Door/Window seals?

[A.T.]

I'm in the middle of swapping out the window seals on the doors of my '69S.

I've managed to replace the rubber seal that slides into the chrome trim along the top of the door and outside of the glass. No problem there.

The replacement seal for the top of the door inside the glass seams very different from what was there. It was a long rubber piece, "U" shaped in profile with felt on the window side and lightly pressure fit over the lip of the top of the door. The new piece has a much more complex profile with a flange that must either fit over or under the padding the fits along the top of the door. Is this the correct replacement, an updated improvement?

When I had a closer look at my new "Inner window to glass, w. prongs" seals they seam to be both for the driver/left side door. The ends are trimmed at an angle that echos the angles of the window frame. I asked Stoddard and they said that's just the way they are cut and I need to trim them to fit. I just looked at my catalogue (a really old one) and it does in fact list left and right versions of this seal. Hmm?

But what really puzzles me are the seals for inside the window channels, around the window frames. I didn't think I needed to replace them but on closer inspection decided to remove the one from the passenger side. It had all sorts of wire reinforcement. I assume this would be one of the "Hard" window channel seals. A friend had given me a set of window channel seals I think he had ordered from Performance Products. These have none of the wire reinforcement. I tried to install one of these, notching it to fit around inside the corners but the fit was really loose and sloppy. I figured this can't be right and started checking out Stoddard's and Mid America's catalogues again for the proper parts. I still don't get it. I finally called Stoddard and they explained that I need the hard channel stuff for the back and top sides of the frame and the soft channel for the front side. But their catalogue says the hard channel is for '65 to '68. Hmm?

Anybody out there with some experience with this? I know this is all incredibly unglamorous stuff but making my car water tight is the last thing standing between me and being able to finally drive my 911 with it's brand spankingly newly rebuilt MFI and throttle bodies. This will be the first time this thing has run properly since I've owned it!

I hope one of you might be able to clarify some of this for. Thanks for the help.


P.S. The weather trully sucks around here at the moment.

[304065]

Facing the same problem-- the old seal is felt and wire, the new one has a rubber lip that extends toward the center of the car

911 531 951 01 is the part number.

Kind of makes it hard to fit the door top on but I haven't fitted the panel yet, maybe that makes a difference.

[Neil '67 911S]

This has been a problem that I've been aware of for over 20 years. I've posed this same question to the list before but it would seem that those with many years of professional restoration experience keep mum about this for personal reasons.

The folks at Stoddard will tell you there's nothing wrong with their rigid, $50 a pop channel, two pieces per door and that they've been doing it this way for years. I too have found the soft stuff too sloppy: rigid in the back. soft in the front. Two pieces of rigid front and back result in the window being way too tight. The Factory parts catalog shows different parts numbers between the front and rear. Top piece is the same as the back. Stoddard only sells the top/back piece.

As you probably noticed in the original door frame channel, the rigid front piece is a shallower U than the rear/top piece, henced the different part number. For $13 apiece, you can get a shallow channel for the front from NLA. It's a VW part. Still, with "only" $113 worth of rigid channel per door, the winder still feels like it's about to break when winding the window up.

I've decided that the next move is to pull the channel, front and back and run them on a belt sander to thin out the backing.

One more hint: there are L brackets with screws that connect the vertical window frame with the top window frame. Cutting the rigid channel on an angle isn't enough. You have to cut out the bottom of the U to account for the brackets, otherwise the channel will stick out.

Bon chance!

[edmayo]

If memory serves me, (and often it doesn't) cars of the 71 -72 era (may have started with the 69 window frame change) use the soft seal all around, the last older one I did (66) I'm sure I used the rigid on the front channel, and the soft on the top and rear channel. I'm about to do my own 67 shortly so I'll have to figure this out again. (by the way the 66 windows rolled up and down quite easily)

[304065]

Thank you gentlemen- the issue you describe is a real one-- I decided to use the original window channel, it's in pretty good shape and I can dye the fabric black to make it even better.

What I was actually referring to is the window channel that touches the glass that mounts horizontally on the top of the door-- it's a U-shaped piece that is actually attached to the door panel. The modern part has a felt portion that touches the window itself, and then a rubber lip that extends about 1/4" toward the center of the car. The original U-shaped channel doesn't have that lip.

Here is a photo of what I am trying to describe with 1000 words

[edmayo]

A.T. I just realized that you're dealing with a 69 car, for those window frames (which were the same, other than plating) for many years. Those frames should use the soft window channels all around. Is this what you're having trouble installing?

[merbesfield]

Thank you gentlemen- the issue you describe is a real one-- I decided to use the original window channel, it's in pretty good shape and I can dye the fabric black to make it even better.

What I was actually referring to is the window channel that touches the glass that mounts horizontally on the top of the door-- it's a U-shaped piece that is actually attached to the door panel. The modern part has a felt portion that touches the window itself, and then a rubber lip that extends about 1/4" toward the center of the car. The original U-shaped channel doesn't have that lip.

Here is a photo of what I am trying to describe with 1000 words

I am bringing this back. 304065, can you pls repost the pic of the rubber you used for the top inside edge of the door. The pieces on my car are not correct, maybe later versions? As you have described, they come into the car towards the center and prevent the cap from seating as nice as it should. How did u solve this?

[merbesfield]

Here is the pic of piece of rubber with felt that is on inside top edge of my door. Is it correct? It does not extend down past qtr window and there is a gap the last 8 inches or so. What should be there? The parts manual is not very clear. It looks like it would be either part no. 901-531-935-20 L or or 936-20 R. Or 901-531-937-20 L or 938-20 R. Stoddard was no help. They did not have either nor knew which I needed.

EDIT, I did not mean to make it sound like Stoddard was not helpful, they were, but they were not able to solve answer the question nor supply the needed part. They tried, but no luck.

[ptrsbtrs]

Hi Guys, whatever happened with this thread? Did the problem get resolved?
Does anyone know where I can find the proper channels for an early car?
Thanks. Peter

[merbesfield]

Hi Guys, whatever happened with this thread? Did the problem get resolved?
Does anyone know where I can find the proper channels for an early car?
Thanks. Peter

No one has responded and the problem continues. Stoddard was zero help. My problem was exactly as others have described. Inner piece against glass has lip that prevent door cap from seating easily. I made it work, but not nice. My windows also are hard to wind up and down. Sort of binding and we can find no obstructions, just hard to wind. Frustrating!