57 Ranch Wagon Door weatherstrips

[cstmwgn]

Does anyone other than Dennis Carpenter make door weatherstrips for ford club, ranchero, ranch wagon?  Thank you

[RICH MUISE]

Have you tried Steele Rubber? Seems like I once had a personalized mini catalog from them. I'm curious.....sounds like you've had a reason to avoid DC? I know things have changed since the son took over.
https://www.steelerubber.com/search?year=1957&make=ford&model=custom&style=2-door-sedan-6-passenger

[58villager]

you might try Obsolete & Classic Parts in Oklahoma City. 800-654-3247. Recently ordered weatherstrips (tailgate) from them . Quick service seem to be quality parts.

[RICH MUISE]

I'm 98% sure Obsolete/Classic Auto Parts in OKC sells Dennis Carpenter, as most of our suppliers.
Most of us have used the DC door seals, so we'd be interested in any feedback on seals from other suppliers. Way back when, I was watching SoftSeal to see if they ever got into '57 Ford stuff. Thet hadn't as of the time I needed to buy. Not sure if they are even around anymore, haven't heard anything about them lately. Just a reminder that we have a listing of '57 Ford parts suppliers in our links section.

[cstmwgn]

Yes - as far as I have been able to figure out - most folks are selling the Dennis Carpenter stuff (including Steele).  I am not sure what is going on - perhaps my car has been damaged or a bad day on the assembly line but the passenger side door breaks windows because you have to slam the door so hard to get it to close.  The driver side door is tight but closes better.  I guess I am going to have to modify the seals (grind/shave) to make them thinner.   

[gasman826]

A little petroleum jelly applied to the seals helps them slide into place.  15 coats of paint reduces the seal clearance.  When the Custom seals were first installed, the doors required a major slamming to latch.  The doors kicked pretty hard when I pushed the button.  Much, much better now...it has been two years.

[RICH MUISE]

Yes, it takes a few years to reform the seals, but it could also be your windlace if it's oversize or stiffer from OEM. That was part of my problem. Shouldn't have to slam so hard it's breaking glass even with new seals. Are you sure your latch/door is adjusted correctly? Mine right now on the passenger side shuts harder than it did a few years ago. I need to readjust the door. That started after my 4k mile trip to Florida 2 years ago.........lots of rough roads under contruction/repair.

[cstmwgn]

...  15 coats of paint reduces the seal clearance...

Yeah - I heard that from the guy from Carpenters at Run to the Sun last weekend.  This car was stripped to bare metal and then primered (DP 90) and the passenger side door still was very difficult to close.  It has shinny paint now so I am sure that there are more layers but it shouldn't be too many layers. 
I tried silicone spray but it didn't help and didn't last.  It is a little difficult to get at the seal at the front edge of the door.  Did the jelly cause a mess?  Seems like it might drip/run when it gets hot down here in the summer and could attract a lot of dust/dirt/crap. 

But trying to stay positive - any particular brand of petroleum jelly?

[RICH MUISE]

If it was difficult to close before the seal went on, it's probable that it's an alignment problem.....either the door itself or the latch. Grab a flashlight and close the door lightly. With the flashlight, you can see pretty well where the starwheel is going to hit. If it's adjusted properly, the roller behind the starwheel should contact the small lower plate with the two c'sunk screws, lifting the door about 1/16". When you push in the door button, can you spin the starwheel pretty easily?

[Ford Blue blood]

After putting the door seals in I use ratchet straps to pull the doors closed (no latches) and hold them closed.  It took a week of setting in the sun every day to get the door seals to "set".

[cos]

There was article in T-Bird mag years ago about about this. Pro guys glued it on, used strips of paper to measure where it whas tight and loose. Cut it off and shaved down tight spots and tried it again. PIA but that how they did it.

[cstmwgn]

Rich and COS - thank you for your input.  I am going to have to pull out the seats and see what I can see.  I don't have door handles or buttons so I can't observe the star wheel turning BUT I certainly can attempt to observe how it contacts the striker.  I was wondering if I could use paper or something similar to test the fit. 

Ford Blue Blood - the doors have been closed for months while I was working on power train stuff and it hasn't changed anything yet.  I may use ratchet straps when attempting to find the tight spots.

Again, thank all of you for your input.