Door to Body weatherstrip problem

[casper 1999]

Hi everyone, I just installed new body to door weatherstripping in my '85 GT Hatchback. The install seemed to go off without a hitch, pretty easy and straight forward. However, now I have to slam my doors hard to get them closed and latched. No adjustments have been made for proper fit, since it was very good to begin with and now when closed still seems to align correctly. Slamming the doors like this is NOT an option and I can't imagine this being a normal "break in period" sort of thing. Is there something I'm missing about this install, something I still need to do, tricks of the trade perhaps??? Any thoughts or ideas? Thanks guys

[tbirdman]

As far as I know (and that was one of the first things I did when I bought my car was to install new door weatherstripping) was that the new weatherstripping will take a little bit of a "break in" time before it gets settled in. It may take more force to get the doors closed than it did before you installed the new weatherstripping. If it's warmer out, that break in period won't be as long, so now with the colder weather (at least where I am) it might take longer. It's pretty common though.

[jsfrv6]

Yea mine were tight as well... They have been on for a couple years and have gotten better but still have to close them pretty hard...

[wraithracing]

If the doors as well as the striker bushings are adjusted properly, then you will normally have to shut the doors with some force to get them to close properly. I wouldn't say you have to "slam" the doors, but definitely have to shut them with force and intention for them to close completely. As times goes on and the seals break it, the amount of force will lessen. Every Mustang/Capri that I have replaced the door seals on has been this way even since the early 90's.

Trey

[casper 1999]

Thanks for the responses guys, it sounds like everything is normal and a break in period is all that is needed. Trey's description of " with force and intention " seems more accurate than my " slam " scenario, however, I still VERY nervous about it. I'm worried about damage occurring to other parts of the door. Does anyone know of any break in tricks or do I just bite the bullet and live with it ?

[wraithracing]

The biggest issue I see and saw when restoring Foxes over the years is the striker bushing and the striker location. When I was doing body work and fitting the doors or just adjusting them due to age, hinge bushing replacements, etc. I would remove the striker completely from the car and check how the door hung relative to the body and the actual placement of the door in the door opening. (Oh I also generally removed the door gasket/seal too for this fitting) This allows you to see how the door "fits" without any issues from the seal or the striker. You want to make sure that the door "fits" the opening well and spaced properly both top to bottom and front to back. Once you know the door fits the opening properly. Then I would install the door striker with a new or good bushing. Adjust the striker so that the door closes properly and fully. Without the seal in place the door should close easily without slamming or having to shut with force. If force is needed, then either the striker is adjusted wrong or there are hinge issues. Once you have the striker adjusted properly so that the body lines match front to rear, the back edge of the door matches the quarter panel, and the door doesn't sit out or in at the back edge it's time for the new gasket/seal. With the new gasket the door will most likely require more force to shut properly, but again shouldn't have to be slammed. So at this point the door should shut with a bit of force, but everything should still be aligned as it was before. If not, double check to make sure you don't have an issue with the gasket placement or something else that is causing an issue. If you have none, then you are done and as time goes by the seals will soften a bit and it will be a bit easier to close the door.

One last trick is to make sure that the door gasket and even the hatch seal are wiped down with a quality rubber product. Personally I don't recommend Armour All, but you want something that will supply nutrients, oils, etc. to the seals to prevent them from drying out and getting hard or brittle. Also the slight amount of slickness will help with them sealing and being a bit easier to close the door or hatch on. Again you don't want them soaking with chemicals, sprays, lubricants, but enough to keep them supple. Products from Mequiar's 3M, Surf City Garage, Eagle One, Griots, etc. depending on your personal choice and budget.

Good Luck!

Trey

[Gemini1999]

This is good information...

I've been planning on replacing my door weatherstripping soon, so I'm getting a good picture what to expect.

[casper 1999]

Thanks Trey for all the info. I feel like your help has let me see just where I'm at with this issue, thank you very much. Thanks to everyone for their input it has been very helpful. I'm confident the door is properly adjusted so i"m going to try some seal conditioner and see how that works. Thanks again guys!