I could not find anything published about the sealing of the rear-wheel arches.
If anyone can find anything, please flag it up and I'll modify this post accordingly.
It took me nearly 20 years to realise that these sealing flaps are the only things keeping water - and road-muck - out of the boot, to the rear, and the volumes behind the door locks, to the front.
The earlier cars used 4 plates with rubber flanges to seal these gaps, moving to 6 (the rear seals became two components on each side) from cars 850656 and 897024 onwards, if my reading of the J30 parts book is correct.
Thus parts BD.15891/2/4/5 became BD.25200/25201/25198/25199, according to Robey, although they do not appear to list the BD.25363 and BD.25364 that would have completed the 6-part arrangement.
The four French-Curve plates that fulfill the role were not a particularly good fit to the shape of the rear wings on my car, so I split them in several places to adjust their shape, then brazed the gaps ; if I had been smarter and better-prepared I would have done this with TIG, and then I'd have had them hot-galvanised, as they are ripe for rot.
Ideally, I reckon that once fitted the curves should be about 8mm shy of the wing shape, along their length.
The rubber flaps that are then compressed by these curved plates would seem to be best replicated with some sort of EPDM material, but my tests with this in both 2mm and 3mm thicknesses led me to conclude that I got less wrinkling and a better seal when I used fully three thicknesses of much thinner pond-liner EPDM of only 1mm thickness.
Three identical pieces were clamped together with each steel curve, onto a flat surface, using just a bead of black SIKA polyurethane body sealing compound along the centre, to hold them in place, then left to cure ; then you can trim the edges to leave a suitable lip against the wing.
Whilst pushing them hard into place, and having blocked off the previous holes in the shell with blobs of PU sealant,
holes are drilled through the curve and into the shell, pushing rivets into the holes as you go to freeze the position.
It's then worth identifying, particularly at the top of each assembly, what other gaps exist - I had to use more PU sealant than I had expected to make sure water couldn't get over the top of these seals.
A marker pen can be used to show where the lips will lie, once fitted, then upon final assembly you first run a bead of PU sealant along your felt-tip line, push the curves hard into place, pushing the rivets into the holes as you go, and then use the rivet-gun to clamp everything into place definitively.
I suspect this is an oft-neglected aspect of reassembly and hope that this will be of some help to others.
Rear Wheel-Arch Sealing Panels and Flaps
#1 Rear Wheel-Arch Sealing Panels and Flaps
Rory
3.8 OTS S1 Opalescent Silver Grey - built May 28th 1962
3.8 OTS S1 Opalescent Silver Grey - built May 28th 1962
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#2 Re: Rear Wheel-Arch Sealing Panels and Flaps
Rory, that’s a great write up and encouraged me out to the garage to check my OTS project. The metal flanges are there but had large gaps to the rear wings that I filled a while ago with a Sika product which was open for another job on the car. I hadn’t even checked the parts catalogue to realise there should be the rubber seals. Just thought it was a poor fit to the wing and filled it to keep water, muck etc. out of the wings and boot.
Maybe if the metal flanges weren’t already on the car it would have encouraged a better check, but I’m trusting my fix will do the job as well as your proper way.
Many thanks for drawing it to my attention.
Geoff
Maybe if the metal flanges weren’t already on the car it would have encouraged a better check, but I’m trusting my fix will do the job as well as your proper way.
Many thanks for drawing it to my attention.
Geoff
S2 FHC Light Blue
S2 OTS LHD - RHD full restoration
S2 OTS LHD - RHD full restoration
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#3 Re: Rear Wheel-Arch Sealing Panels and Flaps
Is that issue specific to the OTS?
Danny
1962 S1 3.8 FHC (1012/1798)
2015 Range Rover Sport SVR
"Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it."
1962 S1 3.8 FHC (1012/1798)
2015 Range Rover Sport SVR
"Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it."
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#4 Re: Rear Wheel-Arch Sealing Panels and Flaps
Good question Danny.
I can’t see anything in the J30 parts catalogue that ressembles either visually, or in any nomenclature, this sealing principle.
At the same time, whilst not familiar with the coupé, I’d be surprised if the body construction were that radically different.
Looks like you’re going to have to lie on your back and have a squint, after all
I can’t see anything in the J30 parts catalogue that ressembles either visually, or in any nomenclature, this sealing principle.
At the same time, whilst not familiar with the coupé, I’d be surprised if the body construction were that radically different.
Looks like you’re going to have to lie on your back and have a squint, after all
Rory
3.8 OTS S1 Opalescent Silver Grey - built May 28th 1962
3.8 OTS S1 Opalescent Silver Grey - built May 28th 1962
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#5 Re: Rear Wheel-Arch Sealing Panels and Flaps
It is present only on the ots. The fhc has rear fender liners while the ots does not. There is a good writeup about the differences on the Monocoque Metalworks website.
Geoff Allam
67 series1 ots under restoration
67 series1 ots under restoration
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#6 Re: Rear Wheel-Arch Sealing Panels and Flaps
Can anyone tell me if these rear wheel arch sealing panels with the rubber seals attached should be painted black? I assume they would be fitted (pop-riveted in place) during the assembly line process and so would not be painted in body colour during the main body dip-paint process.
Thanks
Thanks
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#7 Re: Rear Wheel-Arch Sealing Panels and Flaps
The body color was sprayed on, not dip coated.
Steve
'65 S1 4.2 FHC (early)
'65 S1 4.2 FHC (early)
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#8 Re: Rear Wheel-Arch Sealing Panels and Flaps
Thanks for correcting my thoughts on the body being dip painted - but the question is about the colour of the wheelarch sealing panels. Should they be black?
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