# Trunk Seal Keeper Bendy Things?



## Sick467 (Oct 29, 2019)

I'm a long way off from putting the trunk seal in, but I cannot help to think that the paint on the tabs will crack when they are bent down to hold the seal in place.

I'm still a long way from paint and want to do it right the first time. What does everybody do in this area to avoid problems? 

Part of me thinks I should just cut the tabs off now and rely on today's weatherstrip adhesive to hold it in place instead of risking unsightly paint chips and primer showing. Seems like a poor design, for today's standards anyhow...


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

Sick467 said:


> I'm a long way off from putting the trunk seal in, but I cannot help to think that the paint on the tabs will crack when they are bent down to hold the seal in place.
> 
> I'm still a long way from paint and want to do it right the first time. What does everybody do in this area to avoid problems?
> 
> ...


At least you have yours in tact, I have to do some patching of the channel at the top and going to replace the gasket and try and buff up the area this winter....guess I will be relying on the weather strip adhesive. And doesn't the seem in the gasket go at the bottom by the latch? That would seem to make more sense, but some brain trust put it at the top.


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## GTOJUNIOR (Aug 7, 2011)

DON'T CUT THEM OFF!
If you do the seal will constantly roll over due to the curvature.
Remember the paint in this area was not and should not be as heavy as the outer body panels.
2 light coats at best. This is why the paint should not chip when you reach the point of seal installation. 
These retainers don't have to be straight up just lifted enough to install the rubber seal.
Then use a small rubber hammer not a plier to tap them down


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

GTOJUNIOR said:


> DON'T CUT THEM OFF!
> If you do the seal will constantly roll over due to the curvature.
> Remember the paint in this area was not and should not be as heavy as the outer body panels.
> 2 light coats at best. This is why the paint should not chip when you reach the point of seal installation.
> ...


So what if mine are gone...punt?


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## GTOJUNIOR (Aug 7, 2011)

Your seal is likely not fully sealing at those corner points, it's just the nature of the seal design to want to roll over when formed in that manner.
If you drive in all types of weather you're bound to see some water getting in.
Why PMD couldn't find a better way?


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

So that's why it looks like this I suppose, idk what can be done but maybe glue and clamp the gasket and maybe a little heat to form it.


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

Nothing left of those things in my advertised as "no rust car" are they supposed have gasket fingers at the top corners too? I'm going to try and fake something in to repair the rail unless someone has a easy solution.


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

....and thanks Sick467 for letting me hop on, I've wondered why my gasket isn't sitting down and now I know 👍


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## GTOTIGR (May 3, 2020)

Hi Baaad65.

The 65 didn’t have the fold over tabs that the 66/67 did.


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

Oh ok, guess I should have researched some pictures. Hopefully I can get the gasket to fit better, and repair the lip best as I can.


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## GtoFM (Mar 23, 2018)

My '64 has no tabs just a small 90* lip. I think they may have started the tabs with the '68 body change.
EDIT: I stand corrected, looks like '66 was 1st year for tabs.


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## Bopman (7 mo ago)

GTOJUNIOR said:


> DON'T CUT THEM OFF!
> If you do the seal will constantly roll over due to the curvature.
> Remember the paint in this area was not and should not be as heavy as the outer body panels.
> 2 light coats at best. This is why the paint should not chip when you reach the point of seal installation.
> ...


🎯👍


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## GTOJUNIOR (Aug 7, 2011)

While we're talking seals here's another issue I came across that mainly pertains to '66-'67 but may be of interest to all;


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Baaad65 said:


> So what if mine are gone...punt?


Weld new ones in! lol... but I dont think you need to.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Baaad65 said:


> Oh ok, guess I should have researched some pictures. Hopefully I can get the gasket to fit better, and repair the lip best as I can.


Modern adhesives will anchor a new seal but as mentioned, expect leaks.

When I wash my car, I pop the trunk and inspect.


