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Trunk lid wont close...

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Newkie

Newkie

Jedi Trainee
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I have just put some new weatherstrippingfrom VB on the trunk of my 73'MGB after having the trunk off for painting. It wont latch even though it is completely shut.(It seems to hit on the weatherstripping, preventing it to move forward to the latch). I have the bottom or trunk portion of the latch all the way up to catch the latch hook. Still no good.

I have moved the lid up to miss hitting the weatherstripping when it is completley closed.
Still no good.

Any ideas, or stories that would help.

Thanks

Newkie
 
I've heard this same story about new trunk seals several times recently.
I don't know what you can do about it except maybe get a seal that fits better from someone else.

Maybe someone else who has done this recently can chime in here?
 
Same problem here....it wasn't even close. I ordered another one from MacGregor. In the meantime, I split the one from VB down the middle so I can still drive it. The old one was 44 years old and had been painted. It came off is little chunks!
 
which weather stripping did you use? The one that fits onto the trunk lid or the type that fits on the body of the car? If its the trunk lid kind you can switch over to the later style body seal and it makes closing the trunk much easier.
 
Its the one that fits on the lid. I will try to keep adjusting the catch and see if I can get it to grab. I guess I could always remove the weather stipping on that side of the lid to help get it to close. I assume, water wont get in at that angle?
Maybe?

Newkie
 
I assume, water wont get in at that angle?
Maybe?

Newkie [/quote]

Now we all know what happens when we ass-u-me. And besides, me thinks you already know the answer to that question. :nonod:
 
Quit shaking your head. Thats not going to help me.

Newkie

19_again said:
I assume, water wont get in at that angle?
Maybe?

Newkie
Click to expand...

Now we all know what happens when we ass-u-me. And besides, me thinks you already know the answer to that question. :nonod: [/quote]
 
I also am using the one that fits on the lid as is original for my car. Whether or not that was a good decision remains to be seen! The trunk is not prone to leak as it has a "gutter" for the water to channel in to. With the old seal still on it, in a driving all day rainstorm, sitting and driving at all speeds up to 60 mph, my trunk was bone dry. I can't say the same for my floorboards.
 
A corollary of Newton's Second Law would read: "All British cars leak. The rate of leak is directly proportional to the volume of rain falling. Coupes leak precisely half the rate of dropheads, removable hardtops leak the same as the soft top they replace. Velocity increases the leaks logarythmically."


:devilgrin: :devilgrin: :devilgrin: :devilgrin: :devilgrin: :devilgrin: :devilgrin: :devilgrin: :devilgrin: :devilgrin: :devilgrin:
 
On a ride in the Plus-2 in a hard rain, going to an airport to drop off a friend, he asked me if I knew why the Plus-2 was released two years later than the Elans... This as the windscreen seal allowed water to drip on his lap... I said I wasn't certain.

His response was: "It took the Lotus Engineering Department that long to properly work the leaks into it to match the Elans."
 
I still havent got that thing to latch. I am thinking of cutting the catch off the mounting bracket on the trunk and raise it up with some new welds just enough to make up for the weather strip width.
I have tried shimming it out. I have tried shimming the lid latch down. Maybe I will just bungy chord it shut...

Newkie
 
Before you start doing any cutting and welding try the 77-80 seal. It may not be stock way of doing it for the earlier cars but it does the job and actualy looks pretty good as well and your tunk lid will close and latch.
 
Martin MacGregor telephoned me on Satuirday. He said that he can't find a decent seal that fits on the boot lid so he won't sell them (although, he had it on his website). I appreciated his telephone call and advice; and we had a nice (and fairly long chat) about the car and this issue. I have ordered a seal to go on the body.
 
Well, I ended up finally getting it to fit. I had to re-weld the catch to give it a little more reach to the latch. About 3/16 to be exact. It works and looks good, and I can at least still use the trunk lid weather seal from VB.

Newkie
 
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