, as well as correct some wire routing. Is this E725A what others are using, or is there a better choice for glass body doors? Second, if this is indeed the "right stuff" is it better to mount it as shown, with the closed rounded edge to the edge of the door, or to flip it with the "wing" up towards the opening? I'm leaning to mounting it at the door edge with the closed side to the edge of the door, thinking that the "wing" end will compress more, allowing the door to close easier without shifting the latch pin out more. Also, I ran weatherstrip from the bottom edges, up and around the door opening, but not across the bottom, thinking that the bottom needed to be open to drain away any water getting down through the doors, etc. Is it better to complete the loop, and just leave a small opening at the bottom back corner??
Any thoughts about trunk weatherstripping? The body has an upright lip that is trimmed to fit very close to the trunk lid flange, but it fades away at the bottom edge. I can try to get a picture of the lip, but it's kind of hard to see in 2D.

Not sure Roger haven't weather striped a car yet. Will like to hear how this works, though!

weather stripping is also a rain gutter . if you mount it wing down rain will leak into car. wing up it will drain away. measure the step that it goes in. some cars simply have no room for it. the early tri5 chevy trucks are that way. the doors dont fit flush because of it.

Roger, I purchased a Soff Seal kit made specific for Gibbon bodies. The door weatherstrip they offered is simply a rectangular piece that's something like 3/8" wide by 1/4" thick if I remember right. I haven't used it! I did use across the bottom of the doors the rubber strip from Mac's that duplicates the originals as well as the windlace around the doors of course. My trunk lid sounds like yours and the kit used a "channel" that I "glued" in place, it slipped right over the lip on the body side, but now that I'm thinking about it.. maybe it could've gone on the trunk lid side??? I'll have to look. This reminds me that I still need to add a drain to that trunk lip area to prevent flooding.

Roger - I think what it all boils down to - what ever works for your particular brand of body. While it's not cheap to experiment, that profile looks like a pretty good one to try. That Soff Seal or even the Steele (www.steelerubber.com - Automotive rubber parts and weatherstripping for restoration cars, trucks and street rods.) catalog have lots to choose from. I found that even though my '31 supposedly has a "true repro" body, none of the very few on a roadster of the usual recommended seals will work and have tried a couple others and still don't have a door bottom seal that's right - which reminds me .....

Originally Posted by shine

weather stripping is also a rain gutter . if you mount it wing down rain will leak into car. wing up it will drain away. measure the step that it goes in. some cars simply have no room for it. the early tri5 chevy trucks are that way. the doors dont fit flush because of it.

Shine, that makes perfect sense and is exactly the reply I needed. Thanks much!! Just curious, do you put seal across the bottom, too? I'm thinking I need to as I'm finding road dust on the bottom of my door panels (da*%#~d dirt road!!!).

Originally Posted by 34_40

Roger, I purchased a Soff Seal kit made specific for Gibbon bodies. The door weatherstrip they offered is simply a rectangular piece that's something like 3/8" wide by 1/4" thick if I remember right. I haven't used it! I did use across the bottom of the doors the rubber strip from Mac's that duplicates the originals as well as the windlace around the doors of course. My trunk lid sounds like yours and the kit used a "channel" that I "glued" in place, it slipped right over the lip on the body side, but now that I'm thinking about it.. maybe it could've gone on the trunk lid side??? I'll have to look. This reminds me that I still need to add a drain to that trunk lip area to prevent flooding.

Mike,
Not sure what your trunk lip area looks like on the Gibbon body, but on mine it forms a "trough" across the back that is about an inch wide & an inch deep, rounded a the bottom - can hold a LOT of water, but it's six or seven inches above the trunk floor, which extends back another three or four inches. Duane at N&N passed on a tip that I thought was pretty slick so I used it. I bought a section of straight 5/16" (I think??) brake about three feet long, cut it in the middle and took the fittings off leaving two pieces with flares on one end. Using a long skinny drill bit I drilled through the bottom of the trough, continuing straight down through the bottom of the trunk floor. Enlarge each hole to 5/16" for a snug fit, chamfer the holes in the trough using a countersink bit or a large drill bit, drop in the tubing, mark the length & cut flush with the body on the bottom outside. A dab of silicone in the countersunk hole hold them tight, and the trough drains to daylight. They work slick!!

