Project LuLu: Replacing Door Seals

Any time you see rust, that’s a sign of pooling water. Fix the rust but don’t address the water problem, and you’re just putting a band-aid on the issue. The solution? Replace the rubber seals.

Eventually, I plan on replacing all of them. Everythings costs, though, so I’m doing it piece by piece. The most pressing leak was around the sliding door where a moderate hole had formed in the floor. With an existing hole, the water has a place to drain. For this reason, I didn’t know until after I repaired the hole why it was rusted. We got heavy rain and it was very clear that the seal on the sliding door was not holding up to the water.

This was something else for me to learn, but once I learned it felt like such an enormous accomplishment. I don’t know if I’ve been so excited at the completion of any other project so far.

My first decision to make was German or Brazilian door seals. There are a lot of things that I can buy German, Brazilian, or “other” (generic parts that fit all kinds of different vehicles). I didn’t realize there would be so many options!

There are two major differences between the German and the Brazilian seals, aside from the price. Brazilian seals are cheaper but they are also more of a foam-like material with a lower life span. German seals are rubber and made from original molds. While they are more expensive, they shouldn’t need replaced again and they are showroom quality.

For this project, I chose the German molded seals. It comes in a singular piece, which meant I also had to remove the sliding door (and that was the scary part).

Parts List

Door seal (German or Brazilian)
Rubber mallet
Screwdriver/ratchet/wrench
Toothbrush/cleaning solution
Tool to push the rubber in with*

*this should be thin, dull, preferably not metal object (see below)

You do not need adhesive

The Process

The basic process of putting in the rubber is simple: take the old rubber out, push the new rubber in its place, smack it with a mallet and voila! Done.

In practice, it was much more challenging. Taking the old rubber out was a piece of cake. Just lift and pull. Once that was removed, I took a toothbrush and some vinegar-based cleaning solution and I started scrubbing. Then, I rinsed away the old grime and let it dry. This is an optional step, but I recommend it!

Next up, you’d probably be best to remove the sliding door. I didn’t do it in this order but for my readers sake, we’ll do that next. Removing the sliding door is actually shockingly easy. I was so nervous and I avoided it for much longer than necessary as a result.

The door is attached by essentially 3 screws. First, remove the track cover, which is held on by 2 screws. One of these is at the back of the track accessed from underneath the cover. The second is at the front of the track, accessed from the side. The third screw was extremely difficult to remove due to rust. It is a bolt that runs from inside the bus to outside, right above the beginning of the track cover. Once you remove that, it is super easy to get the door out. It works out exactly like a toilet paper roll dispenser: slide the door back carefully, pull the roller toward you so it comes out of the track, then tip the door out of the upper track, and then pull it from the lower track. This will definitely be easier with a helping hand.

Now that the door is removed, begin pushing in the seal. Make sure its oriented correctly, and then just push it in a little at a time. You’ll be able to make it almost all the way around the door using this method, but may struggle with the corners. Once you’ve done this, you are not done! Take the mallet and gently pop it against the rubber. If it pops in all the way, great! If not, this is where that tool comes in.

For LuLu, I used a popsicle stick most of the time but then graduated to a large flathead screw drive (to avoid it being too sharp). Based on the information I’ve seen, I’d advise against metal particularly if you have chosen more of a foam-like seal. You don’t want to damage it!

So I took the edge of my tool and I just pushed one edge into the track that holds the seal. I went around the entire door that way, then repeated tapping it with the hammer. You may have to do this a couple times. I had to repeat this process three times before the seal was finally in all the way.

Things to keep in mind:

1. Your door will likely not close if the rubber isn’t fully in the track
2. Don’t stab the rubber with your tool, you’re “tucking” the edge in
3. If there are any places in the track that won’t hold the rubber in place, it’s likely because its bent wide and you may need to bend it back

If for whatever reason you need to trim the seal, do it in an inconspicuous spot. Make sure you cut an even edge and you want both cut edges to sit absolutely flush to disguise the seam!

Once that’s all done, just put the door back on the reverse of how you took it off. I recommend testing it before you screw the track cover back on to make sure it closes properly, and then you’re all done! Check out this video by The Campervan Builder that helped me out along the way.

My next decision is should I do California or German style window trim? The only difference is one seal has a groove for chrome trim and the other one doesn’t. Tell me below if you have thoughts!