Door seal and interior panel questions

[junkman300SD]

I'm working on my 86 coupe. The door seals on the body (ie door cavity) are torn and directing water onto the floor instead of towards the outside. The old seals are out and look like they were glued in with some type of silicone. Perhaps it's weatherstrip adhesive. What's an easy way to remove the old glue?

I've tried scraping it, applying heat with a heat gun and various solvents that are around the shop. Nothing has really worked.

Next question? There is another seal that is also on the body that goes up the a-pillar, along the top and down the b-pillar. I may as well change those because mine are old dried up and cracked. Are they simply glued to the body or is there a channel that holds them?

Is it easier to install either this seal or the door seal first or does it matter?

Finally, the interior side pieces behind the b-pillar could use work or refurbishing. Are they glued in or held some other way? I don't want to break old brittle pieces if it can be helped.

[917_Langheck]

Originally Posted by junkman300SD

Next question? There is another seal that is also on the body that goes up the a-pillar, along the top and down the b-pillar. I may as well change those because mine are old dried up and cracked. Are they simply glued to the body or is there a channel that holds them?

That should be the J seal, which is attached with a series of screws. If you see little humps or worn spots, those are the screw locations. The bottom part of the J folds over, hiding the screws. The seal should come with the holes already punched, and should match the side it supposed to fit. The ends are a little long to be properly trimmed to fit.

[PopsRacer]

fwiw
I just used 3M adhesive remover and it took off the yellowish glue (I think that was oem?) as well as some black sealer someone gooped in there later on. A plastic trim tool with a shop rag around it is a good gentle scraper, an old toothbrush is really handy here as well.

One thing I am running into after the fact is while the debate about glue or no glue seems endless, without the adhesive you can develop whistles around the seals at speed esp in colder weather. Net net I’m going to glue mine in on the next warm day as they whistle at 60mph and up. They stay in place and keep water out just fine without glue but if you drive year round you will probably need it. YMMV

[wrxnofx]

Also just to let you know if you're not aware, the seals have a "direction". There are actual holes in the seals and these holes let the air out when they're compressed by closing the door. I honestly don't remember if the holes point out or in. Someone else smarter than me may chime in.

Also be prepared to have to shut the door harder as the new seals will be thicker since they're new.

[junkman300SD]

Thought I'd update. I'm waiting on some adhesive remover and will get the surface clean before reinstalling new seals. I may or may not glue the new seals in. It will depend on how tightly they fit. I'll use a thin coat of weatherstrip adhesive that I have if I do glue.

@wrxnofx, the old seals are installed with the holes in against the body. it looks correct but I'll do more research before installing.

I was concerned because both seals received wrer the same part number. I see that this is correct per the various catalogs. The only part of the seal that fits a specific part of the door frame is the upper rear corner. the rest of the seal is made to flex and fit any part of the door opening.

I'm hoping to not have to use glue. It will make things cleaner and easier. My old Mercedes don't get glued in and hopefully Porsche used similar design.

I'll post back (if I remember) so this is complete.

Reinstalling the carpet, upgrading the AC and getting a sound system installed are the last tasks unless I decide to buy new seat covers and paint the car. Hopefully it doesn't take 2 more years for those things to happen. I have 2 barely driving Mercedes diesels in front of the 911. I'm hoping to use the MBZs as wife cars and not have a daily newer than 1986. They're easier to fix.

[junkman300SD]

I ended up using 3M adhesive remover to get the old adhesive off. The adhesive was a pita and barely the 3M didn't do enough at first. Then, I had to leave as is for a day. When I came back, the adhesive was all crinkled and easy to remove.

I used a cheap Harbor Freight plastic trim tool ground down to fit the seal channel as a scraper. HF sells some really cheap throw-away paint brushes which were used to apply the stripper. The stripper comes in a spray can and would make a mess. I save various plastic tops from spray cans for times when I need something to hold just a little liquid. That made application of the stripper easy.

My next decision is whether to glue the new seals in and if so. what adhesive to use. Any suggestions especially from someone who has done it and lived with the result?

[junkman300SD]

I decided not to glue and the seals seem to be held in well. Looking at the seal, three are 2 sets of ribs. The wider ribs go into the channel. This puts the holes towards the outside.

I started at the upper rear on both sides and used a dull plastic trim tool. You want the corner well seated else it won't work. I worked the top and rear vertical sections evenly until enough was installed that the seal would stay put. The seal is slightly smaller than the opening so you have to stretch it a little as you go.

Get what Ithink of as the inner set of ribs installed then go puhs the other side in. Consider the rear vertical section on the passenger side. The rear of the car will be to your right. Push the left side of the verticle section into the channel then go back and get the outer (right) side of the seal seated. I was able to get almost all of the ribs hidden by the channel.

One door sticks out a little at the rear after the seal is installed. I'll deal with that tomorrow.

[PeteKz]

I installed the door seals "temporarily" about 6 years ago, figuring I would glue them "later." They are still staying in place without the glue.

[jac1976]

Does the vapor barrier serve only to protect the integrity of the fiberboard door card? If so, is it necessary with ABS cards?

[PeteKz]

The sheet plastic liner also deflects rain water away from the door pockets, power window switches, and some other parts.

[jac1976]

Originally Posted by PeteKz

The sheet plastic liner also deflects rain water away from the door pockets, power window switches, and some other parts.

I do recall this. Thanks for reminding me, Pete. Am I recalling correctly that the OEM barrier had a “flap” or otherwise needed to be installed so that water was redirected back into the bottom of the door where it drains. Thanks, again.