1961 chevy door rubber install (help)

[als1961]

Can you guy's please post both some info and pics on how to install the two piece door rubber kit. Its my understanding that its a upper seal also. Thanks

[markeb01]

Here’s the instruction sheet for Steele door gaskets, which would be the same for any brand of gasket:



The upper seal on the door was standard on 60-62 (I believe) and was dropped on 63 and newer cabs, although it should work just as well up to 1966. It acts as a rain gutter channeling water down the front and back of the door. On trucks that originally came with the seal, there will be a small metal tab on each end held in place with a Philips head screw.

Unfortunately none of the reproduction seals come close to the size and shape of the originals. Here’s a cross section of an original seal:



It had a hollow core and a very long leg that bumped up against the body opening, sealing the door.

And here’s a cross section of Chevy Duty seal I bought about 15 years ago:



The long leg was so short it was hard to tell which way it should be installed. With the door closed, I fit inside the opening under the edge and didn't perform any real function. The Steele upper door seal is better, but still too short to be as effective as an original. I don't have a cross section of theirs to show because it was so much better than the Chevy Duty version I installed it on the truck. I did end up reinstalling the Chevy Duty foam door seals on the body however, throwing away the Steele versions. There's was a hard vinyl tube (as shown in the diagram) with no compressibility, and could not be formed around the dogleg on my truck.