[QUOTE=rspears;454387]Mike,Not sure what your trunk lip area looks like on the Gibbon body, but on mine it forms a "trough" across the back that is about an inch wide & an inch deep, rounded a the bottom - can hold a LOT of water /QUOTE]

I had found that also on the project33 website! I still need to do mine! I have the parts/pieces, just need to do it!

the dust seal on the bottom works ok. remember none of these cars has seals. the trunk rail was actually a rain gutter. the coupe doors had a rain gutter on them also. the only seal was wind-lace and it was for noise and dust.
roadsters had nothing if you measure the first step in the jamb you can see there is very little room for a seal.

Originally Posted by shine

the dust seal on the bottom works ok. remember none of these cars has seals. the trunk rail was actually a rain gutter. the coupe doors had a rain gutter on them also. the only seal was wind-lace and it was for noise and dust.
roadsters had nothing if you measure the first step in the jamb you can see there is very little room for a seal.

Shine, you get the prize!! Yesterday I called Duane at N&N to pick his brain a bit on some "fit & finish" options, one being weatherstripping. After talking a bit he shared that on the '33 he built & sold he had not used any weatherstip, and the windlace and carpet edging did everything needed for wind noise & dust. Let's the doors shut much easier, too. Based on that discussion I pulled all of the weatherstripping off of my door openings, re-adjusted the bearclaw posts tighter, and I think it's the answer for me. If I choose to run it in the future the '33/34 is different from the deuce doors, and there's no place for a bottlom seal to fit. Goes to show that like Dave said, they're all different, and ya' gotta find what works case by case.

clay works good to see how much room you have. it is nice to at least put some bumpers in the jamb .

Originally Posted by rspears

If I choose to run it in the future the '33/34 is different from the deuce doors, and there's no place for a bottlom seal to fit. .

Not sure about your body Roger but, the 33/34 did use a bottom door seal. Mounts on the door and runs the length of the bottom. The clips that hold the panel in place also hold the seal between the panel and the door. My Gibbon body accepts it easily.

Originally Posted by 34_40

Not sure about your body Roger but, the 33/34 did use a bottom door seal. Mounts on the door and runs the length of the bottom. The clips that hold the panel in place also hold the seal between the panel and the door. My Gibbon body accepts it easily.

Do you have a source for that seal? When you say "The clips that hold the panel...." do you mean the interior upholstery panel?

Originally Posted by rspears

Do you have a source for that seal? When you say "The clips that hold the panel...." do you mean the interior upholstery panel?

I either got'em from LeBaron Bonney Company - Antique Auto Upholstery, or MAC's Antique Auto Parts

and yes, the "interior upholstery panel", the seal has the original hole clip spacing to match what would've been in the original door, but you can glue'em in place too.

Like this, Mike? Kind of a sweep that fits flush along the bottom of the door?Lower Door Seals - Ford Coupe & Ford Tudor Sedan - MAC's Antique Auto Parts

PS - What I meant about the door bottom is that a surface mount weatherstrip stuck to the inside bottom edge of the door has nothing to mate up to on the '33, while it will work fine on a '32 and maybe others. I had not considered a "seal", and sadly I have no knowledge of how Henry did it.

Originally Posted by rspears

Like this, Mike? Kind of a sweep that fits flush along the bottom of the door?Lower Door Seals - Ford Coupe & Ford Tudor Sedan - MAC's Antique Auto Parts

PS - What I meant about the door bottom is that a surface mount weatherstrip stuck to the inside bottom edge of the door has nothing to mate up to on the '33, while it will work fine on a '32 and maybe others. I had not considered a "seal", and sadly I have no knowledge of how Henry did it.

Yep! that's it! it does help with wind noise and I'll assume rain being blown in. If I go down to the shop today I'll snap a pic.