19 replies to this topic

[4dabush]

Hi Folks 

I’m really struggling with installing my inner door weather strips. They are Rares parts with new clips.

My doors originally had vinyl tops. I have retrimmed the tops with leather matching the seats.  None of the original clips survived removal and the old weather strips are beyond reuse.   Do any of the guru’s on here have the old parts  catalogue to see if the S/SL models had a different interior weather strip or different weather clip? I have stretched the Rares clips as far as I dare and can’t get the belt on. Photo below shows a stretched clip vs standard. 

Has anyone done the weather belts on vinyl tops and have any tricks?  Yes, I realise the leather will be thicker than the vinyl, but also compresses more, but, yes, realise I’ve made Rod for my own back…but I don’t want painted door tops !

 

After wasting a weekend trying on my own, I am guessing it’s a two person job, one to hold the trim in as tight as possible, the other to pull the clips into place.   I have modified an outer belt tool that seems ok and have managed to get 1 clip on, but as soon as one is on, the belt twists and has been impossible to get another clip on. I am worried the belt/clips are only really suited to painted door tops. I have retained my old belts and they seem quite a bit thinner than the Rares ones. So it might be a case of restoring the old ones, but that’s still leaves the issue of clipping them home.   On the photo below you’ll see I have taped 5 locations to ensure the clips aren’t hitting a weld or anything on the door skin, which was one problem I discovered. 
 

Any help would be awesome. 

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[S pack]

From memory all LC & LJ models used the same clips for the inner belt weatherstrip. Most likely the thicker leather is your enemy. The inner strips should take all of about 2 minutes each to fit, including fitting the clips to the door panel.

[S pack]

OK just re-read your post. Load the 5 clips into the apertures in the door panel. Then load the inner weatherstrip into the clips. The strip should easily click into place in each clip.You should not need any special tools for this unless you have huge fingers that won't fit into the window opening. Note that you need to install the outer belt weatherstrips first, then the inner strips.

Edited by S pack, 04 December 2023 - 10:02 PM.

[4dabush]

Ahh thanks Dave, I’ve been trying with the clips on the seal and feels like there is no way to get them on…that and I can’t see where the door skin is once it’s all in place. I wasn’t sure if you could roll the weather strip into those clips…I’ll have a crack tomorrow night! Thanks! 

Edited by 4dabush, 04 December 2023 - 10:05 PM.

[LCK186]

HI years ago my painter showed me an easy way,   he never used the clips to put the rubber strip back on the coupe doors, what we did was 

 

wind the window up,                 use sikaflex or similar  glue on the rubber strip where the clips go        then slide weather strip into position              then use the end of 6 clothes pegs or thick cardboard, between the glass and the door frame  this will push the strip firmly on to door   job done,    next day remove the pegs or the cardboard

i still own that torana today and the strips are still intact, that was 20 years ago,  either way good luck

[LCK186]

HI oops i just noticed that i read it wrong, you are doing the inner strip  i thought you are doing the outer strip sorry, my error, again good luck, im sure that you will succeed,

[IanC]

Does the vinyl go on before the inner weather stip is clipped on?.

[S pack]

Yes, install the vinyl, then the clips, then install the strip.

Edited by S pack, 05 December 2023 - 10:15 AM.

[4dabush]

Hi LCK,  yes, thank you... I have had the outers on, then off again.  Sitting them on loose they sit perfect, put the clips on and they sit miles from the door skin, so the clips have been dropped and sika polyurethane ( Thanks too, Marty) is what I am using...and one side needs the clothes pegs, the other just one tiny bit of masking tape!

 

Ian, yes, even the factory vinyl goes on first. The original vinyl was quite a bit lower that the inner skin... maybe 5mm or more.  The leather is down to just above the inner skin. What I didn't realise (or try) was installing the clips first was an option... I'll see how that goes...makes sense as to install the clips they sort of 'roll' onto the inner weather strip. The leather is maybe, not quite, double the thickness of the vinyl, (but leather is more compliant and only about 1.5mm vs vinyl about 1mm) so I knew it was going to be more difficult, but putting them together in the wrong order - well, that made it impossible!

 

The rest of the doors have gone together nicely. The quarter window rubbers don't sit perfectly, but I'll use a bit of the sika to tidy up a couple of gaps...regardless, they look way better than the 50 year old rubbers. The bailey channels are snug, but a bit of graphite powder in the guts and on the edges has seen the windows much easier to wind up and down.  The door rubbers are tight, but nothing like what I used 20 years ago on another Torana. These ones close with just a bit more than a gentle push, certainly not slamming.

