1969-70 Fastback Roof Rail Weather Stripping Issue.

[rharden 12]

I have brought this up on other Mustang forums. I own a 1970 Mach 1 that I bought new. I have been replacing certain items on the car that are old and worn out. I replaced the roof rail weather stripping and I don't like the fit of the new rubber. It's made well and the material is better than the original, but the fit or design is poor at the rear door jamb and up around the side flip out glass. I have adjusted this area of the molding every way I can, but the fit is still poor. The width of the rubber that runs under the window doesn't seem to be wide enough. It won't overlap the interior rear side panel if it is up against the "C" chrome molding. If I get the interior side to fit well, there is a good size gap at the "C" molding. The end of the rubber at the door jamb isn't a good fit either. It doesn't seal the gap between the door and rear quarter like the original did. Maybe I'm too picky. The weather stripping was advertised as being "made with Ford Tooling", but I wonder about that claim. Has anyone else had these issues? Also, my cars roof rail stainless steel molding channels only had one window clip on each side. I see other 70 fastbacks at car shows and some have two clips on each channel. Is this factory correct? Thanks.

[barnett468 418]

well what brand is it and where did you buy it?

 

its impossible for it to be better material than the original . . that will never, ever, happen in a zillion years . . there is no repo made for any car that is better material then the orig.

 

what clips are you talking about?

 

post photos if you can.

 

the interior panels can also warp after 40 years and they can pull away from the top by the window a little increasing the gap when they do.

Edited December 6, 2014 by barnett468

[1969_Mach1 333]

He might be referring to the rubber coated blow-out clips that are supposed to help hold the top edge of the window in place when rolled up completely.

[rharden 12]

The brand I bought were made by Daniel Carpenter and it came from Virginia Classic Mustangs. I also ordered from other Mustang parts suppliers and they were all the same, so I returned them. According to what I was told, Daniel Carpenter, http://www.dcmustang.com/, makes most, if not all, the roof rail moldings sold today. They may be sold under different names, but mostly come from Carpenter. My original stripping material may have been better when the car was new, I don't remember, but after all these years, it was dry and too hard. The material in the new strips seems to be better, in my opinion. The clips I'm referring to are the small metal, plastic covered pieces that are attacked at the stainless steel roof rail channel. They help support the window glass. You can buy these from Mustang suppliers. I bought my car new in 1970 and the car only had one clip on each side. It is the clip that is pop-riveted. I was told the other clip is screwed on by the channel screw. I don't think my panels are warped. They look very original. They fit great every where else. I have talked to several expert Mustang restoration shops, and they told me, these roof rail rubbers are a poor fit. I tried adding pictures, but I couldn't get them to install.

[barnett468 418]

ok the orig rubber is as soft as butter the repos are all considerably harder . . i used several carpenter sets and they were ok but your windows must be perfectly aligned and the panels cant be warped att all . . this was several years ago and i dont remember if they were ford tooling . . . . call romie at the mustang shop of north caroolina and see what brand he is using and what he says about your problem . . he may also have some rim blow horn contacts . . please dont agitate him he can get annoyed easily . . you can also call bob perkins restorations and ask him

Edited December 6, 2014 by barnett468

[1969_Mach1 333]

It must be tough knowing how original parts fit then trying to install aftermarket parts that are marginal by comparison. I don't know who makes the weather stripping NPD sells, but that's where I bought all the weather stripping for mine. The only issue I had was caused by myself and gluing one door lower weather strip on improperly. I still need to replace it.

