Today I installed all the door strikers. This of course is a trial and error process where you mount the striker, close the door slowly, see if anything will rub and then open the door and make small adjustments as it goes. This was compounded by the fact that I don't have any exterior or interior door handles. I don't want to install the exterior door handles before the woodgrain is applied, which meant I had to make sure that one door was open at all times so I didn't get locked outside of the car. It also meant I had to go around the car and slide through to open the door each time I closed it.
I did eventually install one door handle on the driver's door so I could at least get access inside in case all the doors closed at once. Also, without an exterior door handle I couldn't have put the striker on the driver's door because that could have led to all the doors being shut at once by accident and I knew for the door seals to set up correctly all the doors will have to be latched.
I put the door weatherstripping on the rear driver side door. Before installing it I used a trick I learned at the shop where I used to work. I laid an outline of tape around the area the weatherstripping will be glued to and scuffed it with sandpaper. This gives the surface a good texture for the glue to hold.
Unfortunately the directions were confusing so I ended up installing a few of the snaps into the wrong door before I realized it. The directions the company sends are for front doors, though the package is labeled rear doors. When I laid each weatherstrip out and looked at it I put the top 90 degree bend where the instructions said and then also inspected and saw that the bottom curvature seemed to match up. It did not occur to me that on a rear door the top 90 degree bend is on the front side of the window, not the rear. I didn't realize this until the snaps began to not line up and one pulled out by my efforts to stretch it to its hole. I removed the pegs and installed the other weatherstripping, which went on much better. As per the instructions, I didn't glue anything until it was completely installed, then I raised up sections and applied the glue. Fortunately because of this I didn't have to worry about the glue when I changed the rubber. I only managed to get the one door rubber finished today. It is recommended to leave the doors open for an hour before closing them and with rain forecast again for tomorrow and the cold night air moving in I didn't have time to begin any of the other doors.
