Replacing window felt/ weather stripping?

[dx379]

Guys,

I have serious weather stripping issues on my 74. When replacing the felt that surrounds the window, what is the easiest way to do it? Do you remove the window entirely? Remove door skin?

If so, how do you remove them?

Thanks,
Jonny

 

[Shark56]

If your just doing the felt just pull the top window frame off. I did the window squeegee also so I pulled my window out. Much easier to pop out the clips and put them back in with the window out.
Therre is a thread somewhere with pictures.

 

[Shark56]

Just re-read your post. Do you have the 74 older style doors or the newer with the vynl panel.

 

[Duke]

I just did mine this summer on my 78 FJ40. I'm no expert but it was very easy in my opionion.

I first removed the door hardware along with with the window crank. Pulled off the panel and then cranked the window all the way down. I pried the old felts off on the bottom channel first, slowly as there are tiny clips attached to the felt runner. Once I had both the inner and outer lower felts out I pulled out the upper channel that goes all the way around the sides and top of the window. This will come out in one piece.

The PO had put clear silicone around the entire area so I had to clean that out first before installing the new felts. AFAIK you don't need the caulking although in a wet climate it might help keeping the doors from taking on a lot of water in the rain. Good time also to clean out the bottom of your doors so they drain properly. Mine had a lot of loose change in the drain holes so I cleared them and started to install the new felts.

I started with the upper channel that covers both sides and the top. Use a rubber mallet to gently tap it into place. It should go in with minimal resistance. Then while the window is still down start installing the lower felts one side at a time. Take your time and use a small screwdriver to align the small retainer clips on the new felt into the corresponding holes. I nudged a few stubborn ones in with a 2" plastic putty knife. Worked like a charm. Did the other side the same way. For me I did the inside first and the outside last. Each door took about 20-30 minutes to complete the removal and install....but I'm slow and cautious.

Roll up your window to check the seating and away you go. Fits like a sock. Replace your panel and hardware and your done. In my case I also placed sound deadner in the door and sealed up the opening/access to the window crank before I replaced my door panels. Really quieted things down and the doors have a solid thud to them when they close now.

All this was done with the door hanging on the truck. Good luck.....hope this helps!

 

[bikersmurf]

If your just doing the felt just pull the top window frame off. I did the window squeegee also so I pulled my window out. Much easier to pop out the clips and put them back in with the window out.
Therre is a thread somewhere with pictures.

x2 if the doors are 74. The felt runs to the bottom of the rail, and it all comes out.

 

[dx379]

Therre is a thread somewhere with pictures.

I looked around and didn't find anything with pictures. By chance do you remember search terms or anything that might help? Thank you sir...

Just re-read your post. Do you have the 74 older style doors or the newer with the vynl panel.

I have the older

I just did mine this summer on my 78 FJ40. I'm no expert but it was very easy in my opionion.

I first removed the door hardware along with with the window crank. Pulled off the panel and then cranked the window all the way down. I pried the old felts off on the bottom channel first, slowly as there are tiny clips attached to the felt runner. Once I had both the inner and outer lower felts out I pulled out the upper channel that goes all the way around the sides and top of the window. This will come out in one piece.

The PO had put clear silicone around the entire area so I had to clean that out first before installing the new felts. AFAIK you don't need the caulking although in a wet climate it might help keeping the doors from taking on a lot of water in the rain. Good time also to clean out the bottom of your doors so they drain properly. Mine had a lot of loose change in the drain holes so I cleared them and started to install the new felts.

I started with the upper channel that covers both sides and the top. Use a rubber mallet to gently tap it into place. It should go in with minimal resistance. Then while the window is still down start installing the lower felts one side at a time. Take your time and use a small screwdriver to align the small retainer clips on the new felt into the corresponding holes. I nudged a few stubborn ones in with a 2" plastic putty knife. Worked like a charm. Did the other side the same way. For me I did the inside first and the outside last. Each door took about 20-30 minutes to complete the removal and install....but I'm slow and cautious.

Roll up your window to check the seating and away you go. Fits like a sock. Replace your panel and hardware and your done. In my case I also placed sound deadner in the door and sealed up the opening/access to the window crank before I replaced my door panels. Really quieted things down and the doors have a solid thud to them when they close now.

All this was done with the door hanging on the truck. Good luck.....hope this helps!

This is very helpful - thank you

x2 if the doors are 74. The felt runs to the bottom of the rail, and it all comes out.

By chance do you have any pictures or know where I can find one? I am very new to this whole thing so am learning as I go...

Thank you everyone for your input - greatly appreciated

 

[Fast Eddy]

I've been dreading this job, and hating my rattly doors for five years...

