VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Door window seal or lack of.

A good question was posed to me by another Chatter member via email while we both work on our 31 and 32 doors.
Is there a weather strip that both of us are missing at the bottom of the window opening, were your arm would rest on the door while driving with the window down? Might the window sash, metal part that clamps to the bottom of the glass, have a rubber piece with a flap that lays on the body when the window is up? Or, does the water just run down the inside of the door and out thru the bottom weep holes?

Not sure about the 32 but the 35 Master had an extra small channel outboard of the main glass channel into which fits a lip seal. See Filling Station item 70-79 (on page 30 of the April 2004 catalog. I had to replace three out of four of my glass channel and thus had to fabricate three tiny L-shaped pieces and tack weld them to the outboard edge of the glass channels.

i just recently replaced the rubber door glass channel on our 31 cabriolet and there was enough of the original rubber channel to compare it to the Steele /FS repo that i'm certain the originals were configured like the current repo, ie, there is "ledge" a part of the rubber that deflects water. mike

The window sashes on the 4 roll-up windows, and the windshield frame of my '31 Coach have a channel on the outside of the sash that holds the rubber seal discussed above.

Thanks for the info so far. In the August '05 FS catalog on pg 115, I see items #'s 70-64, 70-75, and 70-79. Has anyone used any of these and how are they fastened to the door metal? Does item #70-75 get sqeezed on to the glass by the glass metal sash?
Hey Don, does the rubber seal on your car move down with the glass?

JimG:

Thanks for referencing stock numbers from F.S. At least we have a place to look.

Gotta31

Hey GOTTA31, how is it going so far?. After looking a little closer I see a raised square ridge on the outside of the metal glass sash. (I finally got all the rust off) Whatever it is might slide on or snap on that ridge. I haven't found anything that could work in the FS catalog.
I'm still looking.
RayG

RayG:

I'm working on other stuff while thinking about what I'm gonna do about this whole window/door/handle situation. I've got so many unanswered questions that I put the whole door department on the back burner for now. I know I've got to face it sometime real soon, but for now I just can't deal with it any more.

Can you relate !!

Gotta31 :( :confused: :confused:

Sure can Gotta,

I allways apply the wait 24 hr. rule whenever I get frustrated. (sometimes that's 48hrs)
It's better to be at ease with the project, after all THIS IS A HOBBY!
Beside with the weather getting real nice around here, I've been doing some yard clean-up. We are in for some badly needed rain tomorrow night and Saturday so I'll get down to the garage then.
RayG

Gotta31 and all interested,

Yesterday, I found the time to take apart one of my doors. I removed the wood regulator holder and then the glass with the metal frame. I found what I was looking for. The metal glass channel does have an outer metal lip that holds a rubber seal. After some time I was able to remove what was left of the rubber seal. Some remenants came out intacked and I compaired it to the #70-79 rubber as shown in the FS August '05 catalog. It's a match! It looks like about 24" is needed for each window if you have a Coupe.
Hope this helps.
RayG.

#70-79 arrived within a few days direct from Steele. After cleaning up the glass channel and appling a fresh coat of thinned rustoleum paint I installed the new rubber. You can use a large pair of side cutters to clamp down the thin metal flap towards the ends, but the regulator guide will will get in the way at the center. So I used my brake spring streacher pliers, they have a wide spread, and they work perfectly. I suppose you can also use a large "C" clamp if you are carefull, but with the brake pliers you won't be able to apply a lot of pressure, and will not crack the glass.
It worked for me.

I don't think we're talking about the same thing. At least I don't think I am. I'm referring to an item that would attach to the metal part that sits right at arm level on the inside part of the door and is screwed to the wood. Like what you would rest your arm on while casually cruising down the road. If I wasn't so lazy I'd go get my parts book and call the piece by its proper name. In fact, tomorrow I'll do that but right now I gotta go make me a sandwich and get ready to watch the Sopranos.

Gotta31

Gotta31, as far as I know my 32 does not have anything attached to the wood inside the door at that point.
The pieces that I just installed attach to the glass window metal frame. The rubber piece rubs against and rests against that wood when the window is in the up position, sealing against water running inside the door.

O.K. Now I got it. So the rubber is on the channel that holds the glass and when you roll the window up it prevents water from going down the window. Right? Or am I still out to lunch?

Gotta31

It sounds like you are OK for now. The U channel on the bottom of the glass has an additional metal flap attached to it on it's outward side. One end of rubber #70-79 slides into that flap. The other end just rides up with the window and against the large piece of wood at the top of the door (bottom of window opening) preventing rain water from poring into the lower part of the door. My car's glass was replaced before I got it and I think the glass was cut too big, preventing #70-79 from actually coming in contact with the metal door skin. I don't know if this is right but it would make more sense instead of the rubber resting on the wood.
It looks like it will hold back most of the rain, but some will run over the ends and run down the inside of the door, but that's why there are weep holes in the bottom of the door.
I wish I could send ya another pic, but you can't really see it once I put it all together.
Hope I didn't confuse ya more.
Oh, and your not out to lunch, maybe just a little hungry to finish your car, me too!

I'm o.k. with this description. With the pics you sent me a few weeks back, I can see exactly where this rubber is supposed to go. So now, I take my door panel off to see what kind of shape its in(if there is any there at all, that is).

Thanks for hanging in there with me. I really appreciate it.

Gotta31

No problem Gotta. I got some advice a long time ago from Dad. When taking apart your door panels, do one door at a time! This way you can use the other door for reference. I have lots of digital pictures of 31-32 interiors. Both restored and unrestored. Let me know if you need to see anything.
I wanted to start with the interior before Memorial Day, but it got really busy at work.