Is there a trick to fitting rubber door seals?

[tr3a]

I'm currently reassembling a Volvo P120 (Amazon) with a mate, after it's been resprayed. There are rubber profiles (draught excluders) around the doors and at the front and the back of the engine compartment. These are of the dual hardness type, where the hard, mushroom-shaped part is locked up in a steel channel. Easy enough to remove, but a diabolical job to put new ones back in. I've found the same channels and dual hardness type rubber profiles on a Triumph Spitfire hardtop and on TR3A doors.

I've been messing with a screwdriver up till now, but it's hard and tedious work. I was wondering, is there a trick to fitting these? There must be, as I can't see a factory worker fitting these the way I'm doing them now.

And now that I have your attention: what do I use to glue down the boot surround sealing rubber? It looks like the old one was glued, but not with regular contact cement or anything like Sikaflex. Any ideas?

[jith]

tr3a said:

I'm currently reassembling a Volvo P120 (Amazon) with a mate, after it's been resprayed. There are rubber profiles (draught excluders) around the doors and at the front and the back of the engine compartment. These are of the dual hardness type, where the hard, mushroom-shaped part is locked up in a steel channel. Easy enough to remove, but a diabolical job to put new ones back in. I've found the same channels and dual hardness type rubber profiles on a Triumph Spitfire hardtop and on TR3A doors.

I've been messing with a screwdriver up till now, but it's hard and tedious work. I was wondering, is there a trick to fitting these? There must be, as I can't see a factory worker fitting these the way I'm doing them now.

And now that I have your attention: what do I use to glue down the boot surround sealing rubber? It looks like the old one was glued, but not with regular contact cement or anything like Sikaflex. Any ideas?

Your door seals are fitted effortlessly if you have an aperture fitting tool which used to be available from Snap On. Do you have a dealer near you or do you know of a friendly garage that Snap On supply to and you could ask one of the mechanics to order it for you.
You might also try Popular Classics mag as there are dozens of ads in there from specialist tool dealers.
Fit your glue on seals always with Sikaflex; it is an aircraft quality sealing and bonding agent and nothing comes close to it.
There is only one snag and that is the seal cannot be removed without destroying it if you bond it on, but there would be no reason to remove it anyway other than accident damage.
Sikaflex will make a totally watertight bond between the seal and the body shell, preventing ingress and water lying in the channel which of course causes rust.

Edited by jith on Saturday 7th April 11:19

[tr3a]

jith said:

Your door seals are fitted effortlessly if you have an aperture fitting tool which used to be available from Snap On.

The current Snap-on web site doesn't list anything like that. I have an old (1997) Snap-on catalogue that lists a '10-in-1 trim tool' that can also be used as a door trim installer. Not available any more, though. There are many other useful things in that catalogue they don't seem to carry any more, like hog ring pliers. Last time I needed those, I made my own from an old pair of alligator pliers.
Ah well, not too keen on Snap-on anyway, as I generally find them way overpriced. When I treated myself to a Snap-on AF spanner set years ago (they do last), I had to put the whole family on short rations for a month.

I've gone through my trusty Facom bible as well, but there's nowt in there, either. I guess I'll have to make my own tool again. An appropriately bent/grinded bicycle spoke in a file handle should do it.

jith said:

You might also try Popular Classics mag as there are dozens of ads in there from specialist tool dealers.

I'll have a look. But I'm outside the UK and on a tight budget as well as in a hurry, so I'll probably end up concocting a tool of my own.

jith said:

Fit your glue on seals always with Sikaflex; it is an aircraft quality sealing and bonding agent and nothing comes close to it.
There is only one snag and that is the seal cannot be removed without destroying it if you bond it on, but there would be no reason to remove it anyway other than accident damage.
Sikaflex will make a totally watertight bond between the seal and the body shell, preventing ingress and water lying in the channel which of course causes rust.

The old seal didn't look original fitment anyway. I'll use Sikaflex 221.

Thanks for your comments. Much appreciated.

[tr3a]

Well, I've done it. A putty knife and some liquid soap are all that's needed to fit dual hardness mushroom seals. Still a fairly laborious job for the unexperienced, but it's doable.

And Sikaflex is great stuff, it sticks to absolutely everything. You don't want it on your hands though - it'll take at least a week to wear off. Wear latex gloves.

[incorrigible]

Sikaflex, as said before if you're absolutely sure you NEVER want to take the seal off again

Personally I use a contact adheisive for the vast majority of seals, or DumDum sealing compound for things that require sealing agains water ingress but not glueing in place