I'm going to replace the rubber seals in the front and rear vents on the MK2. Ive never done this before and am wondering if there is some tricks or tips on getting it done. I searched the forum but didn't come up with much.
Thanks
Lou

 

From memory, a very tedious & frustrating task. Make sure you scrape all the old rubber out of the grooves. I think I used a silicone spray to act as a lubricant, and small screwdriver to help get the lips seated. The hardest part was getting the top "V" seated properly in the front vent & I think I had to trim the edges to get it to fit, probably due to the (lack of) quality in the reproduction rubbers. Best of luck.

 

I have actually done this for both front and rear vents after having dismantled them for chroming. I have to say it was rather a long time ago, like the mid-80s. At the time I actually read a description of the process in a classic car rebuild magazine, and therefore felt confidwent in proceeding, (the confidence of youth, of course !!)

The rubber seal is actually made using a length of rubber strip about 1 1/4 " wide and 1/16" thick. Having got the rubber clean and also the brass section, you cut a length of strip to be a bit over the actual length needed. Then one puts a bit of rubber lube on the strip on the side that pushes into the U section. You then lay the strip over the section and then insert the glass by pushing it into the strip and hence into the section. It is quite easy to do, and having got the glass in, you can trim off the surplus rubber.

So you have to obtain the rubber strip, and where you get that from I know not; a trim shop maybe ?

 

Thanks for the replies, I got one vent done but had to cut the seal on the front vent it was about 1/2" too long. Tried silicone spray but it seemed too soften the rubber so much it didn't want to stay in place I'm going to try talcum powder or maybe a heat gun on the next one and I agree a very tedious job.