'57 88 roof rail?

[Restoroddin]

I've searched using every phrase I can, and manually went through each forum and cannot seem to find the info I am looking for.

I currently have on my 57 88 4 door hardtop, a soft open cell rubber "D" shaped seal. My shop manual does not show the shape of what it should be. I had on my 55 Buick a hard rubber flipper type roof rail. This soft seal does not seem to seal properly against the windows. The top of the windows also seem to be missing some sort of seal. The windows only have a chrome channel that 'fits' against the roof rail.

Should the roof rail look like:
__
| / or D

and should there be some form of rubber on top of the chrome on top of each side window? Also who is better Fusick or Steele or ? ?

Thanks,
J

[Restoroddin]

Bueller?...
Bueller?...
Bueller?...

[rocketraider]

My 62 body parts manual shows the 55-58 4-door HT does not use the flipper seal as the Holiday Coupe front window does. There is a chrome or stainless retainer on the roof rail and the rubber weatherstrip fits into that. The window metal upper sash channel seats against the weatherstrip and seals. Does not show any rubber strip on the chrome window frame top surface.

It doesn't show the roof rail weatherstrip profile either.

Not sure who makes Fusick's weatherstrips now. Steele makes theirs in-house and are generally pretty accurate with profiles. 1957 HS weatherstrip OE part #s are 4695783 and 4695784 for comparison.

You gotta remember 4-door HT was still pretty new in those years and they were continuously working out bugs. This body parts book shows there were a first and second type 1955 Holiday Sedan rear window assembly that are completely different from each other- the second type window is shaped different at the rear top curve. I imagine part of that change was trying to resolve sealing and wind noise issues.

[NMCarNut]

I believe the 4 door Holiday uses a wedge shaped weatherstrip held in a channel shaped molding similar to the sketch attached. The mounting screw holes in the molding are elongated to allow slight in/out adjustment on the roof rail to achieve proper alignment with the windows.