I have, with UK-sourced seals, but I installed them when I had to have the
windscreen glass replaced, and used the fore and aft adjustment on the
screen to set the 'depth of engagement', which should be barely touching
i.e. not compressed at all. Compression of the seals isn't the main problem
as that merely pushes the 1/4-light along the length of the door, a
direction in which it is very rigid. The biggest problem comes when there
is insufficient clearance between the *side* of the 1/4-light frame and the
very thin flange of rubber sticking out from the seal. Even with the low
levels of scuttle shake on the MGB it is when the screen pushes the
1/4-light frame back and fore *sideways* that you are likely to get the
crack of doom. Having said that compression of the seal is an issue, but
probably only with new seals. When closing the door if the 1/4-light frame
engages with the seal too soon it tends to get pushed out sideways in the
last few degrees of door closing, which is what we are trying to avoid.
Furthermore despite having clearance between the frames, because of the
stiction between new rubber (or old rubber if compressed too much) and
1/4-light frame what little scuttle-shake there is *will* all be transferred
into sideways movement of the frame. Talc or baby powder may help, which is
something I hadn't though about before. My old seals were smooth, shiny and
slippy so it wasn't an issue with them.
As Hunt's Eighth Law states: "If you haven't found a use for something yet,
you haven't kept it long enough" so I not only still have the old seals but
also the offcuts from the new ones. Uncompressed from the face of the
bulbous part of the seal to the flat face on the back measures from 0.635"
to 0.65" depending on where along the seal I measure. The new offcut
measures 0.665". At its widest part between the faces that would be
squeezed together as the door closes, the hole down the middle of the seal
measures from 0.28" to 0.29" and the new seal 0.3". Compressed with finger
pressure it is about 0.45".
But as I say, the most important thing is that with the door closed the seal
shouldn't be compressed at all, just touching, for which you are going to
need a clearance of about *5/8"*. There must also be a clearance all the
way up between the side of the 1/4-light frame and the thin flange of the
seal. Finally, I believe there is a design weakness in the door skin that
allows pressure on the frame to slit the skin, and this can be strengthened
by welding a small piece in, although really this is a job that can only be
done when the door is due to be painted anyway. For more details of this
you might like to see http://www.mgb-stuff.org.uk/wn_bodyframe.htm
and click on 'Doors'.
PaulH.
----- Original Message -----
>I am in the process of installing new rubber gaskets between the windshield
> and quarter light windows...
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