Replacing window seal

[clay1g]

My 87 coupe has driver and passenger door window seals that appear to have shrunk by an inch in length over the years. These are the seals at the bottom of the window when it is in the up position. Has anyone here replaced these and if so, how is it done? I want to be able to wash my car without worrying about too much water getting into my doors.
Thanks.

[magilla]

Mine are the same way. I am also curious, since the new Squeegees are pretty cheap.

Magilla

[billwagnon]

mine too

did they shrink, or just start out that way???

[Glasgow 911SC]

If its the 'window scraper' type seal you mean, I think you have to remove the window frame to do this. One of mine is also about an inch too short. I have the spare but there seems no way of pushing it into the small groove that it sits in, while the window frame is in place.

Can anybody confirm this and know the procedure???

[stevef]

Yep, I did the job last weekend. Had to remove the window frame. Seems like alot of work to do to replace the seal so I planned to replace a worn out latch mechanism and took out the window winder for an overhaul. Despite seeming to be an extreme job it is quite simple. I marked the chrome frame with tape so I could get the frame aligned when it went back in again but I didn't find there was much room for movement. The main problem I had was to run the new seal in along the channel. The old dry seal slide out nice and easy. The new one needed some liquid soap to help it along. I also found the new seal is longer then the slot so some trim on assy is required. You need to squeeze as much seal in as possible without it starting to pucker up. As soon as you go out in the sun again the seal starts all over again getting shorter as it shrinks over time.

[Glasgow 911SC]

Cheers Steve!

[VincentVega]

I replaced both seals and the rubber piece on the trim without removing the frame. It was tight, but I used a putty knife to press the new seal in place. The piece on the top of the deal pops up, carefully, and the seal slides on. Not too bad at all really.

[Glasgow 911SC]

Hmm. I may have another go before I dismantel my door. Thanks Chris.

[stevef]

Well now I can say I've done it both ways. Subsequent to my post what I failed to mention that I only did the driver side. Last night I tried the alternate suggested method on the passenger side. I did suceed. However I would only suggest this method if you don't have a concours car and if you don't mind getting a few scrapes. I tried with a 1 inch putty knife and managed to push the seal into the track. I ended up with sore hands, a few cuts and although I didn't damage any paint work it would be easy to slip and do some serios damage.

[VincentVega]

Good point. I used a few rags to help pry against with the putty knife. I think I used a 3" knife, even tried some masking tape on the end to smooth out the sharp edges. Be extra carefull and take your time.

[Sean Hamilton]

Gees, this was one of the first and easiest jobs I did.
Yup they too had shrunk by about 10mm.
I just popped up the aluminium trim with my fingers, pulled the old seal out, cleaned up the channels a wee bit then lubed them up and the new rubber seal with Vaseline and just slid it all the way home (by hand - no "putty knife"), snapped the trim back down - DONE. 5 minutes per door, max.

[Glasgow 911SC]

Sean,
So that black painted metal strip on top of the door pops off!? Whats it held on by?

[Sean Hamilton]

Originally posted by Glasgow 911SC
Sean,
So that black painted metal strip on top of the door pops off!? Whats it held on by?

Yep, that's right, Chris.
With both hands, just dig your fingers in under one end (the door handle end is good) and give it a firm yank, straight up.

You can't hurt it -you'll see it's designed to be removed this way. It's held in place by little (male) trim clips - the expanding type that compress with the upward pressure on them and just pop out. These slide along the under side of the trim channel to mate with the holes along the top of the door skin when you refix the trim strip - with a firm shove downwards.

[Glasgow 911SC]

Just done it! It's as easy as Sean says. Trim piece just comes off with your fingers (don't be scared to pull it up). I used WD40 in the channel that the rubber strip goes into, and with a bit of pushing and pulling, the strip moved into place.
The rubber does get squashed and looks like it's too short aswell but after pulling at both ends (once refitted to the car) it filled the gap nicely. Perhaps the originals haven't shrunk that much and just need stretching!?

[schiarchianis]

Anyone have part numbers for the window scrapers, left and right? I've got a '78 SC Coupe. Thanks...Steve

[Snwmble]

Yeah i used PAM olive oil spray to install mine. Went on very smooth. I realized once installed that it seemed too long. DONT CUT it if you get to this point. I almost did, but removed the rubber trim and lined it up with the window. Realized the rubber stretched on the track, so i had to massage the rubber closer together. I’m guessing someone may have snipped the last window seat about an inch and what you see now is a shrunken version of that.

[Snwmble]