woodward Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 Hello I have a recently purchased surrey backlight seal which I bought from Moss (part of the new batch I think). The screen I am currently trying to fit is a perspex one. The guy I have asked to install it says that the seal is about 4 inches too long. So I am wondering, is the seal really too long, is he fitting it incorrectly or is this a function of the perspex window? Has anyone experienced this before and if so, how did you solve it? Thanks Myles Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Badfrog Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 HelloI have a recently purchased surrey backlight seal which I bought from Moss (part of the new batch I think). The screen I am currently trying to fit is a perspex one. The guy I have asked to install it says that the seal is about 4 inches too long. So I am wondering, is the seal really too long, is he fitting it incorrectly or is this a function of the perspex window? Has anyone experienced this before and if so, how did you solve it? Thanks Myles How can anything be 4 inches TOO long? Seriously, you have several set-ups: alloy original bay with original glass, alloy bay with perspex and glassfiber bay with perspex. I'm quite sure no single seal will fit all situations. I would call Moss and inquire. Or just cut it and use superglue. Cheers I have a glassfiber bay with perspex for really bad weather or winter family drive. I was cautious to use "pump" silicone seal and rivets to avoid your kind of mishap. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
4Mal Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 too short is a problem....too long is an opportunity. I would think that like a lot of seal type products these days, they are cut to a length and not as a perfect fit spare. I garee with badfrog that superglue and a "stanley adjuster" is the way to go. Looking at mine it seems to have been done that way. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tthomson Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 Hello I have a recently purchased surrey backlight seal which I bought from Moss (part of the new batch I think). The screen I am currently trying to fit is a perspex one. The guy I have asked to install it says that the seal is about 4 inches too long. So I am wondering, is the seal really too long, is he fitting it incorrectly or is this a function of the perspex window? Has anyone experienced this before and if so, how did you solve it? Thanks Myles Hi Myles, The previous replies are correct about the length of the seal and the Stanley adjuster, but superglue (cyanoacrylate) is not a suitable glue for flexible materials. It dries hard, You need a flexible glue, that bonds to the seal. I do not know what this should be, but superglue will be a problem over time. There are rubber solvent glues, but the seal may be neoprene based so I advise you to do a bit of Googling to find a suitable adhesive for the seal. TT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Badfrog Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 Hi Myles,The previous replies are correct about the length of the seal and the Stanley adjuster, but superglue (cyanoacrylate) is not a suitable glue for flexible materials. It dries hard, You need a flexible glue, that bonds to the seal. I do not know what this should be, but superglue will be a problem over time. There are rubber solvent glues, but the seal may be neoprene based so I advise you to do a bit of Googling to find a suitable adhesive for the seal. TT I agree, I was just going to modify my post. Superglue is not only rigid, it ages fast and slowly dissolves in water. Definitely neoprene glue. Now there are many brands...... Cheers, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
4Mal Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 I seem to remember a superglue suitable for rubber and seals....saw one at a classic car show I think. I know that they are getting more and more versatile from specialist suppliers. I think there is a supplier in Staffs somewhere. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 Hi Tony, superglue for this application is not too far out of the norm. Remember that when the seal is in place it no longer moves. Superglue will certainly bond all the various rubbery things very well but one will need a type that tolerates damp conditions. Most superglues breakdown in the presence of water but not all. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RandallD Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 (edited) Myles- I think cyanoacrylate is a pretty common adhesive for something like this. For example, here's a commercial link for one product:adhesive We used to fabricate o-rings occasionally using similar adhesive and it certainly bonded well. Not sure about the weathering concerns, however. Before cutting, if you want to compare to one of the other seals, let me know as I have a spare. Four inches too long sounds unusual given other comments about this seal being an improvement. Randy Edited February 13, 2009 by RandallD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smokey Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 I have used cyanoacrylate for inserting grommets into the firewall without removing the wire or cable, so far with success. The body shop showed me how to do it - just use a razor to cut the grommet from the outside edge to the hole in the centre, slip it over the cable, and then glue to slit back together, leaving the joint at the bottom. For the rear trunk/bonnet seal, mine was delivered as a single length, and we used 3M Weatherstrip Adhesive to glue the ends together once we had the right length. The joint is at the bottom, right next to the latch. For the backlight seal, you might want to cut the adjoining pieces at an angle so as to have more surface area for glueing. That seems to be the way my windshield seal is manufactured. Using the right glue is obviously critical, but 3M seems to have worked on my bonnet seal. The other possibility (which I haven't tried) is the glue used to repair neoprene wet suits. I used that in my dinghy racing days, and it did the job. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 If you do have to cut seals of any description its always best to allow for some "shrinkage" in service. i.e. leave them a bit long and when fitting push back on the seal as you fit, it also means on screen type seals they fill the corners properly. Especially relevent on rear surrey seals. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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