Doors hard to close w/ new weatherstripping

[Ed74]

I recently installed new Dennis Carpenter weatherstripping. But, now I have to slam my door in order to close it. Is there an adjustment I can make so I can fully close my door without shaking the entire bronco?

Thanks,
Ed

 

[cbearly]

If the door still lines up correctly with the body when closed then you should probably leave it as is and give the weather stripping a chance to "break in". I think it's fairly normal to have to close the door harder with new weather stripping. How hard do you have to slam it, and how much use has it gotten since you put the weather stripping on?

 

[Ed74]

My doors are alligned very well. I agree that the rubber has to "relax", but I have to slam my door pretty hard to get it to fully close. Most of the time I end up with a partially closed door. My weatherstripping has been on for about a month now. Do I need to wait longer?

Thanks for your help,
Ed

 

[bcrump5252]

I have the same problem with mine! Im hoping it will break in.

 

[MarsChariot]

This comes up every few months on this forum. Unfortunately, if you compare the cross-section of the original weather striping with the cross-section of the reproduction you will find that the repro rubber is too dense and does not have enough air space. I am not sure why DC got the specs wrong, but they are not of the correct density and air gap. The result is like trying to close a door on a folded up towel.

 

[deltarat]

Do any of the other vendors have ones closer to the original that fit better?

 

[Pa PITT]

I put new weather seal on my bronco about 4 years ago and I still have to slam it and I have to ""Walk ALL the Way Around the BRONCO Just to OPEN THE DOOR FOR HER to get in...We laugh every one in town think I'm A great guy opening the door for my wife ...Hell she just cant push the buttom ...But she sure can slam that door.......

 

[Naildriver111]

My weather stripping was installed 1 1/2 years ago and the doors are still hard to close. But if I roll down the window a couple inches, they close fine.

 

[MarsChariot]

Do any of the other vendors have ones closer to the original that fit better?

If anyone has discovered a better manufacturer than Dennis Carpenter, they aren't telling. I am "curating" my 1982 counter rubber like it was an endangered species. The new rubber I installed on the wife's FallKrawler is till too stiff after four years. It seems worse in cold weather. A sure sign that the crush space is too small for the striping.
This is really a serious issue. The need to really slam the door hard puts a tremendous stress on all the mechanical parts of the door as well as the window support felt. Over time the continuous slamming will result in a lot of Broncos with badly damaged doors, not to mention the reputation for lots of rattling in the window area.

 

[Dakota]

Not sure if my weather stripping is from Carpenter (maybe some of you know), but I ordered from the Graveyard and I need to go into a pitcher's windup to get the doors shut. REALLY tight fit.

 

[deltarat]

I put new weather seal on my bronco about 4 years ago and I still have to slam it and I have to ""Walk ALL the Way Around the BRONCO Just to OPEN THE DOOR FOR HER to get in...We laugh every one in town think I'm A great guy opening the door for my wife ...Hell she just cant push the buttom ...But she sure can slam that door.......

A truck driver I knew that drove with his wife said she could slam the curtain between the cab and sleeper harder than anyone he has ever seen.

 

[twbowhunter]

i am working on this same problem as we speak on my sons progect,what i have found is you can get rid of alot of the problem (but not all) by rolling down the window, slowly close the door and watch were the rubber starts to contact the door i have found that the front and rear pinch welds are usually the big problem areas. this can be fixed by carefully tapping the pinch welds in evenly, this will take a lot of the pressure off and the door will not pop as bad when you open it. start with the front first, if your door is far from closed and already getting tight look to the front pinch weld area. if you take care of these areas the bottom will asually compress enough to not cause you any problems hope this helps

 

[Ed74]

twbowhunter,

Can you please explain what is a pinch weld? Is it the actual rubber weatherstripping or the metal trim, which it is attached to? Did you use a body hammer to Tap the pinch welds?

Thanks to everyone for your comments!

 

[twbowhunter]

with your door rubber off they would be the flang by your front door post and rear striker post,take your time and hammer and dolly these areas,it dosent take much if you go to much you will get wind leaks. i have just put new floors from the firewall back to the tailgate with inner and outer rockers and front and rear door post on both sides,when i put the rubbers in for my final fit before tear down one side was an inch from closeing and already tight,with 10 min of tapping on the pinch welds it is 95% better;D

 

[Ed74]

Spectacular! Thanks for the additional info

Have a great Super Bowl Sunday everyone!

 

[skrit]

with your door rubber off they would be the flang by your front door post and rear striker post,

what does this mean?

I thought about maybe using a heat gun to soften mine then slam the door to mold it better. I seem to have problems at the solid fat chunks at the top of the door striker post.

 

[fordtrucks4ever]

One thing that gets worse with new weatherstrip is the door latch mechanisms. I had one guys Bronco that was terrible after they replaced rubber. The mechanism was also in serious need of a major cleanup and repair. It made a huge difference. Then cleaned up the pinch weld areas and it closes like a new vehicle. The repop rubbers work, you just have to make correct adjustments after the fact.

 

[surfer-b]

I have purchased 2 diff brands, DC & LMC the LMC is made in Tiland or some place over seas anyway I couldn't tell any diff in either one, not pleased at all, I have purchased a 3rd from Metro supersoft but have not put them on I will post the results when I do.

 

[BRONCO26]

i used all DC seals on mine and they all fit great and both of my doors close good after i adjusted them for the new seals. i have never got anything from DC that did not fit like oem parts.

 

[garberz]

Any new developments on door slamming and new weatherstripping? I found some older threads about new weatherstripping fitment issues. Will I always have to slam my doors with the new weatherstripping?