 

[Snatchman]

I got one side of mine done fairly easily. The other side seems to be welded thanks I guess to a prior owner. I don't know how I will get that undone.

 

[DSRTRDR]

I've been dreading this job, and hating my rattly doors for five years...

it really isn't that hard to do

best if you have a surface to lay the door on

 

[pavieSD]

I looked around and didn't find anything with pictures. By chance do you remember search terms or anything that might help? Thank you sir...

I used this thread by LostMarbles when restoring my drive side door.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/370889-tackling-doors.html

Worked out well even though I have 1970 doors. They are actually are even more simple then the doors pictured. The only thing I wished I could do over, is that I didn't order new tab pins for the window squeegee and felt strip and instead just re-used my original ones. They are a bit rusty, so I'm thinking it might be good to order up some stainless ones and redo at some point.

I just didn't have them on hand, and didn't feel like waiting for a mail order to get to my place while the door was off. Here's what the clips look like and you'll need 24 of them if you redo both front doors:

 

[apeterson]

at the end of my build thread I have them taken apart on my 74 you will see how they work after you have them apart

 

[apeterson]

here is one

 

[Rockets2000]

I'm going to be doing this soon, in addition to the rear door weatherstripping on my '72. I'll post pics.

 

[cuencanolenny]

So today I tackled the doors on my 1970. I'm using products procured from CoolCruisers. The factory window seal is a rubber type of channel and the replacements are an aluminum channel with the felt on the inside of the track. I lowered the window all the way and then after removing the six hex head bolts lifted the upper half of the door off and then removed the glass after removing the screws for the window regulator. I have read comments about removing two 10mm head bolts attaching the guide to the window but in my case the guide is welded to the glass channel and only requires raising the glass and sliding the roller of the regulator out of the channel. With that out it is pretty straightforward for removing the door handles inside and outside. The more awkward part was the clip holding the door lock in place. It was installed from the bottom up. Once that was out I was able to peer down inside the door and saw that I have no rust issues, what a relief. I looked closely at the upper door half and noted that the channel at the rear of the window/door were bowed and twisted. I slid a piece of rebar down into the channel to sort of keep it from collapsing while I twisted and bent and worked both channels until they were pretty close to parallel and straight. I also used the pliers to adjust any bent flanges on the channel. I cleaned everything, I will not be painting for a year or two, and then started re-assembly. At the end of the day what I am faced with are the lack of the clips that hold the squeegee piece to the outside of the window in the door flange. The stuff I removed was glued on. I am thinking that I will try and find plastic push rivets. I can see no reason why they won't work and at $4.00 each plus shipping to Ecuador I think they are worth a try anyway, that is if I can find them here. I installed the new door lock (which I had re-keyed to match the ignition, same for the rear lift door lock cylinder) but this time I looked to see if the clip would clear the outside door handle if installed from the top, and it does. On my dry run when I installed the upper half of the door the channel knocked the clip off. So I assembled by sticking the regulator in the hole and then grabbing the window and sliding it down into the slot. I had installed the inside felt as it comes with molded in push rivets. I was able to jockey the window/regulator until I could put the roller into the channel and then I just manipulated the handle until the screws lined up. While the screws are the correct thread they really need to have a larger head as they aren't much bigger than the holes in the regulator and the supplied star washers just sort of keep the screw heads from going through. I didn't use them except at the lower rear corner (left door) as the screw is long enough to interfere with the regulator arm. So then I installed the three channels into the upper door half, top piece first and then the front and rear sides. I then installed the upper half starting with a window that was all the way down. Once the upper half was started in all three places in the door I worked the window up into the channel. Then it was just a matter of installing the screws in the regulator and the inside and outside door handles. The vent window weatherstrip is another animal all together. The factory unit is no longer available and so I bought the pair of aftermarket units. Be sure to have a sharp knife and scissors at the ready, most especially for the aft edge of the weatherstrip. There is a blade molded into the material that was no problem upper, lower and forward, however, there is no way that much rubber is going into the rear channel. So slice it off flush with the back edge of the main body of the weatherstrip. No glue is necessary, it fits snugly into the channel, but it is a bear to install. Soapy water helps (I used Windex) and you can work about an inch at a time. There is an issue I didn't see until after I finally got the thing in and re-installed the vent window. It won't work. I took the whole thing back out and then looked at the right side with its original but dry rotted weatherstrip. There is a gap cut out at the top hinge. I think if I make that modification it may work. I say may because it is not clear. I know that for my door anyway the hole in the bottom of the weatherstrip is not in the right place for the lower pivot pin. This is an issue as the material is molded so that the motion of the window allows for opening into free air and then closing to create a seal. Since the hole is in the wrong place, so is the shape for inside/outside sealing.

