door seals glued in?

[Joe Bauers]

I am contemplating replacing the front door seals on my '79 300TD. Have searched the forum, and I understand that there are clips involved. I also hear of using an adhesive on the part of the seal that is not in the door channel--the part that fits around the door check strap.

Question: Is it necessary to use adhesive on the rest of the seal? Should adhesive be applied to the seal before installation, or does the channel hold it in place with the clips? And about the clips, where are they attached? Having trouble visualizing them.

Thanks for help.

Joe B.

[kip Foss]

I just did all the seals on my 1975 300d and they were no big problem. The part of the seal that runs around the front of the doors does not run in a track. The part of the seal that is flattened out a bit has 5 plastic stud clips in it. You have to salvage these studs from the old seal. You can get these studs at MB for not very much but there is no reason that you can't salvage the old ones.

To remove these studs get a wide thin pry bar like a 'Wunder Bar'. This bar is ideal for taking off door panels. body trim, and anything with plastic studs in it. They are less than $5 at hardware stores. They make one that is about 6" long which is ideal for this job.

My seals were MB original and fit back without any glue. The part that goes in the track fits tight enough so that glue is not necessart. If you need to glue the front part of the seal you can use a small amt of contact cement or rubber glue.

Along the top of the door, as I remember, there is a screw that sticks out into the channel where the seal goes. When you get to it you will have to carefully feed the seal around it with a screwdriver. Don't poke a hole in the seal.

When you lay out the seal on the door start at the uppen and lower rear conners. These are pre-formed sharp corners and are a good reference point. As you put the seal in the channel don't stretch it forward in the direction of travel. You will end up with a surplus of seal when you get to the front of the door.

Once you have fit the two back corners you can fit the studs into place on the front of the door. This will help you maintain the relative position of the seal and not end up with the studs out of place when you get around to the front.

[Joe Bauers]

Thanks, Kip. I discovered today that the lower channel, on the bottom of the door, has rusted badly. I guess I'll have to fabricate something more solid and glue the bottom of the seal there.

Joe B.

[Capt Kirk]

3M makes a glue specifically for weatherstipping.

-Alan