Door Seals

RBBailey

NAS-ROW Addict
Callsign: KF7KFZ
OK...

I have new door seals that are only 10k miles old. After getting them installed, I made sure each door shut well, but was never really satisfied with how they each sat. That is, they sagged, or they were further in/out top/bottom, whatever. I decided to start with the driver's door to readjust and try to close the gaps a bit. This door did shut fairly well, opened well, but when it was shut there was a bit of daylight across the aft top edge, and the door was sagging to the aft as well.

I have "new" hex type bolts in place, with CorrosionX on all parts, highly recommend. And the striker plate was secured with bolts with star drive heads. In other words, these things make it super easy to loosen and adjust.

I decided that since the door and body are really the thing we are trying to match up, I would remove the seals this time. After a few minutes, I was able to get the door squared up really well, and it closed really well with all edges and surfaces even and flush with the body. I currently have no shims in the door or bulkhead side of the hinge, but since the door is flush with the bulkhead and pillar, I have decided that this should be good.... then I reinstalled the seal.

It is still straight. But I can't get it to actually close and latch with the stupid Defender seals. I can't get the thought out of my head that there must be a better way. There must be an alternative way of installing a simple seal around the frame or the door itself.

Have any of you had any success using a simple stick on, flat seal? Or, what am I doing wrong?

The door bottom is flush and square. The door top sits a bit tight, but it is flexible enough that this really should not matter.
 

jymmiejamz

Founding Member
Callsign: KN4JHI
What brand seals are you using? I replaced my driver's door seal wth an aftermarket one and it is worse than the original.
 

RBBailey

NAS-ROW Addict
Callsign: KF7KFZ
Probably Britpart, but can't remember.


Something I should mention -- the only thing I did was to lift the aft part of the door up about 1/8 of an inch to square the door with the frame. This small change made it so that it will not latch. (After adjusting the strike plate to be centered, of course.) The door will only close to the safety catch position. If I move the strike plate out any, the door will latch, but with a massive gap that was not there before.
 

RBBailey

NAS-ROW Addict
Callsign: KF7KFZ
I pulled the Britpart seal again, and installed some straight store-bought seals that looked and fit well at first. But after some probing, it is apparent that they just won't keep water out. The seals need to be fat and soft.

But what you said about having trouble with aftermarket seals got me wondering..... I pulled my old seals off the shelf where they were waiting to be modded onto the Series truck, and reinstalled. The door still has a bit of trouble closing, but it does close better. I think I might get it acceptable after some adjustment of the seal and the strike plate.
 

rocky

NAS-ROW Addict
I have the Brit part seals but there are clear gaps I plan to fill with some excess 3m seal from another project.
 

RBBailey

NAS-ROW Addict
Callsign: KF7KFZ
The thing I noticed about the Britpart seals vs. the ones that came on my truck, is that they are bulkier. They kind of go on the edge a bit nicer, but I think they are pushing back against the door too much. Without adjusting the door at all, I have fitted both, and the original seal allows the door to close better, and seems sealed better all around since the door is squared and the seal allows it to shut.
 

KMarshall

New member
Is there anyone other than Britpart that makes a better seal? The constant slamming of doors is killing my door panels and window mechanisms and heart.
 

BarryO

Well-known member
Mike's been at it again - and has come to the conclusion that anything aftermarket just works much worse than Genuine.
 

rocky

NAS-ROW Addict
Mike's been at it again - and has come to the conclusion that anything aftermarket just works much worse than Genuine.

Bloody 'ell. I have the britpart they are too stiff and stop the doors from closing/aligning properly......
 

Adam

Well-known member
Haha, Mike is brilliant. I jumped the gun and ordered genuine door seals late last week. Glad I did as my doors close (mostly) proper. I probably need to get ahold of some fresh hinges, and maybe some puma doors eventually.
 
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RBBailey

NAS-ROW Addict
Callsign: KF7KFZ
Yep, watched those videos. Came to the same conclusions, as I mentioned back in December. ....but I didn’t have my Snap-On pen of truth to test for sure.
 

Grover

Well-known member
Years ago, I made incisions in the corners of my seals to remove the foam core. It helped dramatically! No leaks what so ever...
 

BarryO

Well-known member
Years ago, I made incisions in the corners of my seals to remove the foam core. It helped dramatically! No leaks what so ever...
Bringing up an old thread. My driver's side door has gotten very difficult to close fully, and all that slamming isn't do the door any good. I've played around with the striker, but I think a big issue is the 5-6 inches of foam inside the seal where the panel curves inward right above where the lock is. The seal is very stiff right there as a result. Do you remove the seal to get the foam out?
 

MountainD

Technical Excellence Contributor
Could be you need to shim the hinge out. It often pinches the bulkhead portion of seal which can’t compress enough for B pillar side. Shims can help that.
 

WreckITFrank

Technical Excellence Contributor
Could be you need to shim the hinge out. It often pinches the bulkhead portion of seal which can’t compress enough for B pillar side. Shims can help that.
so you would pack out between the hinge and bulkhead, with multiple shims?
 

Mirrajumper

Well-known member
1 part or 2 part doors? Aftermarket seals are a nightmare. So are the aftermarket door jam lock/strikers.
I would take everything off and start at step one. Rehang the door with good hinges, 2 shims top/bottom with no door seal. Nice and relaxed with no tension and proper gaps. Introduce the jam lock box finger tight. Factory seal only, once installed, repeat the steps. You don’t want tension on the door and no visible gaps. If you must make additional tweeks, loosen the bulkhead mounted door hinge bolts and use a rubber wedge in the door bottom to adjust the attitude of it top/bottom.
Keep us posted. You’ll be pumped when the gaps are gone and door opens/closes easily.
 

MountainD

Technical Excellence Contributor
so you would pack out between the hinge and bulkhead, with multiple shims?
Yes. I always use a shim or two. When I don't, even with genuine, it compresses the door side too much and the door won't close without a slam. You shouldn't have to slam a door to get a good seal.

Now the aspect that the door bends over time is an entirely different obstacle and one that is a royal PITA to OCD folks that don't like side winds to come in through the door!
 
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