1project2many

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Always a great feeling to fire up an old engine. And doubly so if it hasn't run in years. Congratulations (even though I didn't help!)

I found a solution to my seal issue which is acceptable to me. I'm updating this thread in case someone wants to use or improve on it. I took a chance and trimmed the Dodge seal above so I could press it into the retainer groove in the roof. The Dodge part tried to lock in place but it was no surprise that it didn't lock the fabric like it should. While considering options to supplement the seal including adhesive, a friend suggested a round filler for the remaining gap which seemed like a great idea. It turns out that 7/32" vacuum hose is a very good fit and during installation it acts as a locking strip and tightening tool at the same time. By pulling the fabric snug while pressing the seal in and finishing up by wedging the rubber hose I ended up with very tight roof. In fact, the cat volunteered to test it one night and judging by the footprints I'd say it supported her and a friend with no ill effects. I hacked up the photo to try and show how the seal was trimmed and where the vacuum hose is placed. If I can locate one of the end pieces of the modified seal I'll get a picture with vacuum hose in place and later today or tomorrow I'll pull the car out and snap a photo of the completed roof. There are a few places where I'm going to add some urethane or other adhesive to help the seal stay in place but overall this is a done deal.

No worries. It was an honest offer. Now you have a little more info to use when selling the seal. Thanks. I've been given the name of a company which might have samples of the 36 Ford seal to check out.

Ok, just to be clear, do you have a Dodge or Plymouth weatherstrip? In the photo, Dodge is on the left and Plymouth is on the right. Thanks.

Wait a minute... You have a Plymouth seal and it won't fit your Dodge? I have a Dodge seal and it won't fit my Plymouth. Is it as easy as a trade? Did I just fall into an episode of Sesame Street?

Jim, more good tips. I was looking at actual manufacturers' sites, not distributors. I might not mind sharing some of the cost with a distributor selling rubber or restoration parts. But if they're going to pass the large majority to me then it makes more sense to cover the whole cost and sell unneeded lengths to offset the price. Even if it takes yeras. I've heard Steve's tale of having the Dodge seals made so I'm not real excited about going that route yet. I have a friend with a '36 4dr he's hoping to repair although I'd bet he's more likely to install a steel insert than pitch in for the rubber seal. But I'm going to speak with him today and I'll pitch it just in case. ply33, I'll check with Karr. Thanks for the suggestion. Will post results here. The pdf attachment looks to be the same as what's in my reproduction 34-36 Plymouth maintenance manual. If so there's no accompanying illustration. My seal was all one piece but it was glued at the corners as the manual says to do. hwellens, where did you buy your kit? Even if this doesn't get too far, I appreciate all the help. Shannen

I figured I'd have the "Wedge-tight" part. I'll try calling Restoration Specialties to let them know I'm interested. Maybe it will help convince them to make more. I spent about an hour looking at pages from companies marketing extruded rubber seals. Mainly I was looking for round or D shaped pieces that might work. I didn't have much luck as most of the online pages didn't have any cross sections to view. I do have a guy I can call who has piles and piles of old, old stock stuff around so I haven't given up hope yet but we all know what the odds are of finding anything still good after this many years. I'd almost be afraid to ask a mfgr about a ordering a custom extrusion but who knows, something may come about. In the meantime I'll be working on a creative solution using something more commonly available. I'm going to look at aftermarket windshield rubber with a Tee shape. Maybe using that with a nylon cord to lock everything into place will produce good results. Shannen

Jim, thank you for the detailed reply. I happen to have Steve's very last seal here in my hands. Drove to his house to pick it up, even. He dug around until he found one which was too short for a 4 dr car but happened to be the same length as mine. It's a very different seal. I believe the answer is that the Dodge roof is metal and the Plymouth roof is still fabric as read in another thread on this forum. The picture attached shows Steve's seal (on left) and the original Plymouth seal. Is the wedge-tight at all similar to the Plymouth seal? Any chance you have an old part no? I have a few contacts that have lots of NOS "stuff" with no way to ID it. Of course if I find any it's not likely to be much good unless it's been locked in a Nitrogen filled vault but who knows. Jack M, thanks for the link to Steele rubber. I was hoping it was for a specific page or product as I've been through their '36 Plymouth section as well as a couple years on either side with no luck. Any chance you've got a part number as I don't have enough experience with vehicles this old to know what else might fit. Thanks, Shannen

Thanks. I can't seem to find a listing for this in the Steele online information. I have found a couple of Ford seals listed but there are no illustrations. Still searching.

I'm replacing the fabric roof on my '36 P2 2door sedan. I've purchased a rubber seal from a gentleman who spent a fair amount of money having some made "exactly like original." Unfortunately after getting back to my car and pulling out the OEM seal, the replacement I purchased is nothing like it. I'm stuck. Can anyone offer some suggestions for a replacement seal? I can try and cut the seal to get a cross section picture if needed. Thanks in advance.

What have folks used for this? The part which came out has a small lip to seal against the window opening when rolled up. So far having difficulty finding a similar replacement. Seal looks similar to 220.006 in this image: http://www.scottsoldautorubber.com.au/page7.jpg. Anyone have a source in the US?

