To begin, I pulled the trim pieces that would get into the way. This included the vinyl covered metal that secures the lower portion of the weatherstrip to the floor as well as the plastic trim surrounding the rear quarter window. In order to get that quarter window trim off, I had to remove the strut tower and seat belt mechanism cover as well as the upper light bar.
I found dried duct tape adhesive on the trim piece that I removed with denatured alcohol before installing (you can see it in the picture above). After pulling the strut tower cover and seat belt mechanism, I was surprised to find a strut mount topped with lots of mouse droppings!
After using the Shop Vac to remove those droppings, I pulled the trim panel. I also ended up pulling the quarter window itself to replace some seals on that, but I'll describe that process in another post.
Next I pried up the seal from the flange and simply pulled it off, working my way around the door.
Once the old seal was removed, I cleaned up the flange and positioned head liner vinyl around the flange. I then positioned the new seal for installation, starting with the molded 90 degree corner. I pushed the seal onto the flange an inch at a time, ensuring that the seal channel was fully seated as I went.
After working my way around the entire door perimeter, I trimmed the excess seal ensuring that the two sides would butt against each other tightly. Using some weatherstrip cement, I bonded the two sides of the seal together and taped them together to cure.
Once the adhesive cured I shut the door. The door requires a bit more force now to close, but the seal is making positive contact around the perimeter. I've read that over time the seal will "break in" and loosen up a bit, but I've also read that this seal from Black Dragon has given others trouble in the past. Only time will tell for me...
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