There's a ~30" long rubber weatherstrip for the front upper doorframe of '63-'66 A-body 2-door models. I'm curious to try installing a pair on my 4-door, and could use some technical advice. Anyone know why these were used on 2-doors and not on 4-doors? Can anyone think of a reason why I couldn't add 'em to a 4-door? All my A-bodies have had 4 doors, so I have no recollections to look back on and answer these questions myself. It's called out in the FPC as "Weatherstrip, v/wing auxiliary, 2d HT/cv. cp" under parts code 23-63-126.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

I have those on my convertible, and I think they are there to prevent fore and aft rattles, since there is no upper support and cushion for the door to help keep the door stable. It probably also helps eliminate wind noise.

Since the door to frame spacing looks about the same on 4-doors, I don't see why it wouldn't work, and now that these cars are old, the seals might help with wind noise.

I installed mine with black 3M trim adhesive, which worked well. I held them in place with tape until the adhesive set up.

I don't know the brand I used...they were not NOS...but the match to the old ones was perfect. They were a bit stiff and the door had to be slammed at first, but after a couple of weeks, they took a set and the doors closed easily.

Dan,I have those weatherstrips on my 63 Dart 170 4dr and am 99.9% sure they were intalled at the factory. My wifes 63 V200 Val 2dr does not have them and it appears to have never had them as it still wears the original paint in that area and there is no glue residue and the paint is nice and smooth.Im sure that they were installed to resolve a wind noise condition.Maybe thet were a recall/warranty type item?
HyperValiant

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1960 Hyper-Pac Valiant(rolling test-bed)
1963 Valiant V2OO(Son's summer project,- he just turned 15 )
1972 Valiant 4dr(Daughter Kelly's repair in progress)
1974 Valiant (v8) daughter Kelly's work in progress

They've never been on any of the '64-up 4-doors I've owned. I don't remember if my '63 wagon had 'em, but it might've. If they were on your '63 4-door, then I am guessing they were "cost-reduced" off the '64+ cars except the hardtops. I do have a new tube of 3M weatherstrip adhesive. Now need to wait for a less rainy day and pick up a disposable brush to spread the adhesive.

Thanks for the feedback!

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Do you mean this?



(Sorry for the low-quality photo)

That's on my '64 Valiant V200 4-door.

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"When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it." - Pointy-haired Boss

1964 Valiant V200, 225/Pushbutton 904
BBD, CAI, HEI, LBP, AC, AM/FM/USB, EIEIO

Thats whats on my 63 Dart 4dr and absent on my wifes 63 Valiant 2dr.
HyperValiant

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1960 Hyper-Pac Valiant(rolling test-bed)
1963 Valiant V2OO(Son's summer project,- he just turned 15 )
1972 Valiant 4dr(Daughter Kelly's repair in progress)
1974 Valiant (v8) daughter Kelly's work in progress

Abracadabra Resurrectio!

*POOF!*

This thread is resurrected!

Hi Dan.

I happened across this thread, and was wondering: Did you ever try this? If you did, did it have any practical effect?

I'm messing with my weatherstripping right now (while I wait for another [ahem] fuel pump), so it's prominent in my mind.


Also, does anyone have any strong feelings or helpful tricks regarding the four 4" long, 1/2" diameter foam fillers strategically inserted inside the hollow section of the door weatherstripping/windlace on the early As?
The originals are surprisingly resilient, and I could re-use them, if I could get them stuffed into the right positions, but they really don't want to slide 45 inches into the new, very impressive, very expensive, Metro weatherstrip.
I could probably lube the entire inside of the weatherstrip with silicone grease, but that seems excessive.
I could use one of the commercial home weatherstrip products that's a bit smaller in diameter, if that would work.
I figure I could probably use a length of 10ga solid insulated copper wire with the end taped to actually push them into place, if they would slide easily.

If this second question is too far off of the resurrected topic, I'd be happy to start a new thread.

Thanks!

– Eric

I did install the weatherstrips. They fit just fine on my 4-door '64, and might've made things a bit less noisy. Certainly they didn't hurt or hinder anything.
Talcum powder. Or spray silicone lube (the good stuff).

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Cool. I'll consider grabbing a set. Do they self-locate, or do they need to placed according to a measurement? (I don't have a 2-door example to compare to).

If I'm to enjoy driving this car, I need to be able to drive at 70mph now and then, and the less dramatic that is, the more I will enjoy it.

Hmmmm. Okay. I don't think the original material will push inside the weatherstripping I have, even with talcum powder, but I'll try it. I have found it useful for a number of other things over the years, so it's a fair bet.

If that doesn't work, I guess I'll try to find a strip of insulation about the same diameter with a similar compressibility.

I wish I'd known those were there before I fully installed the new weatherstrip, but I only found it by accident as I was idly examining the old weatherstrip.

Thanks again, Dan!

– Eric

Replying back:

Original foam, though still pliable, was deformed enough that it was not going to slide through four feet of rubber tube to its destination, powder or not.

I checked my tire-tube powder, and, in fact, it's cornstarch ("Baby Powder"), and after some research, it seems you can't really get talcum powder anymore at any ordinary store... But you CAN get it from Amazon. So I bought some, arriving tomorrow.

I went out the the Despot, and checked out their household window insulation, where I found that their Frost King 1/2" foam "caulk rope" is just a bit bigger than the original foam bits, and their 3/8" is just a bit smaller (it's hard to really measure deformed compressible foam). The actual material and pliability seem to be identical.
So, I bought the 3/8" foam, it slid into the weatherstrip reasonably easily when pushed by a 10ga insulated solid copper wire with a bit of electrical tape wrapped around the end, but not so easily that it didn't hit a few "tough spots."
It stayed put once it was placed, and was large enough to effectively reduce puckering.

The doors seem to be a bit harder to close, which one would expect from new weatherstripping.

I have no idea whether this fixed my wind noise problem, because the car doesn't go that fast without a fuel pump (on its way from eBay, Chinesium 8psi unit is back in the hands of NAPA).

I'll post back after I see whether it's actually quieter.

– Eric

Just tested new Metro weatherstripping with 3/8" foam rope for inserts at corners.

I've definitely lost the REALLY LOUD wind noise right next to my left ear over 60mph, but there is still a lower-level, more generalized rushing noise that sounds like it's just outside the door (rather than inside, next to my ear).
I'm pretty sure that's just the normal amount of noise these cars always made. I don't really remember from my old Valiant, and back then most cars were noisier anyway, so I might not have noticed, in comparison.

I'll probably spring for the "auxiliary" weatherstripping to see whether it helps a bit, but, oh boy, it is expensive.

The car will probably be even quieter once I install the weatherstripping on the rear doors, but in order to do that, I'll have to get them open, which will entail removing the back seat, which will entail removing the front seat...

– Eric