Hi, can somebody give me any hints to the fitment of a new front bonnet rubber seal that runs all the way round the body toward the latch to up under the wiper/ windscreen.The metal on my 1970 beetle is all in tact with no rust in this area but seems very tight when trying to slide rubber through this section.Is there a secret to putting this seal in easy.Any help would be appreciated.Thanks.Rob.
Pry it open a bit with a screw driver. Fiddly bitch of a job but like fitting any rubbers, if you persevere then it will be worth it in the end!
If you open it up, then fit the rubber, I found a good way to push it down closed again is with a flyscreen roller - worked great.
Lube is your friend, a bit of silicone spray helps greatly getting them in
Pulling the seal longways stretches it and causes it to become thinner. That way you only have to pry open the metal sleeve a little bit. So strectch the seal, shove it, let it loose.
Lube the channel then only lube the bit of the rubber that goes into the track (silicon spray) this'll stop your hands slipping off the end as you
pull it down the track/groove. feeding the other end into the groove with your other hand as you pull and stretch the rubber it thins out making it
easier. checking all the time the rubber is seated correctly in the groove and the rubber and groove is lubed.
Once you've got to the bottom (lowest part) work back along the channel pulling more rubber down the track until you think theres no stretch left in
the rubber and its sitting at its normal elasticity.
Then do the same for the other side of the bonnet seal. a common mistake most people do is to try and do it as one piece all the way around and
struggle there arse's off.
I like to leave the rubber 10-15 mm longer poking out at the top of the bonnet strip groove, as over time the rubber shrinks as it gets older.
depending on how good the rubber quality is it can happen in as little as 12 months in the aussie climates.
I've heard some people get a bit of wood and give the channel at the top ends a little tap to hold the rubber from slipping down over time.
Note: the lowest point should have a split in the rubber of about 3-4mm right at the bottom to let any drips of water to run away. however the rear
engine lid has no split in the rubber at the bottom i.e. 6 o'clock
I've done the same treatment for engine compartment seals. It take two minutes this way trust me. Think about how long it would take for a vw
factory worker doing the job in the first place I'd bet they don't touch the freshly painted channel to open it out.