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MG MGA - sealing rubbers - Weathershield side screens

A friend of mine is chasing details of the front and bottom sealing rubbers on his twin cam Weathershield side screens (assume same as single cam MGA).
Does anyone have a photo or details of the cross section of the rubber? Is it one single piece down the windscreen and along the door? Seems like it is a different section on the vertical riser to that which is clamped along the bottom edge with the aluminium angle section? Is it joined somehow, glued? Any photos of similar side screens with rubbers installed would be appreciated.
Mike






Mike Ellsmore

Hi Mike

When I got my strips from Bob West, it was a two piece job for each widescreen. The windscreen strip slides into the groove, a bit like a wiper blade in profile. The bottom strip is flat

As my garage is occupied by a Heinkel, my car is 70km away, so I can't take a photo of the profile for a few weeks, but if you get no help, mail me again and I'll happily do.

I have a spare weather shield frame or two if anyone is searching
Dominic Clancy

Another photo to show where the vertical rubber is held in the channel section. Also the bottom rubber (joint) has to wipe over the guard piping, wondering how this is achieved to get good sealing when opening and closing door (or is this asking too much for sixties weather protection)?
Mike





Mike Ellsmore

Thanks Dominic. I'll see what gets posted and will get back to you if needed.
Cheers
Mike
Mike Ellsmore

Mike, From my limited knowledge of MGAs, there are two versions of the frames -The early ones have a vertical slide in rubber and a clamped bottom rubber---The second version has slide in channels for vertical and horizontal
The bottom rubber is a fairly wide floppy flap style of thing, I doubt it's 100% sealed up against the weather
When I was searching for door rubbers for my elan, I got a set from the UK-no good, got a guaranteed to fit set from the US- no good, ended up going into rare spares with a sample, the guy behind the counter just looked at it and said, how long mate and pulled it off a roll--fitted perfect
They had rolls and rolls of different profiles
Might be worth a visit maybe--------
Cheers
William Revit

My seals were ex Todd Clarke and the front rubber is a hockey stick section curving inwards and protruding 10mm from the frame. The bottom rubber is just flat strip and is tapered along its 830mm length, 55mm wide at the rear and 33mm at the front. This strip is riveted (seven small rivets) to the 5 x 20mm aluminium angle screwed to the underside of the frame.

The front hockey stick section is 375mm long and glued to the bottom flat strip. The fits to the front and door are both very good (see pics) ................................Mike







Mike Moore

Two more pics and I forgot to mention that the flat bottom strip is 1.6mm thick.





Mike Moore

A question for Dominic .Do you have a pair of Weather shied frames and if so how much do you want for them

Regards

David
D M SPEAK

Tod Clarke has the correct rubbers...hockey stick as Mike explains. Perfect fit...I've just done four of them.
Gary Lock

Thanks guys,
Todd Clarke advised my friend this week that they are out of stock of this rubber currently.
Does anyone have a photo or dimensions of the vertical rubber cross section?

Another query - plan is to have these frames anodised. Where original frames anodised, what colour (silver)?
Also what colour where the steel fixing brackets on these screens originally?

Mike
Mike Ellsmore

I have two odd ones, free plus postage
Dominic Clancy

The front rubber section is 1/4" x 1/2" hockey stick section. (see pic.) I remember buying some of this about 50 years ago for roof guttering but I imagine the supplier is no longer trading (Edgeware I think).

Before I painted my Weathershield frames they were just bare aluminium; they may have had a matt neutral anodized surface or it may just have oxidized over the years. The brackets looked as if they had been chromium plated............................Mike


Mike Moore

Mike, that's the profile I have too. Bob said he glued them together using neoprene adhesive IIRC
Dominic Clancy

Thanks Mike, you have odd shaped hockey sticks in the UK (LoL)!
MGAguru I see has a page on restoring these windows courtesy of Jim Paul, California, that mentions anodising should be "clear" and that the brackets were originally "black" - all agreed?
http://www.mgaguru.com/mgtech/top/top211b.htm
Mike
Mike Ellsmore

Did I really say that? Needs a review. Off the top of my head, from the viewpoint of a machine design engineer, I would have thought the brackets would be zinc plated to go with anodized aluminum frames. But I could have been right the first time. Anyone else think black?
barneymg

Any suggestions for a good adhesive for the rubber.
Alan Anstead

Cyanoacrylate is excellent giving a bond strength exceeding that of the rubber itself..............Mike
Mike Moore

Universal Rubber Glue - Loctite 424
https://www.henkel-adhesives.com/au/en/product/instant-adhesives/loctite_424.html
Mike Ellsmore

Interesting ,I have two Loctite O ring repair kits
One has Loctite 401 medium viscosity instant adhesive
Other has Loctite 406 low visosity instant adhesive

Not sure, but I believe the diff. between these and 424 is that the 401 and 406 are instant whereas the 424 takes a couple of seconds to grab-which I suppose gives a very small amount of lining up time
Any of the three I guess would do the deed

On the bracket issue
If you were going to get the frames anodized and wanted the brackets black, maybe get them cad plated black---------or not

willy
William Revit

Willy, I found the 424 on the Rare Spares Website
https://www.rarespares.net.au/rarespares/search/category/adhesives-and-sealants
Cheers
Mike
Mike Ellsmore

This thread was discussed between 31/03/2020 and 03/04/2020

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