FRAMING JOHN DELOREAN - ON VOD www.framingjohndeloreanfilm.com
Page 3 of 3 FirstFirst 1 2 3
Results 21 to 29 of 29

Thread: Inner Door Seal

  1. #21
    Senior Member DMC-81's Avatar
    Join Date:  Apr 2014

    Location:  Florida

    Posts:    2,371

    My VIN:    <2000

    Club(s):   (DCF)

    Quote Originally Posted by Delorean Industries View Post
    This wear issue requires either door adjustment or contouring of the fiberglass body to assist with seal fitment along some of doors tighter points.
    Not necessarily true, at least not in my case.

    -------------

    I had the exact same wear pattern, both with the original seals, and with new, pre-2016 design seals. The bulb on both seals hung up at the same corner of the windshield and the corner where the roof section begins at the rear. (2 spots on each door, left front, left rear, right front, and right rear).

    Because I had enough of door issues, I decided to try the newly designed seals, and was prepared to do this contouring at the same time. I removed both seals and tried opening and shutting the doors. They worked awesome. No alignment issues, even on my early doors. I then did about a millimeter on one of the 4 spots (right rear), thinking that this was necessary, then decided to install the newly designed seals and check before proceeding any further.

    Lo and behold, the seals cleared the door frame in these 4 trouble spots and of course, elsewhere. This is because the bulb sits properly upright enough to give clearance, not angled towards the door frame. I carefully inspected all 4 areas while slowly closing the door to ensure there was no hanging up issues. There weren't, and I didn't have to do the contouring where I did, because there was plenty of clearance. I still did the recommended silicone application and letting the car sit in the sun for a few hours after installation.

    Afterward, my doors shut beautifully, for the first time since owning the car. No slamming, no door stuck shut, no broken door latches, no need to constantly reapply silicone. Just 2 doors that close gently with one hand, and no bulb wear apparent in these 4 areas after a year.

    Now, I'm not suggesting that new DMC seals will cure all misalignment issues with our doors, but these seals solved my issues.

    I would suggest removing the seals and testing the doors operation to determine if you need this contouring procedure done. Then, properly install new design seals and carefully inspect these 4 areas for clearance. Finally, if necessary, remove the seals and do the surgery.
    Dana

    1981 DeLorean DMC-12 (5 Speed, Gas Flap, Black Interior, Windshield Antenna, Dark Gray)
    Restored as "mostly correct, but with flaws corrected". Pictures and comments of my restoration are in the albums section on my profile.
    1985 Chevrolet Corvette, Z51, 4+3 manual
    2006 Dodge Magnum R/T (D/D)
    2010 Camaro SS (Transformers Edition)

  2. #22
    Senior Member SoCalDMC12's Avatar
    Join Date:  Jun 2011

    Location:  Los Angeles, CA

    Posts:    482

    My VIN:    10718

    Club(s):   (DOA) (DCUK)

    Quote Originally Posted by DMC-81 View Post
    Yes, that is a bummer. These "new" seals were the pre-2016 design, correct?
    Correct. Just got around to installing one on the driver's door this year. The seal on the passenger door still looks pretty new... been on there since I've had the car (13 yrs.) -- I presume it's original.

  3. #23
    Senior Member SoCalDMC12's Avatar
    Join Date:  Jun 2011

    Location:  Los Angeles, CA

    Posts:    482

    My VIN:    10718

    Club(s):   (DOA) (DCUK)

    Quote Originally Posted by DMC-81 View Post
    Not necessarily true, at least not in my case.

    -------------

    I had the exact same wear pattern, both with the original seals, and with new, pre-2016 design seals. The bulb on both seals hung up at the same corner of the windshield and the corner where the roof section begins at the rear. (2 spots on each door, left front, left rear, right front, and right rear).

    Because I had enough of door issues, I decided to try the newly designed seals, and was prepared to do this contouring at the same time. I removed both seals and tried opening and shutting the doors. They worked awesome. No alignment issues, even on my early doors. I then did about a millimeter on one of the 4 spots (right rear), thinking that this was necessary, then decided to install the newly designed seals and check before proceeding any further.

    Lo and behold, the seals cleared the door frame in these 4 trouble spots and of course, elsewhere. This is because the bulb sits properly upright enough to give clearance, not angled towards the door frame. I carefully inspected all 4 areas while slowly closing the door to ensure there was no hanging up issues. There weren't, and I didn't have to do the contouring where I did, because there was plenty of clearance. I still did the recommended silicone application and letting the car sit in the sun for a few hours after installation.

    Afterward, my doors shut beautifully, for the first time since owning the car. No slamming, no door stuck shut, no broken door latches, no need to constantly reapply silicone. Just 2 doors that close gently with one hand, and no bulb wear apparent in these 4 areas after a year.

    Now, I'm not suggesting that new DMC seals will cure all misalignment issues with our doors, but these seals solved my issues.

    I would suggest removing the seals and testing the doors operation to determine if you need this contouring procedure done. Then, properly install new design seals and carefully inspect these 4 areas for clearance. Finally, if necessary, remove the seals and do the surgery.
    Well... something just rose to the top of my weekend "to do" list! Thanks for the info!

