Date:         Tue, 05 Apr 94 15:30:45 PDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Mitch Hendrickson <mitchh@hops.gvg.tek.com>
Subject:      Re: Summary of Door rubber 


I also recently did front door rubber (on a '71 as well! :-) from J.C.
Whitney, and I have a few comments:

>>>>> "cc" == Chris Chubb <cchubb@ida.org> writes:

cc> drivers side of my Bus. Installation went in without a hitch. Only
cc> one place where I was puzzled. The rubber includes a hole for the
cc> limiting strap but I was not tearing apart my door to do the
cc> limiting strap. So I cut the gasket diagonally, slipped it around,

If you look at the other end (not in the door - the end at the body)
there is a way out.  I don't recall exactly now and the bus is at
home, but I think there was a pin that I knocked out, allowing the
limiting strap to come free of the body. Putting it back was a mildly
tricky matter of realigning it and then putting the pin back. 

cc> cement around the door, mostly where the old cement was. HINT: Use
cc> a small piece of tubing, about an inch long, screwed onto the tip
cc> of the cement tube to get the cement into the channels, the tube

Wish I'd thought of that...

cc> also have to take the new gasket and lay it out on the ground with
cc> the adhesive side up. Be sure you are putting the goop on the
cc> right side, it can be tough to tell. Then spread the contact
cc> cement around the gasket. Be liberal, it gets soaked up by the

I skipped this part, just putting the cement in the groove in the
door. Seems to have worked OK for me. 

cc> concrete surface to work on.  Also a helper when it comes to
cc> installing it to keep the glue from touching the door. Let the

Having skipped the glue on the rubber, you can make this part easy by
fitting the rubber in place (friction will hold it, mostly) and
pulling segments out, applying the glue, and putting them back. 

cc> JC Whitney rubber was what I used. I do not usually use thier
[...]
cc> guys. If I was doing a show car installation, I would not have
cc> even considered it. But I consider my VW a transportation vehicle
cc> that just happens to be 'way-cool' and a hobby. The JCW rubber
cc> wont last another 22 years, but if I get 10 out of it, I will be
cc> ahead of the game.

Ditto.  I figured I could put in 3 JCW seals for the price of a good
one :-) [not my usual mode of operation, but since it's not out in the
sun and all, I figgered I'd give it a try.]

cc> Next on the project list: The granddaddy of all rubber---The
cc> sliding door seal. (And mabye a new windsheild gasket too.) But
cc> first those cylinder heads.

Oh my!  If you should find a cheap acceptable source for those (even
Whitney wants hundreds of dollars, as I recall), we'll be glad to hear
it.  Me? I'm thinking hard about fabricating something myself....

-Mitch