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## Sick467 (Oct 29, 2019)

Baaad65 said:


> ....and thanks Sick467 for letting me hop on, I've wondered why my gasket isn't sitting down and now I know 👍


 Hop on anytime Baaad65! I didn't think my question would get much chatter anyway. I'm learning at anyrate.

This '67 has 4 tabs in each corner. As far as adding them to your car (without welding)...I would consider cutting a piece of soft stainless about 3/4" to 7/8" wide (about 0.03 to 0.04" thick) and the appropriate length to wrap the corner, then notch out the tabs. My tabs measure 3/8" tall, 11/16" long, and 0.43 across the undercuts. But, I'd consider making more tabs and make them only 3/8" wide to avoid having to undercut the tabs like the originals. This will save some precise dremel work. Those undercuts are to give the curved piece a place to fold over without kinking. Then, I'd try riveting them to the inner lip in a few places. 

Just some thoughts on a work-around. Also, when working with stainless...make sure the grinding wheel has never been used on carbon steel or the stainless will rust due to the iron contamination.

I'll try to keep the paint thin in those areas, as GTOJUNIOR stated, and if they don't cooperate...I may try the stainless mod after the fact.


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## Noangelbuddy (Dec 6, 2017)

65 had a continuous rolled metal channel.


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

armyadarkness said:


> Modern adhesives will anchor a new seal but as mentioned, expect leaks.
> 
> When I wash my car, I pop the trunk and inspect.


It's only got washed with water once when I buffed the paint out and two times caught in the rain, it gets detail spray cleaner, remember I don’t drive the entire state every weekend like you 😁


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

....I'm trying to keep it from rusting anymore so no water.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Baaad65 said:


> It's only got washed with water once when I buffed the paint out and two times caught in the rain, it gets detail spray cleaner, remember I don’t drive the entire state every weekend like you 😁


My car is a filthy pig, but Im sure it loves to be free and on the road again.


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## Joes1966GTO (Apr 27, 2020)

@Sick467 - Haven't done the ones in my current '66 yet, but on a previous build, we set the tabs down ALMOST to where they would be when pinning down the seal......literally just "open" enough to slip in the seal, but that's it. (I put in a piece of the old seal, and folded the tabs down, so I could just get the seal back out, and then painted). This way, you are only folding down the tabs just slightly after paint and seal install. Seems like everyone else here has got you covered but I just thought I'd throw in my own 2 cents, if that helps.


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## Sick467 (Oct 29, 2019)

Joes1966GTO said:


> @Sick467 - Haven't done the ones in my current '66 yet, but on a previous build, we set the tabs down ALMOST to where they would be when pinning down the seal......literally just "open" enough to slip in the seal, but that's it. (I put in a piece of the old seal, and folded the tabs down, so I could just get the seal back out, and then painted). This way, you are only folding down the tabs just slightly after paint and seal install. Seems like everyone else here has got you covered but I just thought I'd throw in my own 2 cents, if that helps.


That sounds like solid advice Joe! I'll have to make sure I have the new trunk seal before painting since the old one went out to the trash fairies earlier this year...thanks for chiming in.


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

So I want to try and repair my trunk gasket lip myself and I know welding pieces in are the correct way but that's over my skill set. I asked the body/paint guy who's going to fix the other spots if I can just clean the paint off the areas and use JB weld and then can sand it to shape and paint with touch up. It's not bad and it is the trunk lip so it doesn't need to be perfect and I know it doesn't sound like a driver but it is. The pictures are a few posts back, any suggestions on method and material would be greatly appreciated, also I have a new gasket going in.


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## Sick467 (Oct 29, 2019)

@Baaad65 , I'm going to stick with my work-around suggestion from post #16, but will say that JB weld has some good potential. I am unclear on you end game, however...

Do you see adding a metal strip to the repair or merely using JB Weld?
Do you want to add the tabs?
Will you be removing the current seal to add it back later (or install new seal)?


