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39 Plymouth Weatherstripping Placement?


Dennis Detweiler

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There is no weatherstripping on my 39 Plymouth Sedan. The door edges have contours (ex. trough at top of door). I have a large roll of original door weatherstripping, but don't know if it goes on the sides and top of the doors or some on the door and some on jam/posts? I googled on-line for some pictures or info with no luck. I have a short roll of different design stripping for the trunk and need info on it's placement also. Thanks

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Hey Dennis. Not sure if we are looking at the same weatherstripping but 39 P8 has the original and it goes all around except for the bottom on every door. 

The trunk lid gasket I'm not 100% on. My P8 did not have a trunk lid gasket so I ordered some from Bernbaums and figured it out best I could. Got all kinds of channels and seems like it can fit either way. I took my best guess then flipped a coin.

Added some pics if they might help.

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The body and paint on my P8 was done by a professional sometime in the past. The fellow I bought it from did the upholstery and wiring himself. I had to gut the wiring and rewire  it myself and added two fuse panels. He crimped old rotten wires to new wires and some of it came loose. However, the previous owner used self stick home weatherstripping which is mostly falling off and very thin strips. I bought a box of weatherstripping from Bernbaum and it's fairly thick. It looks like I'll have to adjust the doors outward to get this new much thicker weatherstripping to fit unless it's supposed to be placed along the inside of the jam? The doors are presently adjusted within 1/8 inch of hitting the jams. It's currently only a sunny day ride. I can't even wash it. The trunk will be much easier to deal with than the doors.

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Dennis.......have you a pic of the weatherstripping that you have at present?..........check Bernbaums on line catalog, www.oldmoparts.com  as it had a profile pic of the original style weatherstripping...........years ago when I first built my car, am talking 1970s, I used a foam rubber which was a rectangular profile, about 5/16th thick by 7/16th wide and glue it around the outer inside edge of the front & rear door so that when the door closed it sealed the door opening..........in the 1970's that was all I could find here in Oz and its worked fine foe the last 40 odd years but I know now what is available now and what should be used and have been thinking about redoing it........BUt......it still works o/k, albeit getting a little about hard so it might be another todo job........but check Bernbaums site, am sure that may help...............btw I have attached the only pic I can find that shows where the weatherstrip on my car is installed.........if you look closely you can see a black line on the left hand edge of this door pic........THAT is where my cars weatherstrip is on all 4 doors..........dunno if this is much help....... ..regards, andyd 

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mmmm. My 39 does not have any weather stripping on the doors themselves. Only on the body around the perimeter where the doors make contact. This weatherstripping is like a rolled fabric or canvas that goes around the edges and tucks into the inside panels.

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I googled pictures of 39 interiors last night and couldn't find any rubber weatherstripping around the whole door, only a piece on top of the door in the indented or trough contour of the door. Yet, Bernbaum sells a big roll that is supposed to go around the whole door except the bottom, which is a different sill piece. Another website seller sells the same. So ??? I wish I could find a 39 dealership advertisement photo with the door open. 39 was an odd year with a one year only "style" fuel guage/sending unit and column shifter. Maybe the door seal is also on the list?

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The only thing I see on my doors that could come close to being a weather seal is just on the forward portion of the forward doors where the jamb is at. It has what looks like tar or black hardened goo. I dont think its actual road tar because it looks like it was laid in there, I left it there thinking maybe it needs it. 

Heres a pic of it. This is only on the forward doors, not the rear.

You can see it on the inside of the door covered with orange paint. The only other seals I have are part of the interior where that fabric roll stuff goes around and the doors meet up against it when they shut, you can see that as well as the tan vertical material just to the left of center. That stuff goes all the way around both sides and top of every door.

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Edited by Lloyd
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8 hours ago, Dennis Detweiler said:

I googled pictures of 39 interiors last night and couldn't find any rubber weatherstripping around the whole door, only a piece on top of the door in the indented or trough contour of the door. Yet, Bernbaum sells a big roll that is supposed to go around the whole door except the bottom, which is a different sill piece. Another website seller sells the same. So ??? I wish I could find a 39 dealership advertisement photo with the door open. 39 was an odd year with a one year only "style" fuel guage/sending unit and column shifter. Maybe the door seal is also on the list?

