65 Signet Roof Rail Weatherstripping Conundrum

[johnnyusa]

As long as I've owned my convertible 65 Valiant Signet convertible I have been unhappy with the way the roof rail weatherstrip runs along the channels. I've bought two, maybe three sets since 1991 and they always seem to fit awkwardly. They all seat in the channels properly. As the pictures show, the ends meet at different heights. The three sections are shown in order: Header to front window, window to rear rollup, roll up to down piece. If I roll up the window with the top up, it makes a wonky seal. Is there a trick or a best practice that others have achieved to make this look slick? It may be that in 65 this was the best it gets and manufacturers just keep repeating what the specs ask for. I'd like it to look and seal better. Any thoughts?

 

[Blainethemono]

Totally get where you are coming from, since I recently did the upper rail weather stripping on my Dart. My stuff was OEM, no glue, just 1 screw per side & press fit. Hard to tell if the Drivers side was 1 continuous strip from the factory, since it came off like Styrofoam....in pieces. Passenger side was definitely not a complete strip, it was two piece, just rubber end to rubber end.. Im thinking about using Permatex black silicon sealant to smooth it out a bit. Wont look perfect, but it will seal.

On the weather stripping misalignment, maybe a Dremel with a cutting wheel, kinda taper the "overlap" into the recessed trim?

 

[johnnyusa]

It seems you experienced the same. OEM like Metro Moulded and Softseal are all the same for me. The header is fitted with 4-6" side rubber extension over the window. Then the continuation rarely seems to match. I have never tried the same rubber all the way back to the rear vent window. Seems it could work. I guess it's "what it is."