Cadillac & LaSalle Club Discussion Forum

Cadillac & LaSalle Club Forums => Technical / Authenticity => Topic started by: Chris Davis on December 05, 2017, 11:20:35 AM

Title: 1938-41 Sixty Special weatherstrip
Post by: Chris Davis on December 05, 2017, 11:20:35 AM
Does anyone have some suggestions on window frame weatherstripping for the 1938-41 Sixty Special? 

This is the bulb type piece attaching to the body and sealing against the chrome window frame. 

The Steele part (as expensive as it was) is such poor quality it is unusable - poorly fitting, too small, too flimsy/ineffective as a seal, and the bulb portion kinks when being installed in the door frame corners.
Title: Re: 1938-41 Sixty Special weatherstrip
Post by: Paul Phillips on December 05, 2017, 07:07:01 PM
Chris
Just to confirm, you are talking about the weatherstrip retained by the chrome molding that goes inside of the upper door opening?

If that is the case, I remember it as fussy but not impossible. Key was to pre-attach to the chrome piece and also use a heat gun to improve pliability in the corner. It is also important to get the finisher pieces that attach to the body at the belt line. Steele has these for the rear of the rear door, front of the rear sorr and rear of the front door. You will be on your own for the front of front door piece.

Honestly, I had a ton more problem with their guide channel moldings for the window frame itself. Steele’s part there was not capable of forming the right radius needed at the B pillar position w/o self destructing . I ended up sourcing a better channel product via a local glass guy.

Hope this helps

Paul
Title: Re: 1938-41 Sixty Special weatherstrip
Post by: Brad Ipsen CLC #737 on December 05, 2017, 10:05:15 PM
Just to add and clarify what Paul said the rubber holder that this piece goes into is chrome only on the 41.  Other years are painted.  I remember the Steele piece as being to fat and not to small for the holder.  Best to space out the work, one door one day to have time to heal the fingers.  It does buckle a bit in the turns but we are just lucky in this case to have something close.  The factory piece was probable fully molded with the curve and not an extruded piece.  In defense of Steele this time.  If they would just listen when they have the wrong part listed but actually have the correct part.
Title: Re: 1938-41 Sixty Special weatherstrip
Post by: Chris Davis on December 06, 2017, 08:46:19 AM
thanks to both of you for the input. 

Correct that this is the rubber fitting under the chrome strip attached to the body. 

Curious that the different experience is a part slightly oversized as mine is slightly undersized and the bulb part diameter is too small and the wall thickness paper thin.  By contrast the original part was fairly robust rubber - perhaps as suggested it was molded with the proper bends - or heated just prior to installation.

The bigger challenge is the bulb part as it is so flimsy it really doesn't do anything as a seal. 

I've always had great results from Steele so who knows, maybe I have a bad production run for that day. 
Title: Re: 1938-41 Sixty Special weatherstrip
Post by: Paul Phillips on December 06, 2017, 10:19:06 AM
Thanks Brad for resetting my mind on chrome vs painted!  Too many hours in restoring my 41 and not enough looking at 38-40 models.

The Steele part I used was definitely an extrusion and was not flimsy.  Makes me wonder if someone pulled the wrong item or stocked a run from another extrusion die in the wrong place.  I would be surprised if they replaced the tool, as this has to be a low volume part for them.

If the folding over in the corner is a big problem for you, one trick would be (for each corner radius) to carefully cut a small slit in the bulb section on the side that rests against the body, then feed a soft durometer rubber rod into the bulb for a couple inches each way.  Use superglue or weatherstrip adhesive to put the slit back together after the rod is in place.  The repair will not be visible with the molding/weatherstrip installed, and the bulb section will not collapse in the radius areas.

Paul
Title: Re: 1938-41 Sixty Special weatherstrip
Post by: Brad Ipsen CLC #737 on December 06, 2017, 10:21:53 PM
My thought was the same Paul about the part being too small when mine was too big.  I don't know if I can find it but this came longer than required and I saved the extra.  If I can find it I can check the dimensions.  This happened to me another time with Steele.  In the early 80's I bought the 39 trunk seal that is not sponge rubber but complicated shapes and a hollow tube like the part under discussion here. It was beautiful. The next time I bought it for the next car it was terrible but now Metro had the good one.
Title: Re: 1938-41 Sixty Special weatherstrip
Post by: Chris Davis on December 07, 2017, 02:09:57 PM
Thanks again to both of you for the input.

Challenges like these bring out the creativity on potential solutions.