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titan3c Samba Member
Joined: February 16, 2012 Posts: 568 Location: Coweta, Oklahoma
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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 7:46 am Post subject: Corner mold windshield seals |
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The windshield seal I received from Kevers doesn't appear to have a corner mold shape. Can anyone enlighten me on this? Have any of you installed one of these seals? I just assumed they will fit on the corners OK. Bob |
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raygreenwood Samba Member
Joined: November 24, 2008 Posts: 21521 Location: Oklahoma City
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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 7:57 am Post subject: Re: Corner mold windshield seals |
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Not sure.
If the seals are original cross section and/or are type 3 cross section....they should flex well enough to not be an issue.
The problematic seals for front and rear windshield...are the late bus seals.
My front windshield still has a gasket from a bay window bus. Its all I could get and did not have time to work out any of the other methods I have been working on. Also when I replaced it....like 1998-99....there were just as few type 3 seal options other than NOS....which where frighteningly expensive back then...so I used the bus.
Because the bus seal has a really thick outer hump compared to type 3 and 4....it has a tendency to buckle slightly on the front windshield corners.
It still seals well....but has slightly odd looks.
I used a bus seal on the left quarter window...which is large on a two door sedan. I literally had to grind and sand the ID and groove of bus gasket to get it to make the tight curve of the rear point on the window.
From what I know of the original profile you should have few if any problems on the front or rear windshield.
Hopefully others will chime in. Ray |
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rickycox Samba Member
Joined: April 14, 2008 Posts: 21 Location: London, England
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Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2016 11:36 am Post subject: Re: Corner mold windshield seals |
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I've used one of their windscreen seals on my 412 Variant and generally they fit ok, the only slight issue is the top corners as because the corners of the seal are not moulded shape it tends to pull the outer edge just off the radius of the metalwork...
I used sealer when fitting the seal into the body and this helped in those top corners. No leaks and looks good...
On another note before I had used a Genuine VW NOS seal and that only lasted 3 years.... bear in mind my car is a daily driver and used in all weather _________________ The Wonky Donkey Emporium
Classic Volkswagen & Porsche Restoration
www.wonkydonkeyemporium.co.uk
Follow us on Twitter - www.twitter.com/thewonkydonkey |
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raygreenwood Samba Member
Joined: November 24, 2008 Posts: 21521 Location: Oklahoma City
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Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2016 1:08 pm Post subject: Re: Corner mold windshield seals |
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rickycox wrote: |
I've used one of their windscreen seals on my 412 Variant and generally they fit ok, the only slight issue is the top corners as because the corners of the seal are not moulded shape it tends to pull the outer edge just off the radius of the metalwork...
I used sealer when fitting the seal into the body and this helped in those top corners. No leaks and looks good...
On another note before I had used a Genuine VW NOS seal and that only lasted 3 years.... bear in mind my car is a daily driver and used in all weather |
Yes.....it can be tough with NOS rubber. Even though it may have been stored in a bag in the dark......its still OLD rubber.
Almost all types of rubber change/age over time. It takes a portion of its life away.
In reality.....though we as ancient VW owners have gotten away with murder.....meaning a great many have seals that still seal (though they are no longer very flexible).....at 30-40 years old.....IF....they are undisturbed.
In actuality I found early on that the seals real/useful lifespans....meaning the ability to stay pliable enough to move around a bit on cars that may be undergoing a lot of work.....is about 10 years.
I got my first 411 ....a 1972 4 door.....in 1979 with 55k miles on it. It was an Oklahoma/Texas car. Meaning.....hot summers, wet springs, winters at freezing or worse.....but sunlight year round. By 1981 and close to 100k miles......they were leaking at the sharp corners....meaning lower edge of windshield and rear quarters.
They still looked ok.....were still straight....but getting that split/crack in the outer lip in the corners.
If 10 years outside is about the real pliable limit......indoors in the dark for 30 years will easily take half of that or maybe more.
EPDM is tough stuff but does not last forever. Ray |
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