Hi everybody, I'm new to the forum and was wondering if anybody knows where I could find all the seals for a 1972-76 torino/montego, 77 cougar, or 77-79 ltd II wagon. I just bought a 77 Cougar Villager wagon and desperately need the seals for all four doors and tailgate. Thanks
http://www.steelerubber.com/ We also alway look first if there are seals which can be replaced by general products, there are often seals sellers at car meets etc. These are less expensive than seals specially made for your make/type.
Thanks meulmani, I did check steelerubber and unfortunately don't have anything for the car, huge bummer.
I see they do have molded kits so I will be giving them a call on Monday to see if I can find anything! Heck, I'm sure I could modify LTD/Country Squire seals too, if only I could find anything. Thanks again
I searched Ebay until I finally found an NOS Torino tailgate weather strip that was reasonably priced. You might wanna try them occasionally.
Just called the cliphouse and had no luck on weather stripping. Also called 3 junk yards that listed glass for the car and turns out that's all they have left, no cars. I can see this is going to be an extremely stressful car to own.
Another suggestion is Craigslist. You may not find NOS weatherstripping there, but you may find a used car that is being parted out with not new, but still pliable door weatherstripping. Here is a link of how I restored mine. They still have a few spots that are sun damaged, but they will have to do until I can locate some better ones. Basically I washed them gently in the bathtub with warm water and dishsoap and let them dry. I then applied generous coats of Mequire rubber and vinyl conditioner over a few weeks period. This stuff softened up the rubber and made them a lil nicer than the dried out rubber I had before. Again they are not NOS, but much better than before. http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/...8308:371075145
Thanks for the tip gdp, unfortunately, my weather stripping is much worse than yours; several rips, tears, cracks, whole sections missing, etc. I might have to do what you said and try to apply some rubber tape/thick electrical tape on the things to get them to work until I find anything.
Can't leave a good Ford wagon weeping, now can we? Here's some other options: This Brand X wagon site has an FAQ on glass and wubbers: http://www.stationwagon.com/faq.html Metro have one of the best rubber cross-sectional catalog displays with dimensions. Nip a chunk or take a picture and print it, then scroll through. http://www.metrommp.com/ SoffSeal also have a good online layout: http://www.soffseal.com/store/main.aspx The Rev always recommends this one, and with good reason: http://www.restorationspecialties.com/products.htm This site is a bit slow to load, but it's a Classic car's and Torino Rubber haven! http://clestersauto.com/default.aspx These guys are big, but they can give you dealers info: http://www.fairchildind.com/ Finally, I needed one for mine, and on a walktrough in a junkyard, I found an old 1980's Ford Aerostar van with the 2 rear door setup at the back end. Perfect fit! Since yours is probably a roll-down window, you'll need the side guides. Well, guess what? Your wife will know, most likely, about Velcro. The female part is a perfect, hard backed, synthetic 'felt' that you can shape into the guides. I used it on my door glass frame guides. 4 years later, and still water tight like a duck's butt! It comes in different widths. I got the 2" width tape (you can buy the female tape by the yard at most sewing and pattern shops.) Black is the common one, but it comes in basic colors.
I was getting desperate trying to find some for my Fairmont side windows, when I was roller painting the doors. I'd taken the old ones out and found them cracked and worn out after 30 years in Mexico's heat. After checking out the junkyards, I figured I could try to fit some from a newer sedan. Too thin and the glass was thinner. I happened to grab a tool pouch with a Velcro hold-down, and then remembered seeing rigid backed velcro used to hold speaker grilles. BINGO!!! They glue them and staple them onto the backing board. Checked out a Zellers, but they didn't have the width. So I went to local fabrics and pattern store. Tada! I think it was like $3 per yard. Shaped it, after trying the net-width inserted into the door frame and made them myself (said the little red hen!) A dab of silicone on the back side and they don't roll up and down. They hug the glass. Ford's setup needed a thin polystyrene layer and then the felt on top. This did it all.
I have a question. I'm a total noob to the whole "car repair and restoration" thing, but I'm eager to learn and would like to do a lot of the work myself to keep the cost down (and so that I can say "I did this myself!"). One of the first things I need to do to the Impala is replace the door and window seals. Is this a relatively easy or not complex DIY project? I want the cabin to stay dry, and the internet says it's pretty simple. You guys seem like you have all done it. Should be a pretty easy task?
Get a tube of the weatherstrip cement. Rubber cement is ok, but the weatherstrip stuff is more forgiving - if you screw up, it won't rip the rubber skin off when you GENTLY lift it off. Secondly use a good pair of tin-snips to cut through the embedded wire 'coil' inside the door frame weather seals. Before you actually cut the final cut, make sure your corners are already tight and the glue is dry, or else you'll have a gap. IIRC, GM places the final cut, under the door sill, so you want that to be clean and rust-free. IF... you have to cut in the door frame corners, only cut on the inside face of the inner side of the weather seal, otherwise water will come in, under the seal. Also, where the seal has a hollow section, see if you've got some old vacuum hose to feed in both ends. Helps the seal to keep its alignment and shape. I saw that done on an old Ford Van's rear doors and used that on mine. Works like a charm. Use glue one end of the vacuum hose, and if your gap is snug, the other end will stay in place. You'll find most of the top vendors in the Site Link Directory: http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/local_links.php?catid=5 Hope that helps.