 

Is there a place where a person can see pictures of the door bottom weather seals?  (I have a 4-door P15.)

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I think I have it figured out?  This is an end view of the rubber weatherstripping that Bernbaum sent me for all 4 doors. I looked at pics of inside door panels in my 39 shop manual, which shows mechanics working on the window and door adjustments. There is no factory rubber weatherstripping. There is wind lacing as shown in one of the above photo replies from Lloyd. I have wind lacing on my 39. However, I'm assuming the Bernbaum weatherstipping is an optional aftermarket weatherstripping (not anything Plymouth sold). In my photo, the bottom "V" fits nicely into the corner of the door. The vertical piece presses against the door jam when it's shut. This rubber is very flexible and strong. The doors on my 39 don't have much space (maybe 1/8 inch) between the door and jam. So, this rubber should work well.  The trunk weatherstripping is a larger design.

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Dennis...........thats the profile of the door weatherstripping that I thought the late 30's to late 40's mopars all used however I was not aware of this style or profile when I did the weatherstrip on my 1940 Dodge Sedan back in the 1970's..........lol..........however when I bought the 1941 Plymouth Coupe in 2007 I found that even tho' it was a "so called restoration" there was NO weatherstripping at all around the doors, which was an interesting situation when I gave the car a wash the 1st time............lol.............any way I obtained a supply of weatherstrip rubber with the profile you show and installed it into the corner of the doors with as you say the large vertical pointed piece overlapping or pointing out towards the door opening............it sealed perfectly and made a huge difference to the overall quietness of the car..........I've got enough to do the 40 Dodge Sedan now ..just got to get myself motivated...........lol...........regards, andyd   

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I'm not sure if the weather in Iowa will allow me to get it installed before Winter.  I don't have a heated garage. It's the last item on my list right now. I'll be putting in a new fuel sending unit this week and calibrate the guage. I'll probably get rid of the cork float and replace it with a plastic float before I install it in the tank.  

I purchased 3M Black Weatherstrip Adhesive 08011. There's a youtube video on how to use it with best effectiveness. Squeeze it along the door, brush it on the door surface to spread it and on the weatherstrip and let it tack. Then brush another coat on the weatherstrip and apply the strip to the door.

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I have a 39 Ply coupe, when it was restored photos were taken to put it back as close as possible to the original.  There isn't any rubber around the doors or body, however there are several small pieces of rubber approx. 1 inch long that snaps into holes in the body around the door (Steel Rubber used to sell these) .  Also there is a flat piece of rubber about 6 inches long on the body of the car back of where the rear view mirror is located, prevents paint from being scratched.  There is also the rolled cloth around the door frame.  The most difficult  for me at the time to locate was the rubber across the bottom of the door frame  that fits into the stainless.  This makes a tight seal across the bottom and the stainless helps hold the floor mat down.  I believe Steel Rubber now sells this piece by the foot.  Let me know if you need photos this rubber / stainless. 

On another note, noticed that you have a banjo steering wheel, very nice.  I recently located one and in the process of getting it repaired now trying to locate a horn ring, not sure what the horn ring and button used with the banjo wheel look like.  Appreciate if you would  take a photo of wheel showing the horn ring and button. Thank you in advance.

Regards, 

Richard

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5 hours ago, Richard Cope said:

I have a 39 Ply coupe, when it was restored photos were taken to put it back as close as possible to the original.  There isn't any rubber around the doors or body, however there are several small pieces of rubber approx. 1 inch long that snaps into holes in the body around the door (Steel Rubber used to sell these) .  Also there is a flat piece of rubber about 6 inches long on the body of the car back of where the rear view mirror is located, prevents paint from being scratched.  There is also the rolled cloth around the door frame.  The most difficult  for me at the time to locate was the rubber across the bottom of the door frame  that fits into the stainless.  This makes a tight seal across the bottom and the stainless helps hold the floor mat down.  I believe Steel Rubber now sells this piece by the foot.  Let me know if you need photos this rubber / stainless. 

