Door Seals again! (in 2024)

[MikeM]

Apologies if I'm rehashing this again. I've had a look through the forum and I see that Mitsubishi FTO door seals offer a possible solution for the Elan.
However, inevitably, they are not exactly common now. Has anyone had any luck modifying any other (more available, new or otherwise) door seals? Or any suggestions as to any possible seals that might be modifiable for the task in hand?

Thanks, Mike

[Tuga2112]

Apologies if I'm rehashing this again. I've had a look through the forum and I see that Mitsubishi FTO door seals offer a possible solution for the Elan.
However, inevitably, they are not exactly common now. Has anyone had any luck modifying any other (more available, new or otherwise) door seals? Or any suggestions as to any possible seals that might be modifiable for the task in hand?

Thanks, Mike

nothing that im aware of, neither the forum or facebook groups.

however that doesn't mean solutions are not out there, when it comes to lotus. people who own and maintain the older rare models (europa, eclat, elite) are very resourcefull. theres a chance you may find someone in a different owners club who made their own seals for the [insert model] back in 200x and just did the same when their m100 needed. and because their main car is not the m100. its never been documented.

the problem is finding these people. I know of a couple of M100 owners who are active in europa and cortina circles but their vast knowledge of cars certainly applies to the m100.

[Jamie N]

I've been on these many times over the years, having access to hundreds of modern breakers in the yard at the end of our road has allowed me to experiment with multiple different
designs and has lead to the conclusion it's hardly worth me bothering, there is certainly nothing that will fit straight on, there are combinations of things that can be worked to produce something
that can work, but only if you have time and determination to experiment and fettle with it, and piles of seals to work through, but I can tell you this...making the part that sits above the door latch and culminates around the door glass
is an absolute nightmare.

This is as good as I ever got, works really well with a great fit around the door sides and bottom but the top part took a lot of effort in order to not only look the part but do what it's meant to do.

[MikeM]

I've been on these many times over the years, having access to hundreds of modern breakers in the yard at the end of our road has allowed me to experiment with multiple different
designs and has lead to the conclusion it's hardly worth me bothering, there is certainly nothing that will fit straight on, there are combinations of things that can be worked to produce something
that can work, but only if you have time and determination to experiment and fettle with it, and piles of seals to work through, but I can tell you this...making the part that sits above the door latch and culminates around the door glass
is an absolute nightmare.

This is as good as I ever got, works really well with a great fit around the door sides and bottom but the top part took a lot of effort in order to not only look the part but do what it's meant to do.

Hi Jamie, thanks for the response. I've been reading through your previous attempts at seal solutions with great interest. It's the top part of the seal that intrigues me the most, the bit around the door looks easy enough to replace. I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything obvious (such as a known, good starting point) before embarking on gluing and shaping bits of rubber to try and recreate it.
I'm considering making a foam injection mould to prototype the shape and work from there - although that may be over-thinking the problem

Cheers, Mike

[Erasure6]

I've been on these many times over the years, having access to hundreds of modern breakers in the yard at the end of our road has allowed me to experiment with multiple different
designs and has lead to the conclusion it's hardly worth me bothering, there is certainly nothing that will fit straight on, there are combinations of things that can be worked to produce something
that can work, but only if you have time and determination to experiment and fettle with it, and piles of seals to work through, but I can tell you this...making the part that sits above the door latch and culminates around the door glass
is an absolute nightmare.

This is as good as I ever got, works really well with a great fit around the door sides and bottom but the top part took a lot of effort in order to not only look the part but do what it's meant to do.

Hi Jamie what was the seal off ?im also trying to tidy up the top edge of the door near the lock