    Quote Originally Posted by Delorean Industries View Post
    This wear issue requires either door adjustment or contouring of the fiberglass body to assist with seal fitment along some of doors tighter points.
    Hopefully it won't come to this!

  4. #24
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  May 2011

    Location:  Burnsville MN-Moving to Kalispell MT. in June 20111

    Posts:    886

    My VIN:    2691

    door gasket

    I've heard a 1984 Ford Granada trunk gasket works well...

  5. #25
    EFI'd dn010's Avatar
    Join Date:  Jul 2011

    Location:  Florida: Pinellas County

    Posts:    2,096

    My VIN:    5003 Never placed Concourse

    Club(s):   (DCF)

    I replaced my seals maybe a year or two ago and they're already ripped as well. Not only that, my doors do not open or close easy with them compared to closing the doors with the seals removed but the biggest thing is they still don't leak a single drop! which is why I have left them installed even though they look rough in spots.

    I'm sorry if you mentioned it and I missed it, but are you referring to DMCH new seals? I wouldn't mind trying different inner seals but I'm a little nervous about going to seals with a smaller bulb that could possibly leak again.



    Quote Originally Posted by DMC-81 View Post
    Not necessarily true, at least not in my case.

    -------------

    I had the exact same wear pattern, both with the original seals, and with new, pre-2016 design seals. The bulb on both seals hung up at the same corner of the windshield and the corner where the roof section begins at the rear. (2 spots on each door, left front, left rear, right front, and right rear).

    Because I had enough of door issues, I decided to try the newly designed seals, and was prepared to do this contouring at the same time. I removed both seals and tried opening and shutting the doors. They worked awesome. No alignment issues, even on my early doors. I then did about a millimeter on one of the 4 spots (right rear), thinking that this was necessary, then decided to install the newly designed seals and check before proceeding any further.

    Lo and behold, the seals cleared the door frame in these 4 trouble spots and of course, elsewhere. This is because the bulb sits properly upright enough to give clearance, not angled towards the door frame. I carefully inspected all 4 areas while slowly closing the door to ensure there was no hanging up issues. There weren't, and I didn't have to do the contouring where I did, because there was plenty of clearance. I still did the recommended silicone application and letting the car sit in the sun for a few hours after installation.

    Afterward, my doors shut beautifully, for the first time since owning the car. No slamming, no door stuck shut, no broken door latches, no need to constantly reapply silicone. Just 2 doors that close gently with one hand, and no bulb wear apparent in these 4 areas after a year.

    Now, I'm not suggesting that new DMC seals will cure all misalignment issues with our doors, but these seals solved my issues.

    I would suggest removing the seals and testing the doors operation to determine if you need this contouring procedure done. Then, properly install new design seals and carefully inspect these 4 areas for clearance. Finally, if necessary, remove the seals and do the surgery.
    -----Dan B.

  6. #26
    Senior Member DMC-81's Avatar
    Join Date:  Apr 2014

    Location:  Florida

    Posts:    2,371

    My VIN:    <2000

    Club(s):   (DCF)

    Quote Originally Posted by SoCalDMC12 View Post
    Well... something just rose to the top of my weekend "to do" list! Thanks for the info!
    You are welcome. Interestingly, I was fortunate enough to get a personal tutorial of the installation procedure for these seals from Stephen Wynne while he was visiting DMCFL last year. Let me know if you have any questions. I'm happy to help as best I can.

    Quote Originally Posted by dn010 View Post
    I replaced my seals maybe a year or two ago and they're already ripped as well. Not only that, my doors do not open or close easy with them compared to closing the doors with the seals removed but the biggest thing is they still don't leak a single drop! which is why I have left them installed even though they look rough in spots.
    Yes, I was right there with you with the pre-2016 design seals. The doors didn't leak, but closed hard, got stuck if I didn't keep them lubed, and eventually tore. I even broke a plastic exterior door handle one time when I was in a hurry.

    Quote Originally Posted by dn010 View Post
    I'm sorry if you mentioned it and I missed it, but are you referring to DMCH new seals? I wouldn't mind trying different inner seals but I'm a little nervous about going to seals with a smaller bulb that could possibly leak again.
    Yes, I'm referring to the newly redesigned (after 2016) DMCH inner door seals. You can read about them here:
    http://support.delorean.com/news/21/...oor-seals.aspx

    See post 3, 6, and especially 7 in this thread for pictures of them. As for leaks, I accidentally had the chance to test them this summer when I got caught in a torrential Florida downpour while at a store (normally, the car never gets wet)..... the car never leaked a drop. Your mileage may vary, but switching to these seals didn't make my car prone to leaking.
    Dana

    1981 DeLorean DMC-12 (5 Speed, Gas Flap, Black Interior, Windshield Antenna, Dark Gray)
    Restored as "mostly correct, but with flaws corrected". Pictures and comments of my restoration are in the albums section on my profile.
    1985 Chevrolet Corvette, Z51, 4+3 manual
    2006 Dodge Magnum R/T (D/D)
    2010 Camaro SS (Transformers Edition)

  7. #27
    Senior Member Rich's Avatar
    Join Date:  May 2011

    Location:  San Francisco Bay Area, Calif.

