Replaced weatherstripping and can barely close the door!

[weever82]

Still finishing up the interior and decided it was time to replace the weatherstripping.

I went with GMCPauls and glued it in with 3m black adhesive and fit like a glove.

Went to shut my door after it dried and I have to slam it shut.... I mean REALLY REALLY REALLY have to slam it shut. So much you can't close it from the inside in fear of tearing off the armrest...

So... I know I need to adjust my hinges but my doors shut perfect before the weatherstripping and scared I will mess something up.

Any suggestions? Which way to adjust?

Thanks guys.

[Stocker]

I've had that happen on my truck and my old '66 Corvette.... it'll get better with time, especially in your hot Arizona summer. With the doors closed, the weatherstripping gradually takes on the shape of the space it's confined to. If the doors fit properly now, I'd leave them alone. Hopefully you can live with it until it gets better. You should end up with a really good seal.

[Bluechevy68]

I don't know from experience but I remember a similar post on this topic and I think the suggestions were the same as stockers.

[Lou Boffa]

yup same here. Had to slam them so hard thought the doors would fall off. 5 months latter--still firm, but much better.

[TBONE1964]

So, if I am reading your post correctly, you did not have the doors off, just replaced the seals and now the doors don't shut correctly and you have to slam them? I have the same problem on my 72 and the door seals have been on it for 7 years now.

I don't think it matters what supplier you use for these, they all have the problem. I have been looking hard and long for a set of nice originals at a junk yard to replace my aftermarket ones with. I know they did not shut like that when the truck was new.

If your doors fit nice and your gaps are good, then I would not mess with adjustments.

[Rufton]

I agree w/ others. I'd let the AZ sun work on it for a few days. Maybe it will relax enough.

If door alignment is good I wouldn't adjust hinges (save hinge adjust for last resort).
On my car, I was able to adjust striker which was easy.
When weather strip relaxes striker can be adjusted tighter if needed (if like my car).

[camrycurt]

If you didn't leave a relief cut where the seal ends meet under the sill plate, you might go back and make sure that the ends are beveled so that the air can escape when you shut the door. I also took an exacto knife and added some small relief cuts on the inside of the seal around the door to let air out.

It helped with my new seals but I still do have to slam harder to shut the doors. But there's no more wind noise when I drive!

[cdowns]

i've used heatgun on low setting to heat them up to aid the problem as it always seemed i ended up doing them in the middle of winter// it helped but you must b carefull to not melt things with a heatgun

[JMac11]

I have wondered if rolling them through a sheet metal roller before installing them might soften them up...... I know if you hammer rubber hose a few time on the end it makes it more flexible, same premise???

[mgkgmc]

Its going to be 116 Degrees this weekend that should help soften them up. lol

[CC69Rat]

Weeve -- Assuming GMCPauls ?

As mentioned, where the seal comes together under the sill plate you don't want them to be completely flush together. You want to bevel that cut a little (wider at the bottom than the top) so when you close the door and the seal can squish together a little.

3/16" gap at the bottom, flush on the top edge (just so you don't see the gap when you're standing beside it.

Don't adjust your doors.. if they slip, it will be a huge task to get them back in line.

[oklalawnboy]

I would move the striker plate (mounted on cab where the door latch catches) out a bit and readjust if needed when the seals compress some. No need to slam the doors. I yell at my kids all the time for slamming doors.....

[67swb72klb]

give them a month if that (in the az heat lol) they will break in
the ones that the general sold us were the same way

[weever82]

Appreciate all the replies guys. Yes they are GMC pauls and yes the doors were perfect before I put them on. I didn't take off the doors at anytime and could shut them with one finger before... but the seals were about 12years old.

Ya... 118 this weekend might help out... lol.

I do have a small gap in the bottom under the sill plate and don't even have the windshield in the truck right now so not too much pressure inside....

Maybe I will just give them a few weeks of settling and hopefully it will help out.

[CC69Rat]

It will definitely get better over time. Mine did.

[Tinkermc]

very common problem, but close the doors and in about 90 days you we forget all about it.

[69chevy lwb]

I had the same problem when I had glue on ones I hated them the glue always let go and wouldn't close so I bought the push on ones from GMC Paul's and one side worked great and the othere was still bad come to find out when I installed the new sill plates one side was too far out and hit the door (I replaced most of the floor due to rust so I had no referance holes)
Posted via Mobile Device

[Bigdav160]

Perhaps we can get Corvette Rubber to reproduce the truck weatherstrip. They make soft latex weatherstrips for Corvettes that have an excellent reputation for fit and softness.

Their reputation is much better than the products made by Metro or Steele Rubber

[bbadfred]

If you are not going for exactly stock try the push on GMC Pauls door weather stripping. Used them on my 67 and they are great, easy to install. The hardest part was it took some time removing the old glue (Mine had a ton of old weather strip adhesive) with 3M #08984 general purpose adhesive cleaner.

[volksworld]

when I put my truck on the road in1975 I used factory rubber...when I re-did it in 85,same thing...they fit great.of course, when I did it this time,they were no longer available...got a set of soffseal but they had been wound so tightly in the package that when I went to install them they looked like a pie crust when straightened out...I only glued the outside on the previous installs(that's how the originals were glued) and didn't want to attempt to glue these flat...so I called soffseal and they refused to exchange them because they wont deal with the public(and i'm a repair and resto shop) and I would have to return them to the vendor I bought them from...except my friend who worked the car show circuit for classic air bought them from another vendor for me...so ,next came a set from steele rubber,and the doors wouldn't close...but at least they took them back with no problems...the third set came from year one for 24 bucks cause the phone salesman swore they were ok...and they were. they're still just taped in place cause I spent so much time removing old glue and body and paintwork on the jambs and interior that I cant bring myself to glue them in...so I like the principle of the push-on ones but i'm afraid the doors wont shut again...

[gotchamel]

Did mine wth the push on style,goota crack the window to shut easier.

[weever82]

So just a heads up.... its been about 2 1/2 months and you can tell a difference. Still gotta slam them but getting easier everytime. Another month or two and I bet they are back to normal.

[kxmotox247]

Another update needed... I've got the same issue. Just installed new outer floors, inner rockers and outer rockers and was checking the fit on my new seals. I'm using the push on ones and it just doesn't seem right.

[NC_John]

I did mine with the push-ons from GMCPaul in August and still have to slam the doors. From the outside its OK, I push on the doorhandle to close it and usually it will catch the first or second time. Its a PITA though from inside the cab. I have to slam it numerous times before it will finally shut properly. After the second or third slam people all start watching.

Like it was said earlier- the factory ones never did this when they were new. WTF?

[kxmotox247]

I sent GMCPauls an email. They've been really helpful before. I may have to adjust the front of the door outward. But the rear of the door has to stay where it's at since it's flush with the cab. Just doesn't seem right.