Got my new beltline weathstripping set today and can’t tell you how disappointed I am. My old (original) door weatherstrip had a chrome trim piece that rolled over the door outer edge with a rubber sweep to squeegee the window. This one has no chrome trim and it is all felt (inside piece and outside). Aside from that it does not even secure tightly to the door which I understand will require screwing in addition to the clips - but that still won’t make it weather tight. I cannot be the first to deal with this. Any suggestions? I’m wondering if I can back this piece up with the chrome piece off my old weatherstrip and maybe silicone the mess to the door? What a Rube Goldberg this is going to be.
I would have to point to the manufacturer of your replacements.
When i replaced mine they had the correct chrome strips and supoort to work with my car. Including those SOB staples. Worst part of the job.
You will reuse all your original chrome belt line trim (XR7). It’s a real PITA, but you have to unstaple the old weatherstrips and staple the new ones on with those heavy staples.
Double check the box & your application. Year 67/8 & 69/70, Standard & XR-7 in 69/70. Possibly misboxed. No chrome/shiney outside, only inside.
XR7 had trim on top of doors. Maybe your thinking bout that. Actually the w/x attaches to that trim. Then trim to door. Std had no trim on top of doors
Rear quarters windows different setup
Thanks all three. I’ll take some pics tomorrow and post, and I’ll get a hold of Repop. Curious Bill on the “no shiney outside”, mine is a '70 Standard, but the sweep on the outside had a chrome “J” channel that lipped over the door. An 1/8" worth of the door was covered.
Interesting. Wonder if the past person did not get it right…
Pics will tell
…and I promise, I will post pics, just in a press this morning. I’m anxious to hear the feedback.
OK, here 'tis - best photographic quality I can presently produce:
What it was:
New trim in place:
Old trim piece:
Glue side:
New trim piece:
end profile:
window side (felt):
door side (clip):
Unfortunately trusting the manufacturer more than myself, I went ahead and clipped the piece in place thinking it may be “OK”; now I have to try and get it back off. Presently I plan on reviewing the possibility of getting the chrome off of the old piece and reattaching it (weatherstrip adhesive?) to the new piece and then seeing if it will still pop back on the door, or possibly screw it on (which is how the original was attached; glue & screw). Any advice appreciatively welcomed.
They goofed! Not correct for your Cat. 69/70 will have no chrome attached to w/x. The piece you show snaps into outer door (outside glass). No trim UNLESS your Cat is an XR-7. Then the trim covers the top of the door (approx 1"+) outside.
The inside pieces that attach to the panels (4) via staples have shiny piece mfg into the w/x rubber & felt. Not the outside w/s that have the goofy clips that are near impossible to remove w/ out distorting them…
Interesting, mine certainly don’t have an XR7 style 1" overlap, just a light lip. What makes this weather tight between the door panel and the trim? Should they be glued and clipped? I did already clip mine on, so the counsel that they don’t remove well is disturbing. I’m in communication with Repops as well, and they appear confused. Thanks for weighing in Bill.
The chrome 1" door-top trim on the XR7 is separate from the weatherstrip. The chrome trim has a lip that extends down and accepts the weatherstrip, and the weatherstrip is felt-only with no chrome on it. It looks like you have the XR7 weatherstrips to me.
I believe the correct weatherstrip for your standard Cougar should have the narrow chrome edge along the top, and clip directly to the door. In either case, the clips hold the weatherstrip in place without glue.
Thanks for the pic. Yeah mine is definitely not as wide as the XR7 trim piece. Talking to Repops they don’t know where mine came from, nothing they offer. Like Bill said Weatherstripping - repops - #9 by Cougar_Bill I think I’ve got some aftermarket juju going on. Presently my issues are: It does not sit tight against the door, begging for rain to just “come inside”; secondly: How to get it off now that I put it one (because I likely put the driver’s side piece on the passenger side upside down; thirdly, as if I don’t have enough issues already: Can I possibly peel down the old piece and spare the chrome bright work to attach the felt w/s to (as in the XR7 example) and still get the whole shebang to fit against the door. I feel like Tar-baby. Maybe I’ll just go buy another car…
I bet once you get the right weatherstrip with narrow chrome along the top, everything will fall into place. Beltline Weatherstrip Kit - Door and Quarter Glass - Standard - Coupe - Repro ~ 1969 - 1970 Mercury Cougar ( 1969 Mercury Cougar, 1970 Mercury Cougar ) at West Coast Classic Cougar :: The Definitive 1967 - 1973 Mercury Cougar Parts Source
That’s the one I bought.
Oh wait - I was wrong. You do need to reuse the chrome just like on the XR7. Your chrome is just a lot narrower than the XR7. Maybe lacquer thinner will remove all that glue.
I’ll let you know. That’s one of the projects for tomorrow. I also bought a can of 3M adhesive remover. Then there’s alway…F-I-R-E!
Now I am confused too. The WCCC website shows the standard Cougar weatherstripping being clipped to the chrome. But that may be an XR7 picture because other suppliers of the weatherstripping for standard Cougar show the narrow chrome as part of the weatherstrip. Maybe someone else with a standard Cougar can clarify.
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Well the guy from Repops was supposed to get back to me today after talking to “tech” (who wasn’t there yesterday), but I haven’t heard from him. I’m guessing it’s a shrug off. Notwithstanding I dreamt a vision last night for how to take my trim piece back off without destroying it (rained all day today so didn’t happen); anxious to see if my dreams work any better than reality. I also took the chrome trim piece and worked on taking the adhesive off where it joins the body, and discovered #'s. 1051292 USA - but I can’t find anything that correlates with that. I also tried heatgun and solvent to release the rubber weatherstripping from the window side but it is crimped into the chrome piece. I’m guessing what I got is what I get, but I still have to get the upside down piece back off before I proceed.
SCORE - Retro1 = 1; Opposition = 0
I got the “erroneously” placed weatherstrip off without destruction. Took a wider plastic trim fork and slipped it down from the top, and while applying outward pressure, pressed down on the top of the weatherstrip to disengage the tang of the clip (which were facing “up” seeing as I put the weatherstrip on upside down, which also means, on the wrong door) Not to violate Forum Decorum, but: “Praise God!” I know it’s a minor issue, but in my world all issues are diabolical!
Now, for the “others”, like myself, who have more bravado than know-how, here are some insights (to the others, forgive the elementary nature.)
The weatherstrip is held in place by judicially spaced “clips”, they only line up one way, BUT, if you have the wrong side door strip, it will line up “upside down” - gabeesh? There is a “long edge” and a “short edge” above and below the clip - The “long edge” goes down, that’s how you’ll know you are on the right door (when the clips align with the cutouts while the long edge is down). The oval cutouts that they clip into must not have outward dimples in them (from previous pulling?) and I would suggest taking a small punch to each to make sure they are “flat”, thereby ensuring the weatherstrip fits “snug” to the door.
Now, for the educated ones who are trying to get me through elementary school - I really feel I need “something” more between the weatherstrip and the door for environmental purposes. A small bead of black silicone? Or 3M weatherstrip adhesive? Thanks in advance.