Are The Doors Of A 3-Door Longer Than A 5-Door?

[MiltyG565]

As per title - I want to know if the doors of the 3 door Mk1 Focus are longer than the doors of the 5 door version.

I know, historically, Ford has made 3 and 5 door versions different (look at the Mk2 Escort - Very noticeably different door sizes between the 3 and 5 door models).

Basically, I've twigged on the that rust at the bottom of my driver's and passenger's door is caused by ill-fitting rubbers around the window. So I want to harvest larger rubber seals from another Focus, then trim them in very tight (as they are on my Mother's Ford Galaxy. No rust since 2001!).

Can I do that? Is it possible? I've done a couple of searches online to try and find a "blank" rubber; I.E, one that hasn't been cut to fit anything, but it didn't return much useful.

[Stoney871]

The doors are longer on a 3 door.

Try eBay, there could possibly be new seals listed.

[MiltyG565]

Yes, there will be new seals listed, but what guarantee would I have that they aren't exactly the same as the ones already on my car? (The answer is none :P ).

Ohh, you mean new seals for the 3 door! It's been a long day for me

Edited April 24, 2014 by MiltyG565

[FOCA]

Rust on the bottom of the front doors can also be caused by stones coming off the front wheels

[Nighthawk]

Or the drain holes could be blocked but generally it will rust wherever moisture can settle. I doubt a 3 door seal will fit as they are moulded to the shape and the corners will be in the wrong place.

Sent from my HUAWEI Ascend P2 using Ford OC mobile app

[MiltyG565]

Rust on the bottom of the front doors can also be caused by stones coming off the front wheels

The rust is on the inside of the door, though. I think it's settling at the bottom of the door. The drain holes aren't blocked. I took the door panel off last week to have a peek inside one of the door, and water basically just runs down parts of the inside of the door. I sprayed a load of waxoyl into the cavity and around the door handle to try and stem the flow. It's hard to tell how successful that's been, though (especially since I stupidly bought black waxoyl!).

[JW1982]

It is completely normal that some rainwater runs through the inside of the doors. The rubber seals below the windows are not completely waterproof. There will Always be some water running into the doors through the seals and the windows. New rubber seals will probably only reduce the amount of water which runs through the doors.

I suspect your car has the classic Ford rust problem on the inside of the doors. This problem is caused by the waterbased sealant which is used to seal all flanges of the bodywork. After some time the waterbased sealant becomes hardened/cracked. Because there is no paint under the sealant rainwater can enter the cracks in the sealant and causes the bodywork to rust. On many cars Ford repaired this problem under warranty. Because the usually did a cheap fix the rust can also be spread to the inside of the doors.

the only good solution for this problem is to remove the sealant completely, remove any rust and afterwards reseal and spray paint (parts of the doors) again. My 2005 Focus MK2 did also have this problem. At that ime the car was only 4 years old. After a lot of arguing with Ford about warranty I took my car to a local bodyshop to replace all sealant.

[MiltyG565]

You're probably right, but how do I get all the old sealant off?

Also - Isn't it a little pointless unless I at least try to stop some of the water ingress?

[artscot79]

what hes saying is all cars will get water inside the doors thats the purpose of the drain holes you cant stop it unless you seal the entire window and never again want to open it but you can help to stem the rust either way it will eventully rust anyway as its the uk gritty crappy roads and rubbish wet damp humid weather unless you garage the car

the rubbers are designed to allow the window to move if you watch the window frame and put it up and down as it tightens closed the frame actually adjusts to compensate ill fitting rubbers or any tighter will prevent the window closing properly and cause extra friction on the window motor which may burn it out quicker

on some cars its not much of an issue but as said cheap nasty seam sealant along with poor galvanisation by ford and thin paint inside the door do not help some other cars ive had have the inside of the door fully painted with rust treatment added so 10 years plus on theres no rust

also as said the wheels and design of the focus throws water right at the bottom of the door at 70mph that spray will be like grit blasting so water still gets to the door that way

[JW1982]

If the sealant is hardened it can usually be removed using a small screwdriver or paint scraper. Afterwards it may be nescessary to remove the remaining sealant with a sanding machine. I use a small pneumatic Rotary sander for these purposes.

If the rust has already spread too far it may be better to replace the door. My experience is that focus mk1 bodywork can be found at scrapyards for relative low prices.

[MiltyG565]

If the sealant is hardened it can usually be removed using a small screwdriver or paint scraper. Afterwards it may be nescessary to remove the remaining sealant with a sanding machine. I use a small pneumatic Rotary sander for these purposes.

If the rust has already spread too far it may be better to replace the door. My experience is that focus mk1 bodywork can be found at scrapyards for relative low prices.

Yes, I'm going to replace the front doors. My uncle's Mk1 Focus is about to die, and when it goes, I'm going to have it for parts. The front doors on it are good. The rear doors aren't great, although probably a bit better than the ones in my car.

The boot door too. The top-most part of the door has rusted, as well as a bit of rust down in the corners.