 

Thanks everyone, I'll let you know how the 'clips on first' goes!

[IanC]

Cheers Adam. I was a little confused. So can you take the clips of the inner weather stip. Use them to secure the vinyl. The fit the weather strip back onto the clips?

[4dabush]

You guys and girls are bloody amazing!!! THANK YOU!!! Little bit of fiddling and closing up the clips as I had opened them a little too much for pressing the inner felt strip in. And yes, still used the outer weather clip tool exactly the same way for the inner clips . I did have to use a really thin paint scraper to hold down the leather on a couple of clips. I also used the clip tool to support under each clip while sort of “rolling” the inner felt strip into each clip. Again a couple needed a bit more of a push to seat the felt clip all the way home into the clip and the tool worked a treat to push against and not let them slide off the inner door skin/ leather. Hope the photos above and below help someone else have a productive weekend and not waste it all stuffing around !!! Cheers Adam

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[4dabush]

Cheers Adam. I was a little confused. So can you take the clips of the inner weather stip. Use them to secure the vinyl. The fit the weather strip back onto the clips?

Yes exactly Ian.  The clips come assembled on the trim, which is why I tried installing them that way. The clip off easy as, just roll them away from the felt. As LCK said, then put the clips on the door, securing to the inner door skin and pinching down the leather/vinyl…the roll the inner weather felt into place. Bit of fluffing around to seat it all the way home, and supporting the clips with the outer weather clip tool gave plenty of support to seat the trim. Yay! 

[4dabush]

Those photos were a bit small - try again

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[IanC]

Yes exactly Ian.  The clips come assembled on the trim, which is why I tried installing them that way. The clip off easy as, just roll them away from the felt. As LCK said, then put the clips on the door, securing to the inner door skin and pinching down the leather/vinyl…the roll the inner weather felt into place. Bit of fluffing around to seat it all the way home, and supporting the clips with the outer weather clip tool gave plenty of support to seat the trim. Yay! 

Thanks Adam. I'm doing this job at the moment. Thanks for the photos and the process.

[S pack]

Yes exactly Ian.  The clips come assembled on the trim, which is why I tried installing them that way. The clip off easy as, just roll them away from the felt. As LCK S pack said, then put the clips on the door, securing to the inner door skin and pinching down the leather/vinyl…the roll the inner weather felt into place. Bit of fluffing around to seat it all the way home, and supporting the clips with the outer weather clip tool gave plenty of support to seat the trim. Yay! 

Fixed it for you Adam.
 

[IanC]

Um. Does the vinyl need to go on before you put the 1/4 window in?. Cheers Ian.

[S pack]

Um. Does the vinyl need to go on before you put the 1/4 window in?. Cheers Ian.

Yes.

[IanC]

Yes.

bugger just got the window in too. Thanks Dave.

[4dabush]

Um. Does the vinyl need to go on before you put the 1/4 window in?. Cheers Ian.

Hi Ian, yes, vinyl on, quarter window in loose, install the black metal filler at the front of the quarter window. Rivet in place. I think I read in one of the posts to use polyurethane sealant (Marty’s thread maybe?), assemble the door handles, locks, latches, install the window winder and rest roller in the bottom of the door, lower door glass into bottom of the door, install Bailey Channels. Then move quarter window into its home position ( an extra pair of hands helps here as flexing the window opening makes getting the quarter window into the right spot way easier…it goes in sideways to start with) - don’t install lower screw yet. Now the next part is what I read somewhere and it isn’t in the manual.  Outer door seal first. There is a thread here somewhere…search it. Shows you the clip installation tool. ( I used an $2 roofing strap from Bunnings and wrapped it in electrical tape.) About half the comments on the thread say the seals and clips worked a treat, and the other half the clips didn’t work. My seals sat perfect UNTIL I installed the clips, then they pulled away from the door tops.   The consensus if the clips don’t work, polyurethane sealer, wind the window up, and hold the seal in place with 1/2 clothes pegs.  Again, 1 of mine needed pegs, the other 1 piece of masking tape.  Leave to set 24hrs… THEN start the inner felt strip as per the above. Don’t forget to put your screws in the top and bottom of your quarter window, and last, install the inner door latch and the window bump stop….. that should be 1 door done. My Bailey channels were tight, graphite powder eased them a lot.  Greased all the latches and moving bits with white lithium grease.    Hope that helps! 

Edited by 4dabush, 11 December 2023 - 10:11 PM.

[IanC]

Thanks Adam. Not only has this helped me. I'm sure it will also help others doing the same job. Cheers mate.