On another note, noticed that you have a banjo steering wheel, very nice.  I recently located one and in the process of getting it repaired now trying to locate a horn ring, not sure what the horn ring and button used with the banjo wheel look like.  Appreciate if you would  take a photo of wheel showing the horn ring and button. Thank you in advance.

Regards, 

Richard

 

I have a banjo wheel in mine, heres a couple pics.

 

Get a chance post the pics of your weatherstripping.

 

Thanks.

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Richard............are you saying that your 39 Plymouth Coupe had NO rubber weatherstripping around the doors at all?..............how did you stop water getting inside the car even when you washed it?............andyd.

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At minimum, there had to be a piece that fit in the contoured dip or trough at the top of the door. Earlier years had it to keep water from entering the top of the door during a rain. The sides? My 39 shop manual shows some pictures of the doors being worked on. There are rubber bumpers in a few places to keep the doors from rubbing against the jams but, no weatherstipping around the doors. I'm assuming the rubber weatherstipping that I acquired from Bernbaum is an _add-on? However, I'm with andyd on this and there should be rubber around each door to make the car washable. Plus rain tight. The round rolled fabric around the inside of the jams is called "windlace" and is a nice looking finish to the edges, but it's basic function is to keep wind from whistling around the doors while driving down the highway. Since we are having temps in the 70's here in Iowa for the next few days, I'm going to get some of the Bernbaum weatherstripping installed. I'll take a picture and post it.

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I double checked, my 39 Ply Coupe does not have any weather striping around the doors only two small rubber bumpers and a small piece opposite the mirrors to prevent scratching.  Also has a rubber a strip across the bottom of the door frame that is fastened to a stainless strip.  The doors fit tight and presses against the rubber bumpers.  The car is garage kept, however when I take it to the car wash I use the power hand nozzle and don't get any leaks.  Just looked at the door again, possibly there isn't any leaks due to the rain gutter above the door which removes most of the water and the top of the door frame where the door meets is angled  slightly outward at the bottom and the door has the opposite angle which perhaps forms a small channel for the water?  I believe years ago I had the same concern and thought that perhaps the shop had missed documenting the original rubber and before the car was painted tried several different types of rubber molding, however none worked for there isn't enough space between the door and frame.  I recommend spraying with a garden hose before your upholstery is installed and see if it leaks without rubber molding.

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I apologize, went back and looked at the car second time,  There is a flat weather striping approx. 1/8 in thick on the front edge of the door.  It is from about where the rear view mirror is located to the lower edge of the bottom hinge. 

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Yes, that was my guess with the trough and contours of the door edge to channel water away from the inside. My floor on the passenger side looks like it has had water/rust setting in it at some point in time. Could have been a window open.? I'm just going ahead with the weatherstripping. It can at least help with possible leaking. The water that gets past the weatherstripping will channel away from the inside with the original contours of the door.

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I started the application process as per youtube suggestions: apply a coat to door surface into the door corner and up each side about 1/4 inch using an artist brush and on the weatherstripping and brushing it out and let dry. Then apply a coat to the weatherstripping again and stick it on.

 

However, the adhesive dries too fast for the second procedure and it's too messy to apply to the weatherstripping. So, I applied adhesive to the door corner and up each side about 1/4 inch with an artist brush and let it dry. Then applied to the door a second time for about a 12 inch length. Then applied the weatherstripping, pushed it down and pulled it open again to allow it to tack for a few seconds. Then pushed it back down and it stayed in place well. Then the same for the next 12 inches until I got all the way around the door. I went back over the whole door and pushed it all down a second time. At the hinge mount, I just glued down one side of the weatherstripping, since it only makes contact on one edge.

 

The doors shut a little harder, but that should lighten up after the door stays shut and the weatherstripping conforms to the jam. The doors have a much more solid feel to them when closing. Bernbaum sends enough material to go around the whole door. I didn't add the weatherstripping to the bottom of the door, since there is already a sill weatherstrip.

 

Looks like I'll have to order some new sill pieces and install them next Spring. They're pretty old and rubber is hard. The drivers side sill rubber is torn and  not functional.  

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Edited by Dennis Detweiler
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