Door seal improvement

I'm not sure if this post goes here or in DIY trim section, but my car is a Superformance.

I've had a problem getting the doors sealed up from water, especially when washing the car. I bought a different EPT extrusion profile this weekend at the Charlotte car show. This one has a bulb and not a lip seal. The internal ribs on the spring reinforced U profile only shows one pair and not the twin pair of internal rubber as SP uses, but it fits tight to the door raw edge. The bulb is .59 diameter in the catalog and I measured about .600 wide on the piece I have. I used just under 9 feet per side and that does not include the bottom sill seal. There I used the 31 1/2 inch piece of the .75 inch bulb trim. The 'round' bulb is less likley to deform from air forces than the lip design.

The company I bought from is Restoration Specialties & Supply (814-467-9842) in Windber PA. The attached link has a copy of their 2009 catalog. See page 108, item number BZ 617. The cost is nominal for 25 feet. I think they buy it in 200 foot rolls. On my car, the larger seal (.75) fills the gap along the lower door sill better than the small.

After removal of the OE seal and install of the bulb seal, I wiped the seal with silicone to help closure of the door at the top under the roof eyebrow (?). The door was tighter to close, but you can tell it is sealed now. I haven't tried the water test yet, however I don't see daylight when I look over and above my left shoulder.

I also made a 1" thick foam block with PSA that fits at the base of both of the 'A' pillars at the door sill to block and reroute water from the front of the car and tray that the brake and clutch caps sit in on the left side of the car. The water would enter at the juncture of the 'A' pillar and sill and then onto the floor if a heavy rain occurred.


I hope this may help you be creative if you have this problem and don't like sitting in wet seats. Grady


THE link
Restoration Specialties & Supply, Inc.

Did it do away with any air noise Grady?

Would appreciate knowing how the seals work with water.

The block you fabricated is now standard on the SPFs. All three chassis I have (P2269, 2270, 2271) have it and it will direct water away from the interior.

I am currently prepping P2271 and am on a "water leak hunt". I will document what I do and post the photos here. I do not pretend that I have all the answers or that it will be bone dry, but I think we take a bite out of the issue.

Dave at Restoration Supply is an old business contact of mine has been active in SEMA so I suggest supporting him.

Rick, good luck please keep use all posted on the results and how to, I will follow every word advice.

P2164 said:

Rick, good luck please keep use all posted on the results and how to, I will follow every word advice.

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Uh, guys, you give me too much credit!

I will post a thread on what I am doing and ask all other SPF GT owners to add their fixes also. Between all of us, we should be able to put a BIG dent in the issue.

P2164 said:

Did it do away with any air noise Grady?

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Jack
I really didn't have that much air noise. Even with that 427 FE in the back it isn't bad. My rear glass is the 3/8" or so thick machined material. It is my understanding that the FI engines with the 8 short stacks make much more 'air' noise from the air being accelerated as passes through the 8 intakes as opposed to the 4 barrel intake.

MarkIV- The search for water invasion seems to be ongoing. I started with Steve Cs suggestion and used a drop light up front then moved inside to see where it shines there. My worst opening was the area around the steering gearbox (several sq. in.). More places for water/air entry were around a few hoses where the grommet had fallen off; grommets where the hose distorted and caused opening in the grommet; and generally places where you could see light (screw holes). While most holes may not leak water, they will leak AIR. You may find the caplugs loose or missing where you can tighten the fuel tank hoses on the A door pillar. Water entry there goes straight into the floor at your feet. Check the two plates for light entry from the tray below the wiper and brake/clutch caps. It will also hold some water.

I think a positive air pressure inside will also help any problems of infiltration.

The easy fix for the roof air vent is to close it off.

It took a few months to get the MKIIIs sealed. Just stay with it. Like I was told at Charlotte, most drivers don't drive the 40 in the rain. I have had mine in downpours where interstate drivers were pulling over. Rain-x and wax is great stuff to shed the water if moving.

FYI, I make over 3,000 rubber parts for CAT, so if you need ask about different rubber, adhesive, PSA (pressure sensitive adhesive-film), or general questions please ask. I can't tell you about the secret sauce in floroelastomer though. More to come
Grady

Mark IV said:

Uh, guys, you give me too much credit!

I will post a thread on what I am doing and ask all other SPF GT owners to add their fixes also. Between all of us, we should be able to put a BIG dent in the issue.

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I concur. Guys like me with early cars are playing "catch-up" on all these updates. I really wish we could consolidate all the factory service bulletins and collective "tweek experience" in some handy, easy to navigate resource.

SwiftDB4 said:

Would appreciate knowing how the seals work with water.

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I got out the water hose and static tested the door seals with success. It should not be a problem with the car at speed as the door seals tight. I had no problems with air noise to begin with from the door seal. My toll window could be better sealed using a different foam or the hinges the Dennis O makes.

Grady:happy:

While you SPF guys have better suspensions, and likely better engines and transaxles, my CAV seems to be totally dry, even in a torrential downpour. I drove through a horrendous downpour and also some snow on my way to a charity gig hosted by Leno last winter (wanted to show him the GT40) and she was dry as a bone inside. At the front of the door opening there seems to be some kind of a secondary fiberglass baffle - in other words, a separate little bulkhead with rubber trim around it that seals against the body and seals against the door when closed.

You can get all kinds of weatherstripping - different shapes, materials, sizes, etc - from JC Whitney for quite cheap: www.jcwhitney.com

Thanks Grady for testing the door seal variation. Reading Cliff's comments on his CAV what door seal profile does he have?

Dave, there seems to be some kind of secondary bulkhead in there - I'll try to take some pics this week and post.

Grady, did the new door seals push the door up any. I'm worried about the eyebrows rubbing, in fact my passenger door does a little already. Even though my doors fit very well and I don't see it touching standing still it must push up a little at speed. I'm tempted to put felt for some other material on the bottom side of the eyebrow but I think this would make thing worse in the end. Thanks for sharing

RWoerz said:

Grady, did the new door seals push the door up any. I'm worried about the eyebrows rubbing, in fact my passenger door does a little already. Even though my doors fit very well and I don't see it touching standing still it must push up a little at speed. I'm tempted to put felt for some other material on the bottom side of the eyebrow but I think this would make thing worse in the end. Thanks for sharing

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My car has a strip of the 3M clear plastic used for stone guard chips on the front nose. The strip only goes under the eyebrow and protects the paint. There are some very light scuff marks on the plastic film surface, BUT they were there from the start. Not a big deal as the film is doing what it is suppose to do. The 3/4" bulb that runs along the lower door sill actually fills the gap that was not sealed. As I said earlier, when I look up over my left should I don't see daylight between the door and roof using the 5/8" bulb around the upper door part of the door. When I tried the 3/4" bulb around the upper door seal area, it was just to full to close the door easily.

Try some modeling clay, or clay used to clean the paint between the door and body and look (measure) at the resulting profile. A piece of plastic sandwich wrap on one side will keep the clay from sticking to both surfaces.

Grady