[rharden 12]

ok the orig rubber is as soft as butter the repos are all considerably harder . . i used several carpenter sets and they were ok but your windows must be perfectly aligned and the panels cant be warped att all . . this was several years ago and i dont remember if they were ford tooling . . . . call romie at the mustang shop of north caroolina and see what brand he is using and what he says about your problem . . he may also have some rim blow horn contacts . . please dont agitate him he can get annoyed easily . . you can also call bob perkins restorations and ask him

 

I emailed Carpenter over a year ago, after I bought these. They said they had changed the molds ever so slightly and I had the newest version. That's when they told me they made most of the weather strips (roof rail) on the market. He mentioned the interior panel installation and maybe I had assembled something wrong. I checked the fit several times and I still think it's the rubber that is off. I called/emailed Perkins in Wisconsin, plus Gateway and even Chip Foose. They all said these are not right and they don't like to use them. Perkins said he uses NOS most of the time, but the NOS are almost impossible to find these days. If I could find NOS, I would buy them, but I've tried. No luck. If I could find a good set of OEM, would buy them if they were decent around the rear window area. A friend that has a 69 cut and glued the old and the new together and it looks and works well. So far, I can't even find good OEM rubbers.

[rharden 12]

It must be tough knowing how original parts fit then trying to install aftermarket parts that are marginal by comparison. I don't know who makes the weather stripping NPD sells, but that's where I bought all the weather stripping for mine. The only issue I had was caused by myself and gluing one door lower weather strip on improperly. I still need to replace it.

 

These cars were built just OK for the day and many things didn't fit all that well. Nothing like the new car of the day. I would think a manufacture that repops new parts today, with all the better materials and manufacturing skills could do a better job at making the final product. Yes, it does make it difficult and frustrating to restore a car, especially when I knew how it was from the start. Some guys are happy with most anything, but I'm just to fussy with detail.

[barnett468 418]

I emailed Carpenter over a year ago, after I bought these. They said they had changed the molds ever so slightly and I had the newest version. That's when they told me they made most of the weather strips (roof rail) on the market. He mentioned the interior panel installation and maybe I had assembled something wrong. I checked the fit several times and I still think it's the rubber that is off. I called/emailed Perkins in Wisconsin, plus Gateway and even Chip Foose. They all said these are not right and they don't like to use them. Perkins said he uses NOS most of the time, but the NOS are almost impossible to find these days. If I could find NOS, I would buy them, but I've tried. No luck. If I could find a good set of OEM, would buy them if they were decent around the rear window area. A friend that has a 69 cut and glued the old and the new together and it looks and works well. So far, I can't even find good OEM rubbers.

 

an nos set would probably be at least $1,000.00.

 

chip foose wouldn't have a clue about their fit.

 

call the mustang shop of concord.

 

http://mustangshopofconcord.com/

 

.

Edited December 6, 2014 by barnett468

[rharden 12]

an nos set would probably be at least $1,000.00.

 

chip foose wouldn't have a clue about their fit.

 

call the mustang shop of concord.

 

http://mustangshopofconcord.com/

 

.

 

I just sent a bunch of pictures to The Mustang Shop of Concord. I called them and they asked for a few pictures. They are getting back to me next week. He said they do a lot of research work with Daniel Carpenter as far as fit and quality goes. I'll see what he thinks. Thanks for the tip.

[barnett468 418]

I just sent a bunch of pictures to The Mustang Shop of Concord. I called them and they asked for a few pictures. They are getting back to me next week. He said they do a lot of research work with Daniel Carpenter as far as fit and quality goes. I'll see what he thinks. Thanks for the tip.

 

lol, yes. i didn't want to mention that . . he is my ex partner in mustang crime . . he closed his shop in calif and moved back there . . both he and i do high end restos . . he recently restored a mach but i don't know if he used the old or new carpenter rubber on it.

 

as far as foose goes, he does not resto mustangs and the blue boss in his show was painted by a friend of mine in costa mesa whom also installed the roof rail rubber . . chip asked us to help him with getting the trans and wiring connected . . he needed a special trans lever that romie had but it was his last one so chops guys cut out arounbd 20 of them for him on their water jet . . pretty cool . . chip doesn't live to far from me and hohn force is just up the road a bit.

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . heres the foose boss

 

. . . . . . . .

.

