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Soften New Door Seals

18K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  theHIGHLANDER 
#1 ·
Hi guys, I got some new rubber door seals for my car and installed them.
The ends of the seals are of a thicker mould as they mount on either end of the door "Camaro 84"

When I close the door they are putting up in my honest opinion far to much
resistance so the door does not close to easy. Is there any method I can
use to soften them up so as to help break them in quicker.

Any tips most welcome.

Thanks ><
 
#2 ·
I have to tell you, some of the repro rubber is just plain junk. My brother put some in his 55 Ford F-100 they claimed to be "thinner than other rubbers" and "Exactly as original". It may have been "thinner" than other repro rubbers but they were WAY harder! You couldn't even close the doors. He pulled them off and bought others, they worked fine.

There are a lot of brands out there, yours may never get any better. The only thing you can do is move the striker out a little so the door doesn't close so hard. Drive it for a while and maybe you can move it back in at a later date after the rubber has broken in a little.

Brian
 
#3 ·
I got some for my 86 Camaro from Year One, no problems.
The GM stuff was just way too expensive.
If they don´t have any resistance now then a few years down the road you will be buying them again.
BTW make sure all the small holes in them are clear to let the air out.
 
#4 ·
Yeah, some of the repro stuff is far from original, they usually need to break in for awhile before the doors will open and close right. Some soaking in the hot summer sun helps. Chrysler had a recomendations to heat the rubber to 400 degrees then close the door and allow to cool- and this does work to some extent. A heat gun or very carefully with a propane torch works. I have had some weatherstrips that didn't work at all though and needed to be replaced with a different brand.
 
#5 ·
Thickness and poor fit are the start of the problems. But, lets say they are correct and just "too new". The problem is traction. It's sticking to the seal surface and not allowing it to close where it needs to. At that point you need to "slick it up" some how. Forget silicone. It actually gives the new stuff more traction. here's my solution, and for the record works almost every time. Baby powder. Put some in a small cup, take a throw away 1" brush and load it real good with the dry baby powder. Brush it on the sealing surface of the rubber itself. Coat it nice so it looks grey instead of black. The talc acts as a dry lubricant and has no adverse effect on anything. Makes it smell "baby fresh" too :D
 
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