    Posts:    2,072

    My VIN:    0934

    Club(s):   (NCDMC) (DCUK)

    Quote Originally Posted by SoCalDMC12 View Post
    Well this is a bummer. When I installed the new door seal a few weeks ago, I sprayed it down with silicone, as some suggested. But it's already damaged. :-(
    That's very unfortunate.

    I can't quite tell from your photo of the torn seal.....do you have the seal installed with the "fat side" of the bulb profile toward the door or toward the frame? You can see in the photo in Post #7 that the latest DMCH seal is asymmetric in profile. The bulb sticks out toward one side ("fat side?") and not very much on the other.

    Mine are installed with the fat side toward the frame. Trouble-free after 1 year...

    Installing them the other way around - fat side toward door opening - puts a bit more of the seal profile in the path of the inner edge of the door profile at the top of the A-pillar where it needs to clear the seal. If the door rubs too much on the seal and grabs it on its way past then it will eventually tear it.

    You might give yours a look to check - on both doors.
    Last edited by Rich; 10-10-2018 at 08:36 PM.
    March '81, 5-speed, black interior

  8. #28
    Senior Member DMC-81's Avatar
    Join Date:  Apr 2014

    Location:  Florida

    Posts:    2,371

    My VIN:    <2000

    Club(s):   (DCF)

    Quote Originally Posted by Rich View Post
    That's very unfortunate.

    I can't quite tell from your photo of the torn seal.....do you have the seal installed with the "fat side" of the bulb profile toward the door or toward the frame? You can see in the photo in Post #7 that the latest DMCH seal is asymmetric in profile. The bulb sticks out toward one side ("fat side?") and not very much on the other.

    Mine are installed with the fat side toward the frame. Trouble-free after 1 year...

    Installing them the other way around - fat side toward door opening - puts a bit more of the seal profile in the path of the inner edge of the door profile at the top of the A-pillar where it needs to clear the seal. If the door rubs too much on the seal and grabs it on its way past then it will eventually tear it.

    You might give yours a look to check - on both doors.

    +1. Correct. Described another way, both versions of seals need to be installed with the "wipe" portion (the part that is torn in the OP's photo) pointed away from the door/opening. Here's a close up of mine if it helps:
    image.jpg

    I think they are installed right., but again, definitely something to check.

    Rich, I don't know if you caught this, but the OPs "new" seals are pre-2016 redesign seals that he had for a few years.

    Also, I was advised not to try to bunch up, or stretch the seal around the door. Start with the end that has the smaller tube pre installed and position it on the upper half by the door switches. Then, just lay the seal around the door and install it in its natural position, up the windshield section, around the roof section, and down towards the bottom section . There's extra length allowed for a custom fit. When finished, mark the end (without the smaller tube pre-installed). This end should be in the lower half by the switches. Cut the extra length, and fit them together. I allowed 1 to 2 / 8ths of an inch. Then pulled 4-6 inches of both ends off the frame again and then installed them. That way I avoided a gap, or the need to apply RTV. This way, Applying RTV is optional. Like so:
    image.jpg

    I used tin snips to cut the seal. There was only 2-4 inches leftover.

    I think if you try to make the whole length fit, the seal can tend to pop off.
    Last edited by DMC-81; 10-11-2018 at 06:12 AM.
    Dana

    1981 DeLorean DMC-12 (5 Speed, Gas Flap, Black Interior, Windshield Antenna, Dark Gray)
    Restored as "mostly correct, but with flaws corrected". Pictures and comments of my restoration are in the albums section on my profile.
    1985 Chevrolet Corvette, Z51, 4+3 manual
    2006 Dodge Magnum R/T (D/D)
    2010 Camaro SS (Transformers Edition)

  9. #29
    Senior Member SoCalDMC12's Avatar
    Join Date:  Jun 2011

    Location:  Los Angeles, CA

    Posts:    482

    My VIN:    10718

    Club(s):   (DOA) (DCUK)

    Quote Originally Posted by Rich View Post
    That's very unfortunate.

    I can't quite tell from your photo of the torn seal.....do you have the seal installed with the "fat side" of the bulb profile toward the door or toward the frame? You can see in the photo in Post #7 that the latest DMCH seal is asymmetric in profile. The bulb sticks out toward one side ("fat side?") and not very much on the other.

    Mine are installed with the fat side toward the frame. Trouble-free after 1 year...

    Installing them the other way around - fat side toward door opening - puts a bit more of the seal profile in the path of the inner edge of the door profile at the top of the A-pillar where it needs to clear the seal. If the door rubs too much on the seal and grabs it on its way past then it will eventually tear it.

    You might give yours a look to check - on both doors.
    I believe it's installed it as you described... I'll check tomorrow. Fortunately, in southern California we don't see much rain, so leaks are a concern. It's just frustrating because the reason I installed the new seal is because the old one had become tattered. I still have another seal (didn't install on the passenger side bc the original is still good), so I can replace this one again. :-P

Page 3 of 3 FirstFirst 1 2 3

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •