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MG MGB Technical - MGB GT Rear Hatch Outer Seal?

My 67 BGT has been painted and I have the new rear hatch inner seal on the body....bought that from MacGregor along with the new outer seal. The problem is I can't seem to remember how the outer seal is attached? I have the metal retainer off and I know it somehow is affixed using that piece.....is it fastened with adhesive? Does the old channel get used? I should have taken better photos cause I am baffled by this half seal. Anyone got a photo or a tip? Thanks Ralph
R Stegs

Ralph,

A hush has falls over the BBS when B/GT screen seals are discussed, and with good reason. Should you take this to a professional to install for you do not let anyone under the age of 'fifty' without prior B/GT experience attempt this job. Do not get upset if you have to buy a second seal, it's that much fun. I have completed this job on our B/GT, but would not take on this task again in this lifetime. What I know, and what I believe are this.

Project best attempted on a warm day. Starting with the screen pointed into the sun for an hour. A move to shade after that is recommended by me. Mix a solution of dish soap (30%), and water (70%). As far as I know the tool used at Cowley to install the originals is not available. You can fashion a dull srewdriver with rounded point, or buy a screen tool made for Ford/GM if you wish. I started in the center top, and worked out and down. Coat the seal, and trim with solution. Feed a few inches of trim into one edge of the seal lip, and lift the opposite edge with you the screen tool moving a few inches at a time. Thats it.

I have been told the new seal interior dimensions are tighter that originals. By how much, or if this is true I could not verify. I've heard of some folks grinding a bit of the trim edge down to help fit, I did not.

Best of luck to you in this venture. I did find the rear screen trim to go in easier than the front, I think because the glass is flatter.

Regards,

Larry C. '74 B/GT
Larry C '69 Midget

I didn't have any bother, I laid it on the tailgate (best get tailgate off for this BTW), screwed the metal clamp on to hold the the top part of the seal in place, then ran some adhesive between the remainder and the tailgate and held it in place for a few minutes. There is a groove it sits in, rather than 'slides' in.

Try tacking it with glue, then offering the tailgate up to the body to see if you get an even show of seal right around.

Took no more than twenty minutes.

I may have some pics on my other laptop if you are really stuck.

Liam
Liam H

Larry, I am not sure but believe you are referencing the glass seal. I am asking about the floppy rubber half seal for the rear hatch that is affixed with a separate metal piece that screws into the top of the hatch. Liam, the groove you refer to as "sitting" in.....is that the groove that is on the separate aluminum securing strip on top or the groove channel that goes all the way around the hatch. The seal has the thin wings of rubber on both sides and those do not seem to fit into anything? Cheers Ralph
R Stegs

Ralph

Think Liam has it right, but it has been a few years since I put the one on my 67 GT. Give Martin MacGregor a call. He will walk you through it. Martin is the best resource for how to put on trim parts.
BEC Cunha

Hi Ralph

It is the groove that goes all the way around the hatch, the rubber just sits in it, rather than having to be forcibly fed in or anything like that.

The metal securing strip goes on last. The wings don't fit 'into' anything, but just sort of lay there at the corners, partly caught in place bt the end of the strip. I did glue them down though. Every fit is different.

Best thing to do is to try it so it produces an even amount of visible rubber when the hatch is closed. That is all that matters. Off the car, the outer edge of the rubber sits about flush with the edge of the tailgate.

I checked on my lap top and dont have the pics I took there, I must have left them on my camera and deleted it.

Liam
Liam H

Ralph
On mine after the inner seal is fitted and then checked the outer seal to see that it was even on both sides. It is held in at the top by the metal strip and at the sides the "ears" thin portion of the outer SEA Lfits under the inner seal. The pressure of the inner seal holds the ears in place. You can glue it but when I took my old one off I din not notice any glue, it was just stuck to the inner seal by age. I left mine closed in the hot sun for a few weeks, one side did keep coming out but as the sun got hotter it all seems fine now. Hope this helps.
Mike
MK Mike

This thread was discussed between 22/06/2007 and 26/06/2007

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