Jeff Neal wrote:
Happy holidays! I just purchased a '67 Spitfire that has
the original steel
factory hard top. About ten years ago, the previous owner
had it resprayed
when he had the car repainted. Unfortunately, the rubber
gasket around the
glass was painted over as well. My first inclination of
course was to
simply buy a new gasket, but according to my Spitbits and
Victoria British
catalogs, these seals are no longer available. Though I
live in San Diego,
CA and doubt that I'll ever have occasion to use the
hardtop, I would like
to restore it to perfect condition nonetheless. Once the
rubber has been
given a coat of paint, am I just out of luck? Or is there a
way to strip
the paint without destroying the rubber beneath it?
Jeff
Can't remember where it was but only recently, I read an
article by a guy who had just restored a hardtop like yours
and the rear window rubber was knackered too. I believe they
are NLS in the UK too but he got round it by using a
Spitfire windscreen rubber that was just a little bit longer
and only needed trimming. Result was a perfect watertight
seal and it looked authentic. Why not go that way?
Unfortunately, I don't have a hardtop immediately to hand in
the kitchen drawer to check things out.
Jonmac
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