 

[35snmud]

I used this thread by LostMarbles when restoring my drive side door.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/370889-tackling-doors.html

Worked out well even though I have 1970 doors. They are actually are even more simple then the doors pictured. The only thing I wished I could do over, is that I didn't order new tab pins for the window squeegee and felt strip and instead just re-used my original ones. They are a bit rusty, so I'm thinking it might be good to order up some stainless ones and redo at some point.

I just didn't have them on hand, and didn't feel like waiting for a mail order to get to my place while the door was off. Here's what the clips look like and you'll need 24 of them if you redo both front doors:

When I replaced all of the soft goods in the doors on my 64, I bought some of these clips from $OR. As much as they charged I figured they were gold plated Not only were they expensive but they seem a tad on the short side. Half of them won't stay in. So now if I roll the window down all the way they pop out and jam the window. Looking for a better alternative. I'm thinking some of the universal plastic ones will work better.

Just a heads up.

 

[FJmoneypit]

I just did a set of early doors for my 76. I sourced all my parts from lowes Toyota. Was surprised they could get everything except the rubber for around the vent windows. Also replaced the weather strips around the doors at the same time.
Big improvement and not that hard.

John

 

[cuencanolenny]

I put weatherstrip on the drivers door this afternoon. This is CoolCruiser "CCOT Best" weatherstrip and I was pleased with the quality of the product and of course the supplied 3M adhesive. I "jockeyed" the placement of the weatherstrip to reflect door fit conditions. As someone else noted somewhere, "these ain't Porsches." I feel I will have to do this again in a year when I have the body removed for painting. At that time I believe the roof, windshield and doors can be better fit to each other prior to final prep and paint. The right side vent window weatherstrip (CruiserCorps) which is aftermarket, fit MUCH better than the left side which is just horrible. Very little trimming required on the right side and it did not have to be cut to fit the inside opening. Also the right side had a square corner at the lower/aft as opposed to the left side which had a large radius at that corner and a squarish (small radius) at the lower front where it should have been the larger radius. This results in a gap at the glass. Just atrocious and renders the vent window inoperable as it would take five to ten minutes to close and semi-reseal. So the right side is great and the left side sucks. This is NOT a problem of CruiserCorps, this is a problem with the design and fabrication of the mold for the material which should have been an opposite of the right and is far from it. The CoolCruiser window channel is excellent and actually makes the upper door better than the OEM rubber material as these window channels are an aluminum extrusion and so add some stiffness. I installed the squeegee strips with plastic push rivets. Worked great and cost $.20 each. The felt inner side from CCOT has built in push rivets and they worked fine as well. I also used the aftermarket window regulators and paddle handles from CCOT and am pleased with how well everything works. I would like to find a larger headed screw for the window regulators though. The screw thread is correct but the head is pretty small and only slightly larger than the countersink in the regulator attach holes. The supplied star washers are a waste of time in my opinion. The screws for the paddle handles were perfect. Having seen another post where a fellow installed a door lock on the right side I believe I will incorporate that in the near future as well. Having the locks re-keyed was a piece of cake and cheap so that the ignition key opens everything. Next up is the right door and then the three doors in the back. I will remove the lift door as it would be a nightmare trying to fit the weatherstrip upside down.

 

[cuencanolenny]

Fast forward to October and I have egg all over my face. I installed the left vent window gasket backwards. saw this in August and knowing that I was traveling to the USA for my daughter's wedding I figured I would eat the $50 mistake and get another gasket. I installed it today, correctly, and it went in just as easy as the right side and so now the vent window is back in place. I still need to rebuild the vent window handles but that will wait awhile and I'm not sure those parts are available anyway. There should be a plate that slips into window channel so that the handle slides on it instead of paint.

 

[Greg Miller]

I am currently fighting installing "felt" stripping on both doors. Channels are clear and it has been a struggle to get the sor kit to work down the channel. I've used soapy water and the window is in the door. Any secret to doing this??

 

[Living in the Past]

I replaced the window felt on my 68 back in the mid seventies. At that time the original style felt was still available. I only removed the inspection on the door panel and that was just to remove the old felt. Once removed I feed the felt down the track as far as I could until it wouldn't go anymore. At that point I rolled the window up while I held the felt in place. Then I would slide the felt down as I rolled the window down. Took a while but was able to work it all the way in. On the top I just pulled the old felt out and popped the new one in. Have all the weatherstripping still available for my 70. The window is no longer felt but rubber. Not sure how well this will slide down the window track. Guessing some kind of lube will help.