I have suddenly found myself in a struggle trying to install a new rubber seal around the tailgate of the Yellow Peril, my '73 145E. This is an effort to reduce the amount of exhaust I breathe on the way to Carlisle and back in a couple weeks.
I got the weatherstrip from our fine friends at VP-Autoparts. The label says it fits 145, 245 and 265.
The old one was black rubber foam throughout, but the new one is solid rubber where the strip fits into the channel and black rubber foam starting maybe 1/4" up from there. The solid rubber is a little harder to compress and when you compress it, the flanges seem to face up rather than down, so it is hard to get into the channel. I tried putting a thin film of grease on the near side of the channel hoping that would help it slip into place, and it does, somewhat, but it also slips OUT of place.
I started at center bottom at the tailgate's drain hole and went across toward the driver's side and managed to get it around the bend and up the side but once I got to the place where the strut holds the tailgate open it seemed more difficult both to get the strip into place and also to KEEP it in place. I have gotten to the top of the tailgate but can't seem to get around the bend to go across the top.
I am using a flat steel puttyknife, since I could not lay hands on an appropriate wooden one.
So I guess the questions are:
Is there an easier way to do this?
Should I try to get or make a wooden pusher?
Should I not have put the grease on? I couldn't seem to get the stuff
to go in at all without it.

Any suggestions will be most gratefully appreciated!
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George Downs Bartlesville, Oklahoma