[alfa] re: Door rebuild

[Richard Lane <srlane@xxxxxxxxx>]

Don Brubaker asked (about new door gaskets):-
>>Are there any other tricks to inserting the gasket?

Yes. Silicone spray is a good idea, but keep it off the outer surface where
you'll be trying to grab the gasket to insert it. Surgically clean channels are
another good idea. Do it while the door is off. 

Then, in my experience the gaskets are made overly long - so as you insert the
gasket, try to compress it into position, that is, push it back towards your
start point as you shove it into the channel. Don't stretch it lengthwise as
you insert it. 

And finally prepare yourself for a shock when the door that you rehung and
seemed to have beautifully flush with the body, now sticks out by a mile. I had
to wait months for the gasket to collapse enough so that a) it was flush again
and b) I could shut the door without a powerful slam. Spraying with silicone
then parking the car out in the sun helped. 

Some people say that some gaskets are better than others for this (mine were
from Italy) - they may be right. Some other people say the doors stick out
because the cars all now have 5 paint jobs and that displaces the gasket, I
don't think that's it. 

If the hinges were so badly worn, then the latches probably wore out from being
bashed by a misaligned door - so you may want to replace those?

good luck

-Richard Lane
San Jose, CA
1967 GTV
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