Window glass seal & door curtain woes

[oldbury863]

As I said in my previous post, it has been so long since the car was stripped that I am now puzzling over how some things go back together!

Regarding the door glass outer seal: The original one looks like it ended at the quarterlight but a previous post stated that it runs the entire length so which is right? 

There is a 10" stainless trim that fits under where the quarterlight is but how is the door sealed at this point as there is no room for both trim & seal?  Unfortunately not only is the replacement seal not cut to length, but it is taller & has no metal reinforcement making direct comparison of little use.

Regarding the door curtain(s): I stupidly threw away the originals so now I have no idea what I should have? One post suggested the curtain just hangs from the glass but other posts talk of the curtain being attached to the door to form a U shape. There is also mention in the manual of a curtain being attatched to the inner seal so are there 2 curtains or one? I am also open to suggestions on what/where to buy suitable door curtain material. Hope someone can clarify this please.

 

 

 

[RobPearce]

The outer seal should run the full length of the door but have the lip trimmed back where the quarterlight is. Your stainless trim is not original, I think, but could be fitted in place of that part of the rubber seal, affixed with mastic for sealing.

The main door curtain is a plastic sheet that hangs from the bottom of the window glass (clamped in the bottom channel where the winder mechanism attaches). I think it needs to be on the outside, to avoid the winder mechanism, and should be long enough to touch the bottom of the door when up, and flexible enough to readily fold as the window is wound down. Water that gets past the outer rubber seal (and some will!) should run down the outside of this sheet and out of the drain holes. There may be a second curtain (or possibly a split/folded part of the main one) attached to the inner seal at the quarterlight, to catch leaks through that.

You can also get, and it's probably worth fitting, an additional plastic sheet to go between the door and the trim panel. This will afford some protection to the hardboard trim for water that gets past the curtain inside the door.

[oldbury863]

Thanks for the reply, I've now realised that the stainless trim goes on the inside of the door under the quarterlight! However, I've now spotted that the original weatherstrip is reduced in thickness where each clip fits so is only 1.1 mm thick at each point.....but the 'replacement' one is 3.8mm thick its entire length so how on earth can I get the clips to fit?!  The air was blue when attempting this as they just pinged off even trying to use the 'proper' clip tool.🤬 Do I have to purchase extra thick clips or is the original spec weatherstrip available? (& if so where from?)

[RobPearce]

I'm pretty sure Canley sell the correct strip with recesses for the clips

[oldbury863]

Disappointingly, Canley have just got back to me stating that no original spec ones are available as far as they are know but are unaware of any issues with the repro strip they sell. Of course I'm now wondering if theirs is any better than what I already have or it's just that no one has complained to them! The only thing I do know for sure is that I'm not alone in finding this job difficult.....

[RobPearce]

Oh, the job is definitely difficult! Major pain the posterior. But having replaced them on both my Vitesse and my Spitfire moderately recently, I'm sure the parts I bought from Canley had recesses, even if not exactly to original design. Failing that, you would probably have to look for wider clips, but that would put them rather close to the glass for my liking.

[Dave1360]

I did the job on my Vitesse a year or so back using the trim and clips both from Canley.  The trim I bought at the time definitely didn't have recesses and the clips could well have been the wider ones that Richard mentions above.

I also managed it without the clip tool but with a block of wood to push the clips up instead.  Most of the wounds on my arms have since healed...

[oldbury863]

So I decided I would have another go with the outer seals.......but then, during my attempts, the 'flexible' cut length of seal I had, decided to crack right in the middle! Very strange. And annoying.

I cant remember where I purchased them from but I ordered some new ones from 'MEV' instead. These are different, straight and rigid, supplied in a tube & overall larger than my previous ones. More workmanlike I thought...... I then spotted that the clips they supplied are only as thick as the seal itself! Never mind, I'll use the old clips I thought. But the new seal is so tight where the quarterlight is, it wont go in. So I had to take the powerfile to it.......What a lot of faffing around!

Having managed to chip some of the nice new paint trying to get the quarterlight into 'position' (why is it such  a tight fit?), the screw at the front thats normally under a grommet decided to cross thread when attempted to fit it. The final straw was when then the door swung shut on my finger whilst attempting to fit the screw. At that point I decided to walk away, finger throbbing.

I hate those doors.

 

[daver clasper]

Hi. I just used building/rubble sack plastic on mine. just needs to be thin/flexible enough to gather up, as window drops. 

[oldbury863]

Well its been months now and I still haven't fitted the door glass seals!  From my previous post, I had one very soft and bendy seal that split on me and the next type I bought was far too thick for any of the clips. I'm getting desparate now so has anyone tried using the spitfire  /gt6 seals?  I dont know if they are even long enough but they look much more like the originals than the stuff thats simply cut from a roll. I notice 'Bains' sell it and state that theirs has a metal reiforcement. If it at least stays straight whilst fitting the clips that surely has to be a superior product, so why arent the herald ones the same? If anyone can please tell me how long the spit ones are & they are long enough, Ill give it a go. Fingers crossed.