INSTALLING TR4, TR4A, TR250, SPITFIRE MKS. 1, 2, 3 TRUNK LID SEAL

 

The saga of the trunk lid seal (TRF Part Number 613277) used on TR4, TR4A, TR250, and Spitfire mks. 1, 2, 3 is now complete, as Dan Compston installed a new seal on my TR5 using the knowledge he had gleaned from practicing on a TR250 stored in our warehouse back in July.  I checked the seal again tonight, and it looks beautiful, while the trunk lid is closing as designed. 

  

Begin by removing the old seal and cleaning off the thick areas
of old glue as best you can. If there is some old glue left it will
not hurt the installation.

cross section of seal

Check the orientation of the seal. The long lip goes towards the center
of the trunk.

Align the start of the seal at the center front of the trunk.

Before applying glue, please read the instructions on the tube. We recommend using
3M Black Super Weatherstrip and Gasket Adhesive, TRF Part Number TRFC102.
Apply glue to the first three inches of the inside of the seal and install it
on the rim and clamp it, being careful not to clamp
the seal too tightly to avoid leaving marks or dents in the seal.
Then, loosely install the seal all the way around so you can fit and adjust
the seal before gluing any more of the seal.


Apply a bead of glue, in short sections at a time, on the inside of the seal,
not on the painted lip of the trunk. Pinch the seal together to spread
the glue over the entire inner surface of the seal. Do not leave any gaps
in the glue between sections, or your seal will leak.

Continue applying glue and clamping the seal as you install the seal,
installing and gluing small sections at a time.

Don't apply glue to close to the end, before cutting to the final length.

Line the seal up and mark the final length just a little bit longer
to avoid having a gap in the seal.

Apply glue the rest of the way inside the seal and also
on the end of the seal where it meets the beginning. Do not leave any gaps in the glue.

Install the last few inches of the seal and press the ends together. Don't clamp
too close to the end on this last section because you might glue the clamp
to the seal or shift the ends of the seal so they no longer meet correctly.

Let the glue set up before shutting the trunk lid. You can test the seal by laying
a piece of paper on top of the seal before you shut the lid to see if the seal
is tight enough. If you can pull the paper out easily, it is not tight enough.