Edited December 6, 2014 by barnett468

[1969_Mach1 333]

These cars were built just OK for the day and many things didn't fit all that well. Nothing like the new car of the day. I would think a manufacture that repops new parts today, with all the better materials and manufacturing skills could do a better job at making the final product. Yes, it does make it difficult and frustrating to restore a car, especially when I knew how it was from the start. Some guys are happy with most anything, but I'm just to fussy with detail.

 

I understand. I always do my best to rebuild/restore the original pieces even though they are not clean, bright and shiny like a new reproduction part. As a mechanical engineer I am fairly detail oriented and in my mind fit and function are a priority before form. I wonder on some reproduction parts, they've invested so much effort to reproduce a part, could they have gone a little further and made it a lot better?

[Raven R code 281]

I wonder on some reproduction parts, they've invested so much effort to reproduce a part, could they have gone a little further and made it a lot better?

 

I will never understand that. Why not make it right the first time?!!!

[rharden 12]

as far as foose goes, he does not resto mustangs and the blue boss in his show was painted by a friend of mine in costa mesa whom also installed the roof rail rubber . . chip asked us to help him with getting the trans and wiring connected . . he needed a special trans lever that romie had but it was his last one so chops guys cut out arounbd 20 of them for him on their water jet . . pretty cool . . chip doesn't live to far from me and hohn force is just up the road a bit.

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . heres the foose boss

 

. . . . . . . .

.

 

Well I guess a person never knows who they are talking with on these forums, and what their experience is. It's good to know that. I appreciate the knowledgeable information a person like yourself gives an amateur like me. You have some good neighbors too! I told my wife to apply on Overhauling so Chip Foose can finish one of my cars. Ha! I had my right kidney removed this last year, because of kidney cancer, and I haven't felt much like working on them since. Hey, things could be worse. I'm still above ground.

[1969_Mach1 333]

Sorry to hear that rharden. I have an older brother that went through that a several years ago for the same reason. Thats a rough surgery. It took about a year to fully recover. Other than frequent follow up check ups his strength, energy and everything else is normal. Keep moving forward!

[barnett468 418]

Well I guess a person never knows who they are talking with on these forums, and what their experience is. It's good to know that. I appreciate the knowledgeable information a person like yourself gives an amateur like me. You have some good neighbors too! I told my wife to apply on Overhauling so Chip Foose can finish one of my cars. Ha! I had my right kidney removed this last year, because of kidney cancer, and I haven't felt much like working on them since. Hey, things could be worse. I'm still above ground.

sorry to hear about your health but better to be mowin the grass than fertilizing it.

 

yeah, lots if famous and infamous people live fairly closeby . . koby is just down the road or was, his wife lives there now, lol . . dennis rodman is down the same way and stored his caddy where i stored my cars . . its nothing like los angeles/hollywood luckily and fortunately bieber, "the kardashians" and lindsay lohan are not nearby.

 

no prob you're welcome . . i don't like to put any of my background in my profiles. i just like to try and help where i think i can but there are several others here that have a lot of knowledge also.

 

we had one of the owners of cinema vehicles come into the shop during the production of the remake of gone in 60 seconds and asked if we knew where to find any fastbacks because they needed around 10 for the movie so i found several for them and paid around 7k each for them in those days, lol.

 

after i delivered the last car they needed they gave me a tour of their huge facility and showed ne the first eleanor . . i though it was ugly . . they then offered me a free eleasnort kit . . this was around 1 year before the movie came out . . i am so intelligent that i said thanks but no thanks . . i could of had the first eleanor that was publically available . . oh well.

 

oh...also got to drive nicholas cages massive black rolls in a parking lot, lol.

.

Edited December 7, 2014 by barnett468

[rharden 12]

Sorry to hear that rharden. I have an older brother that went through that a several years ago for the same reason. Thats a rough surgery. It took about a year to fully recover. Other than frequent follow up check ups his strength, energy and everything else is normal. Keep moving forward!

