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I picked up these door seals at our clubs swap meet. Mine are leaky, so I think this will be a project this summer or fall. These are the generic glue on ones, but look like they are correct. Do you think so too?

I remember reading about doors being harder to close after new seals were installed and wondered if I would be sorry if I did this project this spring? Will I be slamming my doors all summer? Maybe I should do this project in the fall and let the seals sit over the winter so they can find their shape and be ready for next spring? Or will a warm sunny day do the trick?

Thoughts?









PSA (Packard Service Announcement) If you replace your front windshield, remember to glue these back down, otherwise water runs down and weeps though the wind lace, about where the door switch is, to your door panel. I don't think it leaks as long as you're driving, but I would suggest that the adhesive is less expensive than the fuel.

That new weatherstrip looks the exact same as the stuff that Steele sells for our cars. It will work fine. My doors are definitely harder to close right now after doing new weatherstripping. It has gotten better and should hopefully continue as the weather warms up. But the door alignment was also affected. I had them lined up nearly perfectly (or as good as I could get it) before the new weatherstrip, but now they both stick out 1/8"-1/4" at the rear. I will try adjusting them again, just haven't taken the time to do so.

-Kevin

I noticed after replacing just this ONE piece (actually missing from the car in this photo) that my door now “springs” open noticeably.

By the way, what glue should be used on these? I tried Plio Bond, to no avail.

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I have the same problem on mine, but it's because the door handle clips are in the way so the weatherstripping is pushed out. I still need to correct that.

I think most people use 3M Weatherstrip Adhesive. Worked great for me. Clean both bonding surfaces, apply to both, let tack, then apply. Work in sections.

Dang.

Never had a problem with pilo bond.

Do you have the trim piece that goes on end of door

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Perhaps I didn’t let it set long enough. Instructions say like a week.

What trim piece? You mean the little elongated-D shape washer thing? Yes.

After replacing door seals, the doors may be harder to close and may tend to "spring out" when opened. After a few days to a week or so, the new seals will begin to conform better and the doors should close normally. This work is best done in summer, not Winter. Lubricating the door latches may help the doors close more easily. I wouldn't slam the doors. Pushing firmly on the handle as you close the door all the way is usually enough.

I picked up some 3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive. It's 3M and it's super, so it's gotta be good, right? LOL

53 Cavalier

This is a bit ‘off-subject’ but I fixed a door rattling problem by changed the door seals on a ’99 Suburban, and as expected the doors became harder to latch. Seems the strikers on those cars are nonadjustable, and the seal plays a key role in keeping the doors both weather tight and rattle-free. If the striker on the Packard is adjustable, then perhaps you can accommodate the ‘hard to close’ tendency with a minor striker adjustment, and keep-up with minor adjustments as the seals compress with age. After a year in the Arizona heat the doors are still a bit difficult to latch . . . that’s a good thing, however I would advise it might take the seals a while to compress back to carbonite. After you change the seals, you really don’t want the doors to close as easy as they do today.

dp

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The door handle clips should be flush with the door jamb and not stick out at all. If they are sticking out, then they are not in all the way.