Looking For Rubber Gasket For Kelly Steel Cab

HI, glad to have found this forum. I've "Googled" for over an hour, but to no avail. I have an all original '66 CJ5 that was purchased new by my Grandfather. He ordered it from the local Chevrolet dealer with the Kelly all-steel full cab as an option. The cab is Kelly model "Bonanza 500", serial number PF-552090. It has 2 large plate-glass windows on the sides, another window the identical size built into the rear hatch above the tailgate, and 2 small rectangular windows on either side of the rear hatch. I'm desperately searching for the rubber molding that attaches and seals these windows to the sheet metal on the cab. Over the years, the rubber has become damaged from driving through the woods and other factors. The rubber seems to be identical to the rubber around the windshield, but made on a smaller scale. If someone can tell me where to buy this rubber - I assume it can be purchased by the foot - I would be very grateful. This Jeep has only 45K original miles on the 134 C.I. F-head, and it's been a member of the family for 39 years. It's time to get 'er fixed up. Thank you for the help. All comments are appreciated...

 

First of all, Welcome from Minnesota! That's great you have Jeep that has been in the family for so many years! You might try your local auto glass replacement shops for the glass seal. When I had my windshield replaced about 10 years ago, they had the rubber gasket for the windshield in stock. I'm sure they would have access to most all the weatherstripping available and could probably help choose the correct one. The only question would be if they are willing to sell you just the gasket. If you remove one of the gaskets and measure the glass thickness, steel lip thickness. and average gap between the glass and the steel lip, you may be able to find something close enough through JC Whitney or mcmaster-carr. Good luck! Oh, got any pictures to share? We like pictures around here!

 

Thanks Zoomer, and greetings to you folks in the Great White North and elsewhere ! I'll have to go outside and snap a few pics. I did have some with it so covered in snow that you'd never know it was a Jeep. Not sure where those are. I'm in western North Carolina in the mountains, about 5 miles from Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in the eastern U.S. - 6684 feet. We get a lot of snow up here in the higher elevations. I can see from your avatar that you do too !!

 

Well, nothing at mcmaster-carr. Whitney has the (they call it a) cowl strip for the windshield. It's the same design, but too thick/large. I'll keep looking around, I'm sure I'll run into it somewhere. Also going to try the local body shop - who knows... I wonder how many other people who visit this site have a Kelly steel cab on their CJ ? I haven't seen another one in years. People are amazed when they see it. I get offers to buy this Jeep all the time, but it's a family member, so I couldn't do that !

 

There's a few with the Kellys here. I've even seen at least one with the Bonanza 500 emblems. I've got a Meyers on mine, and I've never replaced the gaskets so I'm probably not much help. You'll probably not find anything that advertises it will fit a Kelly top. You'll probably have to take the measurements and get some "generic" gasket material. Hopefully there's someone here that has gone through that exercise before and has some advice. I thought JCW sold generic gaskets, listed by dimension, but it's been years since I've had their catalog.

 

Thanks Zoomer. It'll probably take some digging, but I'm sure I'll find it somewhere. And you're right about no mention of Kelly steel cabs. I've been to at least a dozen sites that sell parts for Jeeps. Even the ones that sell the gasket for the windshield mention nothing about window gaskets for the old Kelly steel cabs...kind of makes me wonder when they went out of business. I think they used the same style gasket on old VW Beetles. I'm sure it's more common than I think. It's just going to be a matter of looking in the right place. You know how that goes. Like looking for a lost set of keys. Just when you're about to give up, they appear. I'm not going to give up. Gotta get this CJ back into shape. I have a Honda TRX650 ATV now that is 4 wheel drive, so no need for the Jeep to go deep into the woods on the old logging roads anymore. That caused paint scratches, dings, dents, etc. I laid it over on it's side once, but thankfully it landed softly and didn't do any damage. A friend winched it back onto the wheels, and she started right up after laying there for a day-and-a-half !! Going to fix 'er up and stay off those back roads. Too rough, rocky and steep. I'll save that stuff for the Honda. Gonna make Grandpa proud, God rest his soul. BTW, I was 6 years old when we got this Jeep !! I'm 45 now...

 

Yeah, I think you'll have to check suppliers for glass shops, or maybe an RV supply. You might be able to use something meant for bubble windows in vans and such. Not likely you'll find parts for a Kelly top - that company is long gone.

Welcome from Boston!

 

timgr and Glenn, a BIG hello to all in Boston and Orlando, and thanks a million. Glenn, thank you SO MUCH for posting that link to the J.C. Whitney site. I looked there, but I didn't find that stripping that the link goes to...I just used the search engine looking for Jeep weatherstripping. Your Kelly looks identical to mine, but it's hard to tell from that distance. Mine's a "Bonanza 500". Is that your model number ?? And yes, the rubber on mine has that locking strip. If you say it matches, that's good enough for me. Before I order it though, I'm going to go to some local paint & body shops just to follow through on this. I promise I'll post some pictures of my '66, but I'll do so with shame, 'cause it still is all original with dents dings, faded blue paint...and the cab has a light coat of rust. After the rust appeared, I nicknamed it "Ol' Coppertop". The rust is surface only, so it won't be a problem getting rid of it. The pitting is so superficial that it can be filled in with blue glazing putty or something similar. Probably going to install a NOS RF fender. No bondo here. And I want the gauge (thickness) to match. Thanks again, you guys and this site are awesome !!

 

Question or Two for Glenn...

Glenn, I was looking at the specs on this weatherstripping. There are 3 types that have the separate locking strip...for 1/16" 1/8" or 1/4" body panel thickness. Obviously the 1/16" (one-sixteenth of an inch) would be the closest. Do you think the cab steel is that thick ?? Also, it accepts glass from 3/16" to 1/4". I've never tried to tell what the thickness of the glass is. I was wondering if you have any idea ?? All the glass in my cab is original, except for the piece in the rear hatch. Guess I'll have to inspect it closely. It seems like it's thinner than 3/16 of an inch though. What do you think ?? I'd like to hear your opinion. Going outside right now to look it over, I'll post more info later...Thanks...

 

The glass seems to be 3/16". But my parade got rained on, so I'm going out tomorrow to find out for sure. Also, the locking strip on the original locks into and forms the inner edge of the strip. The visible part has a 1/4 round shape...The Whitney replacement inserts into the middle of the strip. A minor and negligible detail (I hope). J.C. Whitney will send a sample of their stripping for free, so I'm going to check that out... I ran into a fellow today that was driving a 1952 Chevrolet 4X4 P/U. It's a frame-off restoration. Absolutely beautiful. Flawless. The guy who restored it is a local resident. I found out how to contact him. I'm going to drive my Jeep over to his place and see if he can hook me up with some resources for getting this Kelly cab back like it was. Could be a dead end, but who knows ? He owns an auto parts store, so I'm hoping he has some good connections. We'll see...Glenn, your help is priceless, and I appreciate everything you're doing. I'll post more tomorrow. Talk to you then. Many thanks.

 

There is a product that comes on rolls with a glossy paper in betweern layers. It is about an inch to inch and a quarter wide and 1/4 inch thick.

The material is like a roll of putty - you'd put it down and bolt the pieces together and take a utility knife and cut the excess off.

At one point in time it was called 'cling', but I don't know if that name still exists.

This product is used in the floral business, so you might check with a local florist or florist supply house.

I know they still make the product (just not sure about the brand name cling) because I saw some a year or so ago. It came in either white or green.