60jerry
Well-Known Member
Hello good people,
I'm working on my 1963 Dodge Dart station wagon
One question involves the tailgate belt weatherstrip. I'm puzzled about where it actually goes and what the installation procedures are. The part I got from you is GG-W130. Maybe I don't need it.
The other issue.
I used the GG-132 wagon side glass weatherstrip for the rear quarter glass. Fitting that strip is interesting, to say the least. I wound up using 3 and not just the 2 needed for one wagon and I did the best I could. It takes practice. It seems to me that one would be smart to get the rear corners fitted first. Those rear corners are a pain in the butt. The angles include the curve in the glass and weird angle of the corner. The weatherstrip does not want to follow the curve of the pinch weld since I had to remove some of the material to prevent it from bunching up on the inside. I wound up getting the best fit I could and then I glued them to the flat areas on each side of the pinch weld. It kinda wants to stay, but the pressure of the bend of the rubber might overpower the Super Weatherstrip Adhesive, even after the glass is in. We'll see.
My wife and I installed the windshield and that was easy. Well, today we attempted to install a side glass and could not get the durned thing to allow the rubber to be wiggled over the glass. We could get the rubber to go over the front vertical but not the rear. Tried starting with the rear vertical but that was very difficult. Getting the rubber to go over the glass on the upper horizontal of the glass was not going to happen. I verified that the glass was fully down into the groove of the lower channel, even sliding it fore and aft to be sure. We got the front rubber to go over the glass, but it seemed like the glass was too long. Well, that can't be. So, I built a sliding measuring tool that fits into the upper and lower glass grooves to see if the weatherstrip is too thick. I don't think that's the problem. The distance is greater than the glass is wide--should fit fine. The up and down width of the glass is slightly tapered but I measured the glass width at a wider spot.
The weatherstrips, GG-W132, appear to me to be identical to the original strip. These weatherstrips are identical to original. The problem seems to be a pair of inexperienced glass installers. One windshield is not enough experience. My plan now is to take the car and glass to an auto glass shop. Betcha there isn't installer old enough who has done this particular job, but I'm shopping around now. I'm 77, by the way. Do you folks know anyone who has done this job--weatherstrip fitting and glass install? Oh, by the way, we did spray the rubber and the glass with soapy water while attempting this.
Please understand that I feel that the weatherstrip is a wonderful thing for early A body wagons. Someone could make it one-piece, but the cost would be more than any profit from selling to us wagon guys. Another piece of information is that the glass was removed to have a new headliner built and installed.
I'm just itching to drive my wagon again and I'm frustrated. It's a slant six, of course, and I modified the exhaust for dual exhaust with a pair of glass packs. Yep, it's kinda rappy if I'm in a hurry. Three-on-the-tree too.
Thanks for listening to me.
Jerry in Denver
I'm working on my 1963 Dodge Dart station wagon
One question involves the tailgate belt weatherstrip. I'm puzzled about where it actually goes and what the installation procedures are. The part I got from you is GG-W130. Maybe I don't need it.
The other issue.
I used the GG-132 wagon side glass weatherstrip for the rear quarter glass. Fitting that strip is interesting, to say the least. I wound up using 3 and not just the 2 needed for one wagon and I did the best I could. It takes practice. It seems to me that one would be smart to get the rear corners fitted first. Those rear corners are a pain in the butt. The angles include the curve in the glass and weird angle of the corner. The weatherstrip does not want to follow the curve of the pinch weld since I had to remove some of the material to prevent it from bunching up on the inside. I wound up getting the best fit I could and then I glued them to the flat areas on each side of the pinch weld. It kinda wants to stay, but the pressure of the bend of the rubber might overpower the Super Weatherstrip Adhesive, even after the glass is in. We'll see.
My wife and I installed the windshield and that was easy. Well, today we attempted to install a side glass and could not get the durned thing to allow the rubber to be wiggled over the glass. We could get the rubber to go over the front vertical but not the rear. Tried starting with the rear vertical but that was very difficult. Getting the rubber to go over the glass on the upper horizontal of the glass was not going to happen. I verified that the glass was fully down into the groove of the lower channel, even sliding it fore and aft to be sure. We got the front rubber to go over the glass, but it seemed like the glass was too long. Well, that can't be. So, I built a sliding measuring tool that fits into the upper and lower glass grooves to see if the weatherstrip is too thick. I don't think that's the problem. The distance is greater than the glass is wide--should fit fine. The up and down width of the glass is slightly tapered but I measured the glass width at a wider spot.
The weatherstrips, GG-W132, appear to me to be identical to the original strip. These weatherstrips are identical to original. The problem seems to be a pair of inexperienced glass installers. One windshield is not enough experience. My plan now is to take the car and glass to an auto glass shop. Betcha there isn't installer old enough who has done this particular job, but I'm shopping around now. I'm 77, by the way. Do you folks know anyone who has done this job--weatherstrip fitting and glass install? Oh, by the way, we did spray the rubber and the glass with soapy water while attempting this.
Please understand that I feel that the weatherstrip is a wonderful thing for early A body wagons. Someone could make it one-piece, but the cost would be more than any profit from selling to us wagon guys. Another piece of information is that the glass was removed to have a new headliner built and installed.
I'm just itching to drive my wagon again and I'm frustrated. It's a slant six, of course, and I modified the exhaust for dual exhaust with a pair of glass packs. Yep, it's kinda rappy if I'm in a hurry. Three-on-the-tree too.
Thanks for listening to me.
Jerry in Denver
