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MG MGA - Marks on door trim

This is a problem that I am trying to solve with the help of Todd Clarke. On the past two cars I have fully restored, I have used door panels from Newton Commercial, and Todd Clarkes furlflex door seals. Newtons use their own suppliers for the vinyl trim, and Todd sources out the door seals. The problem is that after a couple of weeks, the door panels get brownish marks on them where they touch the rubber of the seals..this cannot be removed, as it appears to be burnt into the vinyl by some sort of reaction. In both cases, the door panels are grey, so this shows the marks up very well.
Has anyone else experienced this "discolouring"? Todd and I are both testing pieces of his neoprene rubber on the vinyl at present.
Gary Lock

Gary,
I have had Todd's seals on my car for over two years along with vinyl from PJM Motors (UK) on the door trim. I have witness marks but no discoloration. I would be inclined to think it is a reaction with the dye used on the vinyl or the trim adhesive used. My trim is stapled on the back edge and hardly any adhesive was used.
regards
Colin
C Manley

I have door seals with tan fur and black rubber from Clarke Spares installed in late 2006, now in service 4 years and 33,000 miles. Door panels are tan vinyl from Moss Motors, 1986 vintage and still nice. No discoloration at all from the rubber on vinyl contact.

When installed properly the rubber seal contacts the painted sheet metal of the door, and the fuzzy part of the seal contacts the door panel. If the rubber part contacts the door panel at all it would be only on the very edge of the panel, not on the face surface.
Barney Gaylord

The most obvious part of the discolouration is at the rear, where the furflex curves up. Here, it is always going to touch the panel.
Gary Lock

Doesn't the door seal cut across the rear lower corner of the door panel Barney? It does on mine where the seal follows the diagonal piece that cuts the corner from the inner sill to the 'B' post
Lindsay Sampford

Yeah, you're right. There is an area there several inches long where the rubber will lay flat against the inner panel. No stain in my tan vinyl panels though.
Barney Gaylord

This thread reminds when I was visiting a friend (about 37 years ago) who was helping me work on a brake problem with my 1969 MGB. He had a small collection of cars, one was a Mercedes 300SL Gullwing. It was painted off white but had a problem after he bought it. He told me the paint around the wheel wells had changed color. It was found out the chemicals in the tires made the paint turn from off white to a very light yellow.

Besides his Mercedez and a couple of other cars, he had a MGTC. I remember he was telling he could find alot of MGTDs at the time, but wanted the TC since it was it was more of a MG than the TD. One car he had was a Abarth he showed me the exhaust manifold. Where we all have exhaust manifolds made of cast iron, this was made from sheet metal to lighten the car for racing. Very nice fellow.

Ray
Ray Ammeter

This thread was discussed between 12/03/2011 and 13/03/2011

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