Header Seal..The new concept..

[Jamie N]

It's finally here! , This is a radical departure from the original setup, basically what I have done is turned the whole scenario upside down, instead of a sponge header with 2 side sections built in we now have a proper rubber seal which sits on top of the upper windscreen support (the way most modern soft tops are, inc S2000 and MX5) but the most radical part is it now has a pair of A pillar seals built in!, so its now a 1 piece seal which completly nails the Header and A pillar seal problem in one go .

On the roof where the original seal was removed, it leaves behind a mess of spongey bits which can take a fair while to clean off, after i did that i installed a small profile hollow rubber seal into the space, this has 2 functions... to make it look presentably tidy and it gives an extra bit of sealing as it lands on top of the new seal on top of the screen support.
On the section where the original side seals were i have made EPDM replacements which conform perfectly to the new seal, the originals can be modified slightly to fit also.
The hood closes onto it with a nice firm pressure and also looks incredibly neat and tidy with no "burst lip" sticking out the gap, there is also a little channel in the seal whereby water runs along and down the side of the A pillar bracket.









It's not the easiest thing to portray in pictures, looks so much better in the.... rubber .

[Brianabbot]

That looks brilliant, really neat and a nice smooth look to the top of the screen. Glad I just bought new a pillar seals, your idea looks way better!

[tb10]

In a word "WOW"......

[HJ2]

I humbly bow to you o master of the seals

And now: Groupbuy!

[par]

Fantastic work again Jamie

It is a pity Lotus didnt have someone with your ability working on the seals originally, think of all those wet knees they could have prevented

[Giniw]

Woot, it looks nice!

[SimonR]

That looks superb ! .... yep I'll take one

[lotusrepair]

What is the cost and how to order????

chris

[Rambo]

Fantastic work again Jamie

It is a pity Lotus didnt have someone with your ability working on the seals originally, think of all those wet knees they could have prevented

Totally agree Scott

[Candles]

26 years..... Well done!

[Simon_P]

Just one point - if you make it one piece you may seal the ends and water may pool in the header rail... until it comes down and over the rear view mirror!

Also did you notice the drain holes in the header rail that lotus used presumably to stop this happening they are well hidden and not well documented in the WSM.

[Jamie N]

Fantastic work again Jamie

It is a pity Lotus didnt have someone with your ability working on the seals originally, think of all those wet knees they could have prevented

Totally agree Scott

You been drinking Mark? .

Simon, the water test has been applied and not a single drip got past the seals, the only pool was on the ground where it should be, when I first fitted it you could tell just by looking that it was going to be waterproof (you develop a feel for these things ), the front of the seal is bonded on with a bead of Tiger seal and the roof closed until its dry, then on the inboard side of the lip that fills the gap between the roof and the screen trim there is a channel in the seal that runs to each A pillar and down the sides of the bracket where there is a V between it and the windscreen trim, then on top of that you have the hollow oval seal on the roof itself which is compressed onto the main body of the new seal, the A pillar seals are also fitted in the perfect position for the lip to fold over the edge of the side window glass as well, this setup renders it virtually impermeable to rainwater. Any drain holes on the header rail are irrelevant as no water can actually get to it, it certainly does with the original sponge though.

Like I said above its not easy to convey it accurately in pictures, its only when you stand beside it and see the set up that you then say "Ahh, right.. I see how it works now!"" .

[SimonR]

No need to talk it up Jamie .... just get back in the garage on the production line .......

[Scott J]

Fantastic work again Jamie

It is a pity Lotus didnt have someone with your ability working on the seals originally, think of all those wet knees they could have prevented

Jamie is a genius .

[maz_r]

Great stuff Jamie.

If I send you my A pillar seals that I haven't fitted yet ( ), can you upgrade them to this great solution????

[Simon_P]

Jamie,

I get the idea, just pointing out a leakage path that you may not have been able to test in heavy rain whilst braking hard (you develop a feel for these things ). And the drain holes that most people don't know exist and don't work anyway.

It is a pity Lotus didnt have someone with your ability working on the seals originally, think of all those wet knees they could have prevented

Lotus didn't have time, they subcontracted the hood to Tickford who would only take on the job without the seals (nobody else would take it at all). When they got the hood there was no sealing strategy and no time. Jamie has all day unlike assembling on a production line where there are a matter of minutes. Our cars are unique so to get a good seal it has to be tailored to the car. It is a question of constraints rather than ability.

[Neill1607]

I'd quite happily part with money for new version as I'm sooooo impressed with the other seals Jamie has worked his magic on.

Where are the drain holes at the top of the windscreen & where do they drain to? Just wondered if they may have anything to do with my on-going problems.

[Danevansgolf]

Firstly, well done. The seals look amazing..
Also can I purchase a set please. I have your a pillar seals and haven't fitted them yet, so is it possible for you to modify them into the header seal, I'll just send them back to you. How much????? And how long did this new design take you?? Congrats again jamie. Truly well done.

[rdodger]

That looks great!

If you were to make a batch I would be interested.

[lotusles]

That looks great!

If you were to make a batch I would be interested.

Ditto Please