Header Seal..The new concept..

[chrisP]

Can you give us an idea of which donor car, is good for the seal that runs across the roof between the a-post seals?
Cheers in advance

[simonbuk]

Jamie was given some seals by a scrap yard man but unfortunately didn't know what they were off so unable to help further.

Think we've got to start trawling scrap yards !!

[chrisP]

Oh that is a shame, I will be crawling around a few yards soon - a winter project!!

[epipete]

So what were the seals used and how were they joined together so they look like one piece ?

This is the million $ question, I can familiarise myself with any number of scrap yards but how do you 'shape' the joins, and what with?

Truly, this is impressive work.

[Jamie N]

The actual seal that I have on my Elan is custom made from different sections guys so its not a seal you can go and take off another car, however the good news is there are other alternatives that are capable of performing just as well, one of the better ones of the different seals i have made the front header from was the one on a Ford Cougar, the seal that the door shuts against, its a pillarless door and the seal is on the frame of the car, not on the door. The other small profile seal which attaches to the hood where the nasty old seal was, can be found on any older small Mazda (323/5 etc) or a Toyota Aygo, its a long strip located under the bonnet rear edge pinned to the plastic trim that surrounds the wiper mechanism. These EPDM seals will only really work if you already have EPDM A pillar seals as they wont bond to the originals very well, not that you would want to bond anything to rotted sponge . There are several ways of bonding EPDM and making a good permanent bond, Google is your friend!.

If you are good with your hands its a project well worth taking on, putting the header seal on the top windscreen ledge truly is the way to go (Its how most modern convertibles are sealed), but be aware, if you manage to pull it off and construct something so very neat, tidy and waterproof you may well be chastised, scorned,talked and lied about behind your back by certain individuals for daring to be so avante garde!, but we have a saying in Scotland which is the perfect response to the dissers.... "Get it right up you".

[muley]

[Steve A]

I went to a breakers yard today and bagged some Cougar seals

[lotusflasherman]

I went to a breakers yard today and bagged some Cougar seals

better not tell my wife "I'm looking for a Cougar"...

[HJ2]

[Steve A]

[HJ2]

Hmmmzzzz... Cougar Seals....

[Steve A]

Hmmmzzzz... Cougar Seals....

Watch this space

I would have thought the Ford Cougar was a rarer sight in the Netherlands

[Jamie N]

Nice one Steve, good to see someone taking on the task of replacing the worst seal on an Elan !, mind any advice needed just ask .

[Steve A]

Today I had a look at the possibilities of using the Cougar seal.
This is how it sits in the gully without any alterations, I then cut away the "leading leg" with a stanley knife for a better fit (photo to follow)



This is a before and after with the leg removed (LHS)



This is with the roof closed and the seal held roughly in position , ideally it would be more flush with the edge when secured
but this is just a dry run



There are plenty of things to figure out yet but it's a promising start

[simonbuk]

Keep us posted ! I have just joined the Ford Cougar owners club in the hope that they might be able to help !

Can't quite see what bit you cut away ? How are yoh going to deal with the corners/ends ?

[Steve A]

Keep us posted ! I have just joined the Ford Cougar owners club in the hope that they might be able to help !

Can't quite see what bit you cut away ? How are yoh going to deal with the corners/ends ?

You will be able to see where I cut when I post the other cross section photo (I can't get to it until I get back home )

As far as ends and corners go I'm still in the process of figuring that little problem out, the relationship between the front upper window seal
the A pillar and the Header seal will not only have to be pleasing to the eye but most important of all WATER TIGHT.

Earth calling the seal wrangler

[Steve A]

This has "the leg" removed



Easier to spot the difference

[chrisP]

Great work, the photos help alot.

I purchased some Loctite 480 glue for joining the seals, you seem to have to abrade the seal and clean with alcohol - I am still working on getting a good bond

[Steve A]

Great work, the photos help alot.

I purchased some Loctite 480 glue for joining the seals, you seem to have to abrade the seal and clean with alcohol - I am still working on getting a good bond

Hi Chris,

I'm a big fan of Q Bond as seen on you tube (yes it really is that good) you can get it on eBay, not that there's anything wrong with 480, I'm just sticking with what I've used before.
I used Q Bond to join the two Cougar seals end to end as one seal isn't quite long enough, a bit fiddly but done and ready for the next stage.

[Steve A]

I've had a busy day



All the glueing was straight forward, I think I achieved a good clean join.



I am pleased with the result, the join's are easily strong enough.



It's not finished yet but I've come along way.