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

Sick467 said:


> @Baaad65 , I'm going to stick with my work-around suggestion from post #16, but will say that JB weld has some good potential. I am unclear on you end game, however...
> 
> Do you see adding a metal strip to the repair or merely using JB Weld?
> Do you want to add the tabs?
> Will you be removing the current seal to add it back later (or install new seal)?


I'm just looking to fill in the rusted away areas, turns out '65 doesn't have the tabs and yes I have a new seal already.


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## Sick467 (Oct 29, 2019)

As you said, welding would be the extreme "right" way to go, but you can do it without welding and get nice looking results.

I would consider sand blasting the area inside the lip back to where the seal goo's down and the outer area that will be touched up with paint...then use a body filler with short hair fiber glass. Also known as kitty hair or gorilla hair (short fiber version). This stuff applies like regular body filler with the exception that it is hairy and does not spread like peanut butter. It may need to be applied in a few layers (roughly sanded in between applications) to get it built up enough to be able to sand it back down to resemble the lip. Read that as, build it up higher than the lip by a 1/16th inch or more and thicker than the lip steel thickness by a factor of 3 or 4 (on the inside). This gives you a starting point to meticulously sand and shape. Sand blasting is important to get the rust out and give the kitty hair something to bite to. You don't want existing surface rust to "pop" the filler back off. Sanding with 80 grit might do a decent job if a cheap handheld blaster (the kind with its own cup) is not available and the rust is very surface oriented. Once you get enough filler in there, you can sand it back down with 100 and 200 grit to form a lip and smooth out the curve. I would leave at least twice the thickness of filler of the original lip so that it is not brittle and so subject to getting knocked and chipped. Then prime with a filler primer to cover the grit scratch marks and touch up paint where needed.

If you have ever sanded regular body filler...this stuff will take 5 to 10 times the effort to sand, but will yield a much tougher result. This type of filler is also very resistant to absorbing moisture compared to regular filler.


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

Sick467 said:


> As you said, welding would be the extreme "right" way to go, but you can do it without welding and get nice looking results.
> 
> I would consider sand blasting the area inside the lip back to where the seal goo's down and the outer area that will be touched up with paint...then use a body filler with short hair fiber glass. Also known as kitty hair or gorilla hair (short fiber version). This stuff applies like regular body filler with the exception that it is hairy and does not spread like peanut butter. It may need to be applied in a few layers (roughly sanded in between applications) to get it built up enough to be able to sand it back down to resemble the lip. Read that as, build it up higher than the lip by a 1/16th inch or more and thicker than the lip steel thickness by a factor of 3 or 4 (on the inside). This gives you a starting point to meticulously sand and shape. Sand blasting is important to get the rust out and give the kitty hair something to bite to. You don't want existing surface rust to "pop" the filler back off. Sanding with 80 grit might do a decent job if a cheap handheld blaster (the kind with its own cup) is not available and the rust is very surface oriented. Once you get enough filler in there, you can sand it back down with 100 and 200 grit to form a lip and smooth out the curve. I would leave at least twice the thickness of filler of the original lip so that it is not brittle and so subject to getting knocked and chipped. Then prime with a filler primer to cover the grit scratch marks and touch up paint where needed.
> 
> If you have ever sanded regular body filler...this stuff will take 5 to 10 times the effort to sand, but will yield a much tougher result. This type of filler is also very resistant to absorbing moisture compared to regular filler.


Thanks for the info but there will be no sandblasting, everything is nice and tidy in the trunk so it's getting the minimum I can get away with to make it look halfway decent.


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## GtoFM (Mar 23, 2018)

If you decide to go with welding, try this site. Never used them so can't give a review. 

www.rustreplace.com


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

GtoFM said:


> If you decide to go with welding, try this site. Never used them so can't give a review.
> 
> www.rustreplace.com


Looks good but it's not that bad and I'm not repainting the whole car so I'm just going to patch the bad areas, thanks.


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