Door and Hood Gap Sealing

[Pasha Saleh]

On the RCR40 - Has anyone come up with a good method for sealing out road debris from the gap at the door hinge? I was ending up with a lot of gravel and dirt flying in so ended up cutting out this shape from a 1/8" thick piece of neoprene rubber that filled the entire gap including the bit at the top under the curve of the hood which also leaves an opening right into the cockpit. It worked well for a while until repeated opening and closing of the door started to tear and split the rubber and the dirt is coming back in again. I was considering using some kind of closed cell EVA foam that wouldn't attract and retain moisture but concerned that might be too rigid and interfere with the door movement. What have you guys come up with?

Also, how about the strip along the bottom edge of the door where daylight shows along the full length? I could mount a gasket on the door sill but that would disrupt the smooth look of the sill and interfere sliding into to the car. Alternatively, leaving a gasket hanging down on the bottom inside edge of the door doesn't look attractive either. Any thoughts?

 

[JP Verweij]

My doorseals prevent anything flying in.

 

[Pasha Saleh]

Hi JP, Which doorseals are those?

 

[Walter]

On the RCR40 - Has anyone come up with a good method for sealing out road debris from the gap at the door hinge? I was ending up with a lot of gravel and dirt flying in so ended up cutting out this shape from a 1/8" thick piece of neoprene rubber that filled the entire gap including the bit at the top under the curve of the hood which also leaves an opening right into the cockpit. It worked well for a while until repeated opening and closing of the door started to tear and split the rubber and the dirt is coming back in again. I was considering using some kind of closed cell EVA foam that wouldn't attract and retain moisture but concerned that might be too rigid and interfere with the door movement. What have you guys come up with?

Also, how about the strip along the bottom edge of the door where daylight shows along the full length? I could mount a gasket on the door sill but that would disrupt the smooth look of the sill and interfere sliding into to the car. Alternatively, leaving a gasket hanging down on the bottom inside edge of the door doesn't look attractive either. Any thoughts?

I have/had the same problem (see my build thread). Unlike some other replicas and the originals, the RCR window seal ends at dashboard height. This makes this model particularly prone to the ingression of dirt and water. I used a 2-barrier method: one rubber shield in the wheel well, a second one (a stiff textile-rubber mat) at the door (extending the window seal to the floor). Also I drilled 3 small holes to the outside of the door pockets (sitting outside the footwell's rubber seal - which you should use!) to aid water drainage there. Ingression of dirt is largely eliminated. Have not tested in heavy rain yet. I do not use any carpeting other than a removable floor mat. Chassis rust, at least, is not a problem with the RCR40 ;-)

 

[Alan Lofurno]

Pasha,

I generally try to drive when it’s pretty dry so I just vacuum the cockpit frequently! That being said I did get caught in a deluge a year ago for 30 minutes. The cockpit ended up with about 3/4” of water! (Reminded me of a story I read about Sebring maybe - with Ken Miles - where the mechanic punched a whole in the chassis floor between the drivers legs while he was sitting in the car!)

For your solution, how did you secure the neoprene cutout? Did it just fit in place? Besides the issue with tearing, did it stay in place ok?

Walter,

Are you able to post some pics of your solution?

Although I put up with the issue I would like to find a solution.

Thx
Alan

 

[Walter]

I have/had the same problem (see my build thread). Unlike some other replicas and the originals, the RCR window seal ends at dashboard height. This makes this model particularly prone to the ingression of dirt and water. I used a 2-barrier method: one rubber shield in the wheel well, a second one (a stiff textile-rubber mat) at the door (extending the window seal to the floor). Also I drilled 3 small holes to the outside of the door pockets (sitting outside the footwell's rubber seal - which you should use!) to aid water drainage there. Ingression of dirt is largely eliminated. Have not tested in heavy rain yet. I do not use any carpeting other than a removable floor mat. Chassis rust, at least, is not a problem with the RCR40 ;-)

 

[Walter]

1966 MK II solution in the wheel well (this is my ``first" shield, which I made from rubber to ease installation of the hood section. Also look at the video from the Simeone museum car (link is in my ``GT40 Horns" contribution). Will take pictures when home.

 

[Walter]

For contributions on this issue search this site using "waterproof".
e.g.:
https://www.gt40s.com/threads/water-proof-gt40.54927/#post-560496 (photos in #25)

 

[Pasha Saleh]

Pasha,

I generally try to drive when it’s pretty dry so I just vacuum the cockpit frequently! That being said I did get caught in a deluge a year ago for 30 minutes. The cockpit ended up with about 3/4” of water! (Reminded me of a story I read about Sebring maybe - with Ken Miles - where the mechanic punched a whole in the chassis floor between the drivers legs while he was sitting in the car!)

For your solution, how did you secure the neoprene cutout? Did it just fit in place? Besides the issue with tearing, did it stay in place ok?

Walter,

Are you able to post some pics of your solution?

Although I put up with the issue I would like to find a solution.

Thx
Alan

Hi Alan,

The neoprene was 1/8" and rigid enough to stay in place securely without adhesive. It worked very well, keeping rocks and debris out, but eventually wore through from the repeated flexing. Like you, I only drive when I can be confident it will be dry for the duration, so don't know how water resistant it is, but it did make a big difference even in dry conditions where I would previously have to vacuum a bunch of gravel and dirt from the sill carpet and floors after even a brief drive (sticky Avons). I'm going to try it again with a neoprene foam this time and beef it up to 1/4" thickness and see how this one holds up. Just make a cardboard template that completely fills the inside of that space including up to the bottom of the hood and try some different rubber formulations. Let me know if you find the right one! You can adhere it to the frame at the post with the door hinge mounts if you wanted to.

 

[Ryan L]

I thought these were referred to as "Elephant ears' but not much is coming up in the search.
not sure if there is another term for them or not.

Roaring Forties #36 Joe's Completion Log

I got back into the groove on my build back in May with the objective of having the car primed and ready for paint by the end of summer. I've put in a lot of time on panel alignment over the past 12 weeks, probably over 150 hours. I started at the rear clip, and worked my way forward, one...

www.gt40s.com

Flaps to Minimize Tire Debris

Paul Whitlock recently installed rubber flaps on my back and front clip to minimize the amount of debris my Avons kick up. It's amazing how this easy fix (which you hardly notice) works. Now, instead of having to vacuum my engine bay after every drive, there are virtually no stones to deal...

www.gt40s.com

 

[JP Verweij]

Hi JP, Which doorseals are those?

I did mine exactly like this including the sills.
I used doorrubers as used on classic Fords (Capri, Escort, Fiesta etc) but they are pretty universal.
Nothing gets in, not even water.

 

[Ian Anderson]

I managed to get most of the water stopped at the hinge area.

the company bought a new server and the packaging was white foam.
I made a template on the cabin side of the hinge around the door shape and cut and trimmed said foam packaging to a snug fit.
glued it in place …..including glue along sill and it worked well….the tyre spray penetration basically stopped.
white car white foam fo all blended in together.

On the side sills I made an 1/8 inch thick by 1 inch capping bar to go above the fibreglass sill panel and on the outside of that mounted a rubber trim with a bulb seal to just touch the door when closed.Worked better than nothing but in a continuous rain drive the water would eventually manager to dampen the sill carpet.

Do not have the car any more and Connor find historic pictures of it.

Ian

 

[Walter]

What are we worried about driving a ``closed vehicle"??? Watch this (I'm referring to the fourth quarter of it, the Cobras, the 275/330 P's and the one superb Chaparral ;-):

 

[Michael]

Yikes…amazing that they kept running in what looked like biblical rainfall…