How different is the '37 from '36? The shock/ sway bar links in my '36 P2 were very similar in function to modern sway bar end links. In fact, I "skipped" the period correct bushings and bought links for a 1994 Cavalier to install. The Cavalier kit uses 3/8" bolts instead of 5/16" studs and the plating is wrong, but function took priority over form in this case.

Found the Ebay manuals. Real, printed books just like I was looking for. Thanks for the tip!

Thanks. Splice and solder will be no problem. Just need to find some friction tape to make it look better. Shrink tubing could be applied before the friction tape to make a better repair without giving away any secrets.

1) Looking for "proper" wiring repair procedures so small repair to accessory heater wiring can look period correct. Links or appropriate manual? There's nothign in my Plymouth repair manual but it covers multiple years and it's a bit generic regarding the older models. 2) Looking for proper channel filler for movable 1/4 glass. So far I haven't been able to separate glass from channel to get better idea of what original channel looks like. Looks like Steele Rubber 70-1191-52 might be the right stuff. Can anyone confirm? 3) Windshield wiper knobs... what are they supposed to look like? Are there replacements out there somewhere? Mine have deformed into strange globs of hardened goo. 4) My repair manual covers cars from 34 to somewhere in the mid '40s. It looks like an original Plymouth manual but as I mentioned, it's a bit generic with the older models. Can someone recommend a good source for a reasonably priced paper manual for the '36?

For the sake of anyone else who might be looking for similar answers, here's where I'm at. I spoke with the man at the glass shop. "Use cork strips instead of rubber. It's the right stuff for that old car. It swells with moisture." Well, I'm the guy taking the original glass out and I'm here to tell ya it doesn't look like cork in this car. So I guess I'll have to figure this one out on my own. I laid two strips of the rubber channel filler side by side and coated one with engine oil. After a few days the oil was gone. Grab the rubber strip... sticky. Looked for a change in thickness but if there's any, it's small. But if I squeeze it hard between my fingers I can see that the oil was absorbed into the strip. So the oil softens the new rubber strip just like the old roll I had pulled off the dealer shelf years ago. I've got to pull the windshield back out of the frame so I can repaint it, then I'll reinstall using a little oil, just like I've done before.

I'm replacing the windshield in a 36 P2 and I'm not happy with the seal provided by the filler. The frame is in excellent condition and the original windshield was removed in one piece. The replacement glass was cut by an experienced glass tech and as far as I can tell doesn't vary in size from the original by any significant amount. I have some experience replacing door and ventilator glass using a channel type seal but never a windshield so some of this might be inexperience. I tried several different thicknesses of modern rubber filler strip and selected a thickness which provided a snug fit between the glass and the sides of the channel. Using linseed oil as a lubricant I was able to install the glass in the upper frame but I could not install the lower frame far enough into the upper frame to thread the screws into the corner braces. After multiple attempts including playing with different thickness filler I gave up and brought the parts to the glass shop for assembly. They returned it assembled. They've used the thinnest filler available which left the windshield loose in the frame at the top. It's snug in the sides and bottom. No advice from glass shop, just "here ya go." Can't throw too much criticism at the glass shop because the glass, several lengths of filler, and the labor to assemble have all been at no charge. Antique cars aren't their business so they may simply not know or be experienced with this. Now the questions: 1) I have replaced glass in '40s and '50s vehicle using NOS rubberized filler which needed to be coated with engine oil on assembly. The engine oil swelled the rubber filler which created a seal. This was old filler found on the shelves of an even older dealership and I no longer have any. Will engine oil swell the modern version of the filler? 2) I am not going to urethane the glass into the frame because I want to be able to replace it if it's damaged. But I could disassemble the frame and put urethane between the filler and the glass. The urethane won't swell so I don't know how good the seal will be. Is this a bad idea? 3) Is this modern rubber filler the wrong material for this job? Should I try to locate something like the old filler I used to have? The windshield has been apart and out of the car for almost two years now and I'm at a point where I'm getting tired of futzing around. I really want to get this done. Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks. Because of undercoating, carby still looks mostly like brandy-new. Some exposed areas such as choke linkage no longer have complete zinc coating but are still very nice. Cast base has plenty of zinc on top gasket surface. Overall, it's nice to see something looking this good. Car is not undergoing complete restoration but will be driven in mostly "as found" condition. Not sure what I'll do to protect the nice OE finish from moisture. Maybe some satin clearcoat will do the job well. Today I get to spend time making new gaskets since modern version of carb kit comes with very few correct parts. <sigh> So that's $35 for a needle, seat, and a bowl gasket.

Update: I've decided this is likely undercoating. The car is undercoated and the fuel pump also has the same coating as the carb.

I have acquired a 36 P2 sedan which is in relatively good, and original, condition. I'm rebuilding the carb (also original) and I have to ask if the thick, tar like coating on most of the outside of the carb is likely to be some type of original coating or if it's more likely to be buildup from 20 years of running followed by another 50 years of sitting in a dry garage. The reason I ask is that it's somewhat resistant to modern carb cleaner sprays but Berryman's is going to strip it right off. Once I start using the car I'd like to keep the carb parts from oxidizing due to exposure while making sure they look authentic. Thanks in advance.