Door /Hatch (estate) seals

[Forkie]

Another 'small 'issue i have come across after a decade and a half of lay up is the total failure of doors / hatch (Estate) seals. I gave it it's first wash in a decade and a half - water everywhere. Good job i had copious amounts of rags at hand
So my question is - i assume i now also need a full set of door/hatch seals - ( Mine are like concrete). Who is the best supplier, how best to be remove the original, and how best to fit the new ?
Regards, Nige

[johnnydog]

Original / genuine door seals, in my experience, are infinitely better than the majority of replacement aftermarket seals, but originals are now very difficult to find.
Originals had a moulded 90 degree corner by the B pillar, which many aftermarket rubbers don't have. The rubber in the originals was a firmer compound than aftermarket versions, which kept their shape better. Problems associated with aftermarket rubbers generally results from the doors having dropped slightly, which causes the door frame on the drivers door, which suffered the most, to be nearer the stainless trim on the B pillar. This in turn causes the rubber to drag across the trim, and being a softer compound, they tend to turn over on themselves and stick out of the door frame when the door shuts. Softer compounds tend to have better sealing qualities, but overall, original firmer seals are far better in my experience, but you are now restricted to what is currently available.
The old door seals will just pull out of the channel around the door frame - fitting replacements is much more time consuming! I find that a small amount of either silicone, red rubber grease or fairy liquid helps to feed the new rubber into the channel - push the inner edge in by hand and using a small flat bladed screwdriver to slide along the lubricated rubber to feed the other side into the channel, pausing every foot or so to allow it to retain its original length without being stretched.
Others may be able to give suppliers of decent quality seals as I haven't recent experience of the quality of those available currently.
COH Baines used to supply high quality windscreen seals for our cars (far better than other suppliers, especially one based in Lincoln) and in the absence of genuine original seals, they may be worth contacting to see if they have the correct profile and the firmer compound for door seals?

[Forkie]

Hi John,
Yet again, the answer i expected !!!! Original is best, but hard to find....I think to be honest the rear hatch seems to be the worst for leakage, it is so hard ,it is no wonder it leaks. Hence why i do not wish to take it out on mucky days, as it will then need a wash at some point !!!!!
I did have a bit of a poke around at the lower edge of the rear hatch rubber earlier - i am not seeing the channel you have mentioned regarding the doors - it appears to be just 'glued ' to the internal lip - does that seem correct?
I will look up COH Baines in any case, and see what they say. Many thanks for that tip.
Then, after that, it will be front and rear 1/4 light rubbers, rear luggage area glass rubbers ( i bet they are even rarer) ' door window drop rubbers....
Endless !!!!!!

[johnnydog]

Hi Nige,
The door seal rubbers fit in a thin welded on channel that goes all the way round the frame of the door itself, although it is only usually the section at the bottom of the door that corrodes

The boot seal on Mk1 and PFL Mk2 models was glued into the recess on the lid. On FL models, it was fitted to the lip of the boot aperture. Having never had an estate, I'm not sure of the attachment method of the tailgate seal (especially as it was a Mk1 rear end...). However, a glued seal on earlier models can be replaced by the push on type for later models - mainly depends if you prefer originality!
The front quarter light rubbers are not easy to replace. As the rubber is one piece, the rivit of the hinge on the longer section has to be separated to get the rubber around the quarter light. Then re riviting them as original is the problem. Probably better if you look at your existing ones and it should be obvious now I've highlighted the issue rather than me trying to describe it!! Complete new old stock quarter lights with the rubber fitted do come up now and then for sensible money and in a lot of respects, it is the easier option to replace the rubber and quarter light as one. Although there were different types fitted over the model years...

[Forkie]

That was a lot of useful info !!! Ok so i'm looking for a set of hens teeth within a needle of a haystack. That's ok, i can bear that, as it will not be out and about as a daily, or out in bad weather. I can deal with that. Having had another look this evening,and as i thought it is definately the rear hatch seal that is past it, and randomly the O/S rear door window scraper seal as it is proper split. The other 3 door window scraper seals are not looking too bad, just 'hard'. All 4 1/4 lights look reasonable - although at the front on both sides there seems to be a gap at the rear of the quarterlight to the main window scraper - not sure if that is normal. As for the doors, I would think in normal rain conditions they may be ok, due to the guttering overhang from the roof - but i was angling a watering can (hosepipe ban down here still, inspite of massive rainfall) upwards to the underside of the said guttering.
One aside though - i was not aware of differing quarterlights over differing years !!!?
And ref door sags - oddly enough the only door on mine that drops on opening is the rear N/S ? Drivers door is fine, no indication of coming close to the central pillar at all.

Regards,Nige

[johnnydog]

That was a lot of useful info !!! Ok so i'm looking for a set of hens teeth within a needle of a haystack. That's ok, i can bear that, as it will not be out and about as a daily, or out in bad weather. I can deal with that. Having had another look this evening,and as i thought it is definately the rear hatch seal that is past it, and randomly the O/S rear door window scraper seal as it is proper split. The other 3 door window scraper seals are not looking too bad, just 'hard'. All 4 1/4 lights look reasonable - although at the front on both sides there seems to be a gap at the rear of the quarterlight to the main window scraper - not sure if that is normal. As for the doors, I would think in normal rain conditions they may be ok, due to the guttering overhang from the roof - but i was angling a watering can (hosepipe ban down here still, inspite of massive rainfall) upwards to the underside of the said guttering.
One aside though - i was not aware of differing quarterlights over differing years !!!?
And ref door sags - oddly enough the only door on mine that drops on opening is the rear N/S ? Drivers door is fine, no indication of coming close to the central pillar at all.

Regards,Nige

The various quarter lights will fit all models - the differences between models was only minor. Very early cars had a chromed vertical guide piece (the rearmost of the complete unit that goes from the top to near the bottom of the door), whereas later versions were stainless. The cover of the handle was chrome on early cars, whereas some later cars was stainless. The only other difference was the size of the triangular section (with the drip 'lip') at the 'front' edge forward of the hinge. Early cars had a larger 'triangle' than later cars.
All small differences, and majority wouldn't even know there was any! I have see Triumphs with different quarter lights on each side - probably following a good used door change!

[Forkie]

And i would be one of the majority for sure - i assumed (wrongly ! ) that a quarterlight, is as they say, a quarterlight!!! And i thought i was a stickler for originality It would seem i have a lot to learn......
Regards, Nige