Rear Window Seal Sedan

[Denver412]

Hi. I am in bad need of a new rubber seal for my rear window (sedan). Mine has the grooves for chrome. Anyone have a source or idea? Can they be custom made?

Thanks,
Will in Denver

[raygreenwood]

There has only been one source for seals...and they rarely have them but have a source to make them on demand. They are an outfit out of arkansas and youshould do a search in this forum for them. I think it is revolks. You will not find rubber with the chrome strips. Its just not made.
Also, you can use the seal from the front windshield of a bay window bus....and again it will have no chrome....and is too long but fits very nicely. You cut it to length and join it at the top with 3M black weather strip adhesive.
I have a method that will work very well to use super beetle gaskets front windshield gasket and it looks nearly factory and lays flatter than the bus gasket....but it is involved. If you would like to try it I will outline it for you. It is the method I will be using next year to replace all of the gaskets all the way around on my 412 coupe. Ray

[kps70]

You're in luck!
I have sourced a supply from the Dutch club in the Netherlands. The link to the thread on the type 4 forum is here
http://www.shoptalkforums.net/viewtopic ... 2&t=118667 you will need to scroll down until you find my entry.
I got a sedan rear seal from them with the slot for the chrome trim and it fits really well.
Good luck
Kieron

[bradey bunch]

Ray, could you outline the procedure for superbeetle seals on the forum? I am very interested, and need to replace a few.

Thanks,

Braden

[Denver412]

Hello All,

Thanks, I have sent an inquiry to Keverspecialist.nl and will let you all know what I find out.

Thanks!

[raygreenwood]

Though I highly recommend getting stock seals and parts whenever possible...like those from the Dutch club....I start having issues with rubber parts. If those are new repro's and they will always be readily available....I'd go for it. If they are NOS...that is less desirable for me as they are now already old and will have issues sooner or later leaving me in the same position. My 412 is not a short term car. Its part of the family.
The other issue is that at any time....an accident that breaks the windshield or any window could happen causing the need to buy new gaskets again and we start the process over.

Right now my car is using a bus gasket for the front winshield. it is satisfactory and works....but does not look like stock because it is "fatter". So....since I need new gaskets all around...a few years back I started really searching.

Here is the issue between a stock type 4 gasket and a type 1 gasket. The step or channel in the type 1 and 4 body are very close to the same in depth and width...so thats no issue. In fact a type 1 gasket and type 4 gasket are interchangeable with reference to the body fitment.
But....if you cut a cross section of each what you find is that the "chord" directly behind the glass channel....meaning from the back edge of the glass channel to the little rubber gripper lios that compress against the side wall of the gasket recess in the body... is much thinner in the type 1. In short....if you had someone hold the glass up in place in a type 1 and a type 4 without the gasket...and exactly centered it...you would see that the type 1 glass is larger and is about 1/4" closer to the body ledge all the way around.
So...it occoured to me that if there were a way to "add" a 3/16" to 1/4" thick strip of rubber all the way around the inside body ledge to face up against the little gripper ribs at the back of the seal...I could very simply install a type 1 gasket and it would look and work great..and also be thin enough in cross section that it could easily make the corners on the quarter windows as well.


To add to this, on the type 1 gasket the top, outer lip that laps over the body channel is long enough that pushing the type one gasket 3/16" to 1/4" farther away from the body will still leave plening of sealing outer flap (that part the chrome groove is normally in). The inner lip is long enough on type 1 rubber to also seal fine inside of the body if you push it way from the body ledge by 3/16" to 1/4".
That was the original thought. Months later...I was in an industrial rubber shop in Dallas...and wass waiting for some sheeting to be cut and was standing in the belt making shop.......and saw the vast range of "V" and ribbed belting materials they had.
I found that they had 3/8" and 12mm' ribbed belting material (like a serpentine belt) by the foot that had ribs about 1/8" high and backing about 3/32" thick. Just less than 1/2" wide....perfect!
The one I tried on my quarter glass I did like this:

Every 4" I drilled a 1/16" hole in center of the belt. I cut the belt to length to fit all the way around the inside of the ledge in the body where the seal fit. Where each hole was in the belt...I used a dremel bit to sand the ribs down in a cirular pattern about 1/4" in diameter. After the firt few holes I learned to do this with a counter sink bit...so the holes and sanded spots were made at the same time.
Then...i put black weather strip adhesive on both back of the belt and the face of the ledge. I applied the belt material with the splice/seam at th top of the window opening. In each hole...I used a 1/16" drill and drill through the hole in the belt into the body ledge. Use a drill stop. Drill out each hole. Then install aluminum pop rivets and remove the pins when done. The belt material is now permanently installed and sealed,
The ribs in the belt meet up perfectly with the back ribbed face of the supper beetle seal...and grip it tightly...and now the whole opening in the body is approximately 3/16" smaller. The galss fits in the supper seal slight;ly tighter...the outer flat fits nicely flat..and there is just enough overlap of the inner flap to cover up everything. Its a bit of work but insures easily replaceable excellent sealing and gripping gaskets. The belt material to doa whole coup will be about $50. Four super beetle seals will do a whole coup. Ray

[ubercrap]

I have a related question. What about the metal trim itself? I think somebody mentioned carefully removing it for reuse, but I haven't been able to figure out how to remove these things without damage.

[raygreenwood]

Personally for me....I have no use for the chrome. It is very difficult to get out without bending it on old stiff gaskets. If a new gasket lays nice and flat....not so bulging like a bus gasket, I think it looks better without the chrome. Ray

[Single 60]

I think the best way is to remove window / rubber seal and metal trim is as a unit. After it is out and on the bench it will be easy to first remove rubber from the window and then flex the rubber to remove metal trim. I think it would be near impossible to remove otherwise.

[albert]

denver,, i have test this thing,, if you want to change the seal,,and keep the glass ,,safe of accident,,or crack,,first your seal is finish,scrap,,,ok,,, take a sharp knife,,like big blade ,,exacto,,( attention for accident the rubber is hard ) slide the knife blade betwind the glass and the seal,, cut the rubber seal for to joint the slutt for the chrome molding,, you cut the rubber strip all the long of the glass and ,,afther you can remoove the chrome molding in her original shape ,,plus afther the glass is more easy to remoove by outside ,,the chrome molding d,t squize the seal for the glass,slutt, btw,, the seal was finish beefore ,,,

[ubercrap]

I see, so cut under the metal strip and remove section that holds it first to remove it intact... If you look at his other post, though, he is far beyond removing the glass, his car has been disassembled down the bare shell!

[vonkr]

I can check if I have one. I bought a trailer wagon and 2 cars fully loaded with type 4 stuff last weekend.
I know there were also rubbers. But I first have to sort it all out and make a list of items. I only know that
most of it is 412 stuff.
(and no, it is not the "stuff" you think we al use in Holland )

[vonkr]

I've got one (I think)

Is this the rubber (and chrome) you need?



The rubber and chrome are easy to remove.

PM me if you're interested!