Topic: jeep 1.2 doors with NEW seals are too TIGHT, what to do?

[bestos]

everyone, got some halfdoors, got them refurbed and painted and got new door seals.

the seals are so big, that i can barely shut the doors, the seals at front and back (the bulky pieces) seem so big that it makes it difficult. is there a way to help SHRINK them or crush them smaller to help with fitment, i dont wanna wait 2 years while TIME does its thing on them. any options?

[VA_YJ]

What year is your jeep?  Are you sure you have the correct seals?

[bestos]

1995.  bought them from quadratec.  yes, the seals match exactly in looks, they are just beefy, probably because the original seals were close to 20 years old, these are few months. 

[Jeffy]

You might need to readjust the doors but that creates problems of it's own.  The metal behind the hinges isn't painted.

[bestos]

yes it is, since i refurbed and repainted them, that is not a concern. i will try to take a pic of them tonight and show you, why i cant move the door any more forward.  I need to move it about 1/8 to 1/4 inch more forward and I wont have a problem, BUT the new seal is kinda chunky at each end because they are new.  the seal pushes against the speaker thing and thats why i cant push it any further forward.  know what i am saying?

trying to find a way, maybe if they get COLD they will shrink a bit? heat them up in sun and make them easier to push against the door tighter, there is some gap because they havent totall conformed yet.

[Jeffy]

yes it is, since i refurbed and repainted them, that is not a concern. i will try to take a pic of them tonight and show you, why i cant move the door any more forward.  I need to move it about 1/8 to 1/4 inch more forward and I wont have a problem, BUT the new seal is kinda chunky at each end because they are new.  the seal pushes against the speaker thing and thats why i cant push it any further forward.  know what i am saying?

trying to find a way, maybe if they get COLD they will shrink a bit? heat them up in sun and make them easier to push against the door tighter, there is some gap because they havent totall conformed yet.

I bought the windshield cowl seal and it's pretty big too.  Made it a PITA to get the windshield aligned again since it was so fat.  I'm thinking the seals are a bit oversize.

[sharpxmen]

there are shims you can add on the tub side of the hinge to align the door properly, if it's too far in you'd have trouble closing it. if it's lined up and closing fine without the seal then the seal is wrong size, should close with very little effort so something is wrong there.

[Jeffy]

there are shims you can add on the tub side of the hinge to align the door properly, if it's too far in you'd have trouble closing it. if it's lined up and closing fine without the seal then the seal is wrong size, should close with very little effort so something is wrong there.

What I'm getting is the seals are oversized.  I can into the exact same thing when I replaced by cowl seal.  They are just too big.  The hinges on the door side have a backing place and the holes are about 1" dia. so there is a lot of movement you can do with the doors.  Never heard of shims for the body side.  1" is plenty as anymore then that and you end up clearing one side while rubbing on the other.

[sharpxmen]

What I'm getting is the seals are oversized.  I can into the exact same thing when I replaced by cowl seal.  They are just too big.  The hinges on the door side have a backing place and the holes are about 1" dia. so there is a lot of movement you can do with the doors.  Never heard of shims for the body side.  1" is plenty as anymore then that and you end up clearing one side while rubbing on the other.

the shims are used to align the door face to the tub at the hinge, not the gap and door angle (that's what the oversized holes are for). at the other end you can adjust the pin for the depth alignment. I think i have 1 shim on one of the hinges but can't remember for sure, or i saw one at the junkyard and got stuck with the image in mind. There's really no adjustment on those hinges for depth otherwise, so the only way to get the door face in or out is to add a shim on the door side of the hinge for having it more in or on the tub side to pull it out - or use a bigger hammer, that works too (not literally, but on YJ you can bend the hinge if you try hard enough).

[bestos]

never seen a shim on a door hinge and i have a collection of 2 half doors and 2 full doors, got any pics? besides a shim behind the hinge would push that front part of the door into the jeep and push the rear away from the latch, that is not the problem, the front to rear dimension is the problem, and it is because the edges of the seal have not been properly warn out/smashed close enough to the door itself.

i also have replaced my windshield cowl SEAL. and it came from the factory too fat to EASILY pull the windshield tight enough to the roll bars.  A guy from work pulled on the windshield towards the rear, while i bolted it up! it comes FAT because they want it to wear in and seal properly (i am assuming).  the Same is for the seals for the doors, the will shrink/SMASH themselves smaller, i can tell a difference in 1 day already.  where it catches at the moment, is right at the latch, the rubber is just a little too big and it hits the tub before the latch clicks.  I am just looking for a process to speed up the "shrinkage".  IE: torch to warm it up then hammer on it to try to get it to tighten up to the door right there at the bulky location.  now when i typed it out just now, that did not sound like a good idea, so..... i may wait a week and see how it goes. 

the 2 bulky parts of the seals have what feels like metal wires in them to help keep the proper shape on the door corners (so they are somewhat malleable.

[sharpxmen]

the Same is for the seals for the doors, the will shrink/SMASH themselves smaller, i can tell a difference in 1 day already.  where it catches at the moment, is right at the latch, the rubber is just a little too big and it hits the tub before the latch clicks.  I am just looking for a process to speed up the "shrinkage".  IE: torch to warm it up then hammer on it to try to get it to tighten up to the door right there at the bulky location.  now when i typed it out just now, that did not sound like a good idea, so..... i may wait a week and see how it goes. 

put some silicone on them so they'll slide on the tub portion and not stick when you close the door, don't use oil or petroleum products and for sure don't put a torch on them or try to smash it with a hammer either. If is not seating properly in a few days then you need some adjustment (if there's any left, door should be lined up before installing the seal).

     

besides a shim behind the hinge would push that front part of the door into the jeep

not if it goes on the tub side of the hinge, anyway does not sound like your problem (you said the problem is at the pin) and no, i don't have pics.

the front to rear dimension is the problem, and it is because the edges of the seal have not been properly warn out/smashed close enough to the door itself.

got any pics
did you gap the door properly before installing the seals? you say the dimension is the problem, is the door (metal) rubbing against the tub or too close, is the gap the same front and rear? if none of these then wait for a few days, they should seat themselves enough in that time and should close easily after that (and use silicone as i mentioned earlier to help the seal slide on the tub) - if you still have to use too much force to close them then something's not right, the seals should not be that much bigger.

[neale_rs]

X2 on the silicone to help the seal slide into place.  Also, the latch pin on the tub can be adjusted outward a bit but the trouble with this is that then the door might not close flush with the tub.  You might also be able to slide the door forward a bit if the problem now is only on the latch side.

[bestos]

yes, 1 seal is already a little better from opening and closing.  my silicone spray goes on this afternoon.  it just barely catches.  passenger is already in better shape.  just by sitting there closed up all day, and heating up in the sun, they will fit themselves tighter in place shortly, i think i am worried about nothing.  I WILL take pics tonight and post.  it will be plain to see that it will just be a time kinda thing (In my opinion) after talking this out.