 

Your not telling me anything. Ha! I just wish I could lay down on my creeper. Sorry too, about your brother, but happy he's doing well. I'm getting better and back working on my cars when I can. I try to do things that don't require to much physical activity, like the roof rails.

[rharden 12]

barnett468, you have been part of many awesome builds and unusual customers. Those are some great restoration stories. I don't have any like yours, but I have met Don Garlits at SEMA and drank a few beers with Ron Colson, driver of the Hawaiian funny car. Getting back to the roof rail. Those window clips I mentioned. Are there one, like my car had, or did someone at the factory screw up and should there be two on each side?

[BuckeyeDemon 211]

the assembly manual for 69 shows two....per side.

[rharden 12]

the assembly manual for 69 shows two....per side.

 

Thanks. That's what I thought. I have an assembly manual too and I thought it showed two clips. Nice Lab! They are great friends.

[barnett468 418]

barnett468, you have been part of many awesome builds and unusual customers. Those are some great restoration stories. I don't have any like yours, but I have met Don Garlits at SEMA and drank a few beers with Ron Colson, driver of the Hawaiian funny car. Getting back to the roof rail. Those window clips I mentioned. Are there one, like my car had, or did someone at the factory screw up and should there be two on each side?

 

 

i have seen cars with 1 clip and some with 2 . . if your windows are aligned perfectly they arent needed for that . . try the mustang shop of concord and mustang vilage in california for them . they might cost 50.00 for 1 or 50.00 for both hard to say.

 

 

yes i consider myself fortunate to meet a lot of people and find a lot of cars etc but it has been a lot of work too . . it must have been fun meeting those guys . . i remember the hawaiian . they would race at ocir near where i lived . . racers are fun to talk to if you get them loosened up a bit . i was a professional motocross rider and ran the r and d dept for kawasaki and lets just say there are a lot of highly entertaining stories to be told lol.

Edited December 7, 2014 by barnett468

[DocWok 30]

barnett468.....Walter Mitty? LOL

[69R-CODE 25]

I need revive this thread. I am also having fitment issues with the replacement roofrail weatherstrip (see attached). I just wanted to see if other members have seen this issue and know if anything can be done to correct? The drive side went on with no issue. Now the passenger side I can not get the weatherstrip below the boomerang chrome. This is the only spot that doesnt fit.

 

 

 

 

[mustangstofear 608]

We just installed 2 sets of the Carpenters and they fit fine.

[Gomach1 12]

I know I'm a little late to this topic but I ran into the same problem on my car. The weatherstrip I took off my car I had originally bought back around 1985 from Tony Branda Shelby ( that's all that was available back then as I recall),and it fit great. This new junk they sell is just awful. The area in question at the base of the flipper window meeting up with the interior panel is too narrow on the Carpenter junk. I measured my old piece and it was over 1.25" in width at that point, the piece that Carpenter says is from the original mold is only about 1.125" or less. I called Tony Branda and asked who there supplier is, of course it was Carpenter. he said he had some NOS and take off pieces. So I asked him if he would measure the area in question and those pieces were 1.25", then he measured the Carpenter and it was less than 1.125". At this time I asked about fitment problems he new of, the salesman in him said 'no' but in around about way he said there were issues. Then I asked if he new of another supplier, he said there is another place (and right now I cannot remember the name, I just know it's in the southeast somewhere,I will try to dig though receipts to find the name I don't think they have a web sight I googled there name and got a phone number). Anyway I talked to this company and had them measure, they were closer to 1.25" so I ordered them and there close but not quite right, they're also not a one piece unit they have glued on ends. I ended up cutting off a piece of seal from the old ones and glueing it to the bottom of the panel edge with overhang to fill the gap. It looks good and most people don't notice it. I see cars at shows all the time and this is a problem restored cars have a gap, unrestored do not, of the ones I've seen. I will post pics of my install when I get a chance and hopefully I can find the name of the company.