1957 Bird door weather stripping leaks

[jsonny]

When I wash my Bird, the interior gets wet even if I seal the windows. After my last wash, I visually inspected the door seals and found that they are not sealing properly with the door frames. Are there different sizes of the door strips or were they just installed incorrectly? Thanks, Jon....wet in Texas

 

[Ward 57]

When I wash my Bird, the interior gets wet even if I seal the windows. After my last wash, I visually inspected the door seals and found that they are not sealing properly with the door frames. Are there different sizes of the door strips or were they just installed incorrectly? Thanks, Jon....wet in Texas

The late '56s and all '57s had a drain hole punched in the front outside corner of the door dog leg. Make sur your weatherstripping is not covering that hole.

 

[jsonny]

Thanks for the info. Every little bit helps. I will probably have to replace the stripping since I did notice a gap in the door seal but your information gives me a little more knowledge on the Bird.

 

[jack-in-sac]

If you look at the Ray Miller book "Thunderbird" you will find a passage that says; "They invite moisture". If you actually drive your Bird you will find that is a gross understatement. On some long trips to conventions I have seen water inside up to the lower door sills. Replacing a carpet is or was not an uncommon occurrence. Likewise when near Barstow California returning from the 2019 Flagstaff Arizona convention to Sacramento California we were caught in a sandstorm where I was pelted in the head for what seemed like an eternity from the soft top not sealing particularly well. Previously on that trip we had rain, sleet, snow, high winds with gusts of 90 miles per hour. It was a fun trip where we drove over 2300 miles on our long pilgrimage. Oh yes, it really was a fun trip with other members of our club. Only real downside was replacing windshield, side glass, and wind wings due to sand damage. We would do it again!

 

[doug7740]

Thanks for the info. Every little bit helps. I will probably have to replace the stripping since I did notice a gap in the door seal but your information gives me a little more knowledge on the Bird.

The early birds (55, 56 & 57) always leaked, and they still do. On July 31, 1956, Service Letter P-316 was published to correct the hard top water leaks. If you look at figure #3 you will see the drain holes that ward57 is referring to.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue