Rear Window Seals

[grizzfan]

In the process of putting in a new headliner one must remove the windshield and rear window as well as the quarter panel glass. I decided to put in all new seals and ordered them from Pelican Parts.

All seemed to go smoothly with the rear seal except that the very intricate wiring for the rear window defroster gave the installer fits! Then after everything was installed he could not fit the chrome strips to the seal. Well, it turns out that there are apparently two kinds of rear seals, one that accepts the chrome strips and one that does not; guess which on I ordered??!! (I suspect the same holds true for the windshield seal but we had no troubles replacing the chrome strips there.)

Rob at Pelican has been really good about this and sent out the correct seal today along with a return authorization for the incorrect part.

Just a warning to the wise in case you decide to do this repair/replacement someday.

Tom

[joefrantz]

Tom

Referring to the phrase in your post "after everything was installed he could not fit the chrome strips to the seal."

If "everything was installed" means that the window was in the car before he tried to install the trim, please be aware that the trim is best installed into the seal after the wires, but before the window goes on the car.

Joe

[Reifle]

What Joe said!

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by grizzfan

In the process of putting in a new headliner one must remove the windshield and rear window as well as the quarter panel glass. I decided to put in all new seals and ordered them from Pelican Parts.

All seemed to go smoothly with the rear seal except that the very intricate wiring for the rear window defroster gave the installer fits! Then after everything was installed he could not fit the chrome strips to the seal. Well, it turns out that there are apparently two kinds of rear seals, one that accepts the chrome strips and one that does not; guess which on I ordered??!! (I suspect the same holds true for the windshield seal but we had no troubles replacing the chrome strips there.)

Rob at Pelican has been really good about this and sent out the correct seal today along with a return authorization for the incorrect part.

Just a warning to the wise in case you decide to do this repair/replacement someday.

Tom

What two kinds are there? Do you have the part numbers? (Please)

[grizzfan]

Wow, it seems Reifle might have the tip of the day!

But here are the two part numbers from Pelican:

The one I used: 911-545-225-00-int

The "new" one they sent me: 911-545-225-00-M260

I haven't received the "new" one yet but I'll get ahold of the Upholstery shop with Reifle's revelation.

Tom

[Reifle]

I believe that the 993 rubber fits the latter models but requires glue. I have not searched it but recall reading it on this site. The 993 rubber does not have the slot for the trim.

[grizzfan]

One step forward and two back!

Yesterday I thought we had the solution: attach the chrome before you put the window in the car.

Upon gently challenging my car-guy, he said they did that 5 times and each time the chrome popped out when they tried to put the window back in the car.

Yes glue was apparently used originally because we had to clean the stuff out of the channel.

Waiting for the other seal from Pelican.

Tom

[joefrantz]

Tom
Things seem to be out of hand here.

Look at the underside of the trim -- at the bottom of the vertical part that goes into the groove in the seal. If you are using factory or oem parts, you should see something that, when viewed in cross section, looks like a hook, or half of an arrow. I wish I had a picture of this, but I don't.

What I'm trying to describe is a ridge that is intended to lock the trim molding into the seal. If the installer is applying the trim correctly it should actually snap into the seal. The snap may be subtle, but it definitely happens. If there is no snap, then the trim is not installed correctly in the seal.
If it is correctly snapped in, it will not separate when installed on the car. Getting the seal warm helps. Under no circumstances should you need to glue the trim to the seal.

You may want to ask your installer how many roped in seal installs he's done.

[MTemp]

Joe is spot on above. You need to feel the trim snap into the groove, and unless it is all in then you will find some will come out during installation, and getting that piece back in with the window installed is difficult to impossible.

Re fitting/routing the wires for a heated screen, see my DDK post below

Mick
DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker • View topic - Fitting a two stage heated rear screen

[catuck]

Tom,

Thanks for this - very timely! I just popped out all my glass for a restoration and was about to order the seals.

There is an excellent Tech article on this site: Pelican Technical Article: Glass Removal - 911 (1965-89) - 930 Turbo (1975-89) that shows the hook Joe is talking about.

Reifle: Beautiful car - got me excited to imagine what mine will look like in 6 months!

Chris

[joefrantz]

A couple of other things to look for:

Make sure that the radii on the trim closley matches each respective corner of the window, before it goes into the seal. If it doesn't, it needs to be gently reshaped into conformity. Gently is the keyword. THe trim is very soft and kinks easily.

Once the window is installed, there may still be gaps, or uneven coverage at the corners -- usually at the outside edges.
If this happens, the seal and trim can be massaged (again very gently) with a curved block and a mallet.

In addition to the articles cited above, there is a very detailed old thread on pelican that discusses these items.

I realize that the search feature on Pelican is discouraging, but dilligence will be rewarded. It is worth the effort to find the thread.

[catuck]

I have a question - the lower corners at my rear window have black sealant below the rubber window seal - anyone know if this is factory or someone's attempt to seal a leak? I would like to clean it out but want to know if I should replace it when I put the window back in.

Don't mean to hijack the thread - I think this is pertinent.

[joefrantz]

Often the only way to prevent leaks, especially at the lower corners is with a sealant.

The most often recommended type is generically known as dumdum. It is a black putty-like material that is stuffed by hand into the problem areas -- as in the lower corners. There is a product called strip caulk that I think is 3M's commercial name for it. You can get it at some flaps, or body shop and paint suppliers.

Opinions are split on the more pervasive use of adhesive type sealants under the entire perimiter of the seal.

Most people recommend against it. Some say it will leak without it.

I didn't use it on mine, but the original factory manual calls for application of an adhesive sealant under the seal as a final step.

[catuck]

Thanks Joe! Dumdum sounds perfect for me! I'll ask my body guy what he has. My seal clearly leaked at the drivers side - the only place I found any rot (very minor).

Guess I should have read my factory manual!

[joefrantz]

Ok - I found it.

The definitive thread on window installs.

See especially post 31 by Randy Blaylock, but reading thru the whole thing is very informative.

Tom, I hope this helps.

Gap between Rubber Windshield Seal & Body

[Hnichols]

Tom,
Sounds like you've already got enough good advice to go on, but, FWIW, here's another link containing the hard-earned wisdom from my recent rear window install.

I wouldn't remove the dumdum putty -- i think it was put there at the factory.

My rear window project

My rear window project