Gluing door rubbers

[HarryHoudini]

Don't use Cyanoacrylate, probably "super glue to you. You will have no control of it, and it won't hold on like the good contact cement.
Do as I suggested, get that Loctite INTO the groove and get it on quickly and hit it so it's in good contact.

Mate..i usually agree with your Posts but your on the wrong tram here,i wish i had a dollar for every door seal i repaired on VN's as they shrunk,but it doesn't matter,each to their own.

 

[VPRob]

I've done a couple now with my superglue. The thicker stuff is the go for this application. The thin stuff would go everywhere and be uncontrollable, as you said Gossie. I use superglue a fair bit in my work so I'm familiar with its qualities. It feels like a really strong bond in this case too.
For most of the way round the seal (on my VP) there's actually not really a groove to seat the rubber into. It just bonds to the plastic that sits over a metal lip. The plastic sill is a seperate part that sits above and that the seal is not actually bonded to.

 

[MasterOfReality]

I took mine off, cleaned both surfaces to get off the old glue, wiped with a solvent (can't remember, maybe acetone) and then used araldite. Still going strong 4 years later.

 

[VPRob]

I took mine off, cleaned both surfaces to get off the old glue, wiped with a solvent (can't remember, maybe acetone) and then used araldite. Still going strong 4 years later.

Couple of things here.
1. Acetone will attack many surfaces and I would approach most plastics (and painted surfaces) with caution if thinking of using acetone. It can do a lot of damage, although it is a good cleaner on surfaces it doesn't damage.
2. How did you hold the rubber in place while the araldite set? As I mentioned above there is no rebate for the rubber to press into for much of its length. If the whole rubber was unglued it could be quite difficult to get it correctly positioned and hold it there for the time required for an epoxy to set. I guess with the 5 minute variety you could do it in sections and make it manageable. I guess also use masking tape where needed and close the door on it
For what it's worth I have done mine (sections only, but some of them fairly long) with thick superglue. I have it on hand and get it from Stewart MacDonald luthier (guitar making) supplies. You'll find them under stewmac. The thick variety doesn't run and get out of control and it allows some time for re-positioning but holds the rubber in place in a minute or 2 so you can do it in sections. This is important cos there is nothing to hold the rubber in place for quite a bit of the circumference. Once I had a manageable length glued and sitting correctly I would close the door on it and give it a few minutes so it would be secure and not lose its position when I glued the next section. Once fully set the bond is very strong and I am confident it will not let go again.
Thanks Harry for the suggestion because I would not have thought of it without your response.

 

[HarryHoudini]

Couple of things here.

Thanks Harry for the suggestion because I would not have thought of it without your response.

No worries,tricks of the used car trade,Series 1 VN's had ill fitting door seals,they were too tight out of the factory and as they shrunk they split.VN 11 forward were a bit better.
Also the glue they used on the interior window sealer strip and other seals was not formulated correctly and fell apart after a year or 2. Yay for super glue.

 

[VPRob]

No worries,tricks of the used car trade,Series 1 VN's had ill fitting door seals,they were too tight out of the factory and as they shrunk they split.VN 11 forward were a bit better.
Also the glue they used on the interior window sealer strip and other seals was not formulated correctly and fell apart after a year or 2. Yay for super glue.

I retrieved the interior window sealer strips from the bottom of the doors some years ago and re-glued them. Some of them have failed again so next time it'll be superglue on those too. I've also had glass run channels slide down out of their frames so the windows rattle and bang everytime the door is closed

 

[HarryHoudini]

Yep,the window channels use to fall out or jam.With the early VN's all we did with the door seal rubber is cut it at the middle bottom,re-glue then refit,you then had about 3-4" gap at the bottom which we cut and old seal to cover.

 

[MasterOfReality]

Couple of things here.
1. Acetone will attack many surfaces and I would approach most plastics (and painted surfaces) with caution if thinking of using acetone. It can do a lot of damage, although it is a good cleaner on surfaces it doesn't damage.
2. How did you hold the rubber in place while the araldite set? As I mentioned above there is no rebate for the rubber to press into for much of its length. If the whole rubber was unglued it could be quite difficult to get it correctly positioned and hold it there for the time required for an epoxy to set. I guess with the 5 minute variety you could do it in sections and make it manageable. I guess also use masking tape where needed and close the door on it
For what it's worth I have done mine (sections only, but some of them fairly long) with thick superglue. I have it on hand and get it from Stewart MacDonald luthier (guitar making) supplies. You'll find them under stewmac. The thick variety doesn't run and get out of control and it allows some time for re-positioning but holds the rubber in place in a minute or 2 so you can do it in sections. This is important cos there is nothing to hold the rubber in place for quite a bit of the circumference. Once I had a manageable length glued and sitting correctly I would close the door on it and give it a few minutes so it would be secure and not lose its position when I glued the next section. Once fully set the bond is very strong and I am confident it will not let go again.
Thanks Harry for the suggestion because I would not have thought of it without your response.

Acetone worked well, a quick wipe to clean it and all good. Didn't deteriorate the surfaces.

I did it in sections on a workbench and used weights. With my window channels, I also used Araldite on both surfaces, positioned them together, wrapped the length with twine in a criss-cross pattern, and then put weights on it. Let it sit for a day.

I'll probably just buy a new set of door rubbers from Rare Spares or the like if they come apart again.

 

[91SS]

Use sikaflex on door rubbers and use can buy new identical rubber from Clarks to glue on original pinchweld. Acetone would be good for cleaning and glue on pinchweld tying down at intervals with cable ties. Don't use old rubber as it's shrunken.

 

[VPRob]

I use acetone in my work to weld/join lengths of plastic bindings on guitars. Just a drop is enough to do the job. It will soften and attack many plastics. It will strip off acrylic paint (and lots of other paints) faster than most paint strippers. 2 pack paints probably ok but I would test first. Don't say I didn't warn you. I recommend a wax and grease remover (like you would use before painting) It's safe and is formulated for exactly this type of prep work.
I was just gluing sections of my rubbers that had come unglued so it was not an out of the car job. Probably 75% of the rubbers were still securely in place. Some of the places that did need gluing were where they are glued to the bodywork of the car like on the pillars below, above and around the hinges. Can't take those bits out and put them on the workbench!
There was no sign of shrinkage at all. The rubbers wanted to sit in the correct position but just needed a little (super) glue to hold them there.
It was a quick and easy job. Maybe 1 hour to do all unglued areas on all 4 doors.