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TR2/3/3A Bulkhead Sealer Plate TR3A 1960

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Tinkerman

Tinkerman

Darth Vader
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I was working on my,fresh from the body shop, body, this evening and I was trying to test fit the bulkhead sealer plate (item 12 on plate AG Stanparts book) It is all brand new parts including the rubber top seal. Looks like it needs some trimming and fitting for it to fit under the valance. The valance is on the body and has been since it came out of the factory. Its one of the few things that didn't get taken off by either me or the body man. Anyhow your collective wisdom would be appreciated. I really don't want to go cutting the rubber and then finding out I shouldn't have. Been down that road before, lousy trip heh.

Thanks, Tinkerman
 
I rarely get replacement parts that just bolt into place. I never liked the long horizontal slots fot the bolts that hold these to the bulkhead. So I made my own from heavier gauge sheetmetal and put 5/16" drill holes exactly where I needed to have them. This stops the weather getting to rust under this part. I designed it so I can screw the top bits into place which retain to rubber at top. I don't like aluminium pop-rivets next to steel in a wet environment. They won't last. After several years, the rubber you're asking about curves backwards. I doubt this is caused by aerodynamics. It has to be pushed back by grit, mud and stone chips forcing it back. Then all this stuff is free to fly over the top of the rubber and where it falls to the bottom of the inner fender area it's supposed to be protecting. Also the mud etc. will collect in front of the rubber to cause the steel to rust even sooner. I use double rubber thickness for extra stiffness. And mine have still developed a curve backwards after 16 summers and 94,000 miles. I remove them every 5 years or so to clean behind them.
 
I have the replacement sealer plates all riveted together, and it is tight up against the fender valance you are talking about. I've trial fitted them in when the front wing (fender) was in place. The top of the rubber will then fold toward the front and should be tight against the valance and the top of the wing when bolted in. It does seem to interfere with one of the capture nut assemblies, and I thought that maybe the top of the rubber should be pushed toward the rear. However, the collective wisdom on this site said that the top of the rubber should remain pointing forward. Do not trim any rubber. You want it tight up against the valence and wing.

And don't forget about the rubber going down the outward side to seal against the side of the wing.
 
Same thoughts here as what Don and Art said!

I made my own as well based on the deteriorated originals and the parts diagram from the Moss catalog. I used stainless steel rivets left over from my boat repair days to attach the upper plate and rubber. I left the top rubber long on purpose and bent it forward as Art suggested. I also angle cut the back edge to create as tight a seal as possible with a minimally exposed lip because I went with a thicker rubber than original as well. My theory was that with the excess rubber cut away along the lip edge the less possibility for road junk to get behind it. The metal parts were all but eaten away but the original rubber seals for the fender edge were salvageable and reused(They were in a box). I guess what I'm trying to say in a gazillion words or more is to leave the rubber long and fold it forward if you can as Art suggests first. You can always cut it later if you don't like the way it looks or fits.
 
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