windscreen rubber seals identification help..

[ButterFingers]

Hi there,
I need some advice on the rubber seals required for the front and rear windscreens.
Looking at company's in the UK that supply the parts , I am a bit confused.
It appears the for the front screen I need 2 seals, upper and lower and for the rear 2 also , but an extra one that covers the joint between the glass and the steel bodywork, called the deck?
I thought that I would ask before having emails flying back and forth to the suppliers, and possible getting misinformation.
Peter

 

[mtb_tuli]

here you can see all parts drawings, that makes it easier :
Bodywork
It´s always the main seal (a 3-side seal) and a seal for the support channel. The glass sits in this support channel and between channel and glass there´s also a seal, which you must replace.
The additional one at the rear is shown also there (I have replaced the front ones, but not the rear, but was told, very similar procedure). The support channels are sitting on adjusters, this is a very tricky system, so you can simply lower (to take it out) and lift the screens (when re-installing).

 

[Vern Klukas]

The front screen lower seal has a bit of flap to seal against the air intake panel so you need it, the rear screen lower channel (not the decker seal, which isn't required at all to change the glass) is just a U channel of rubber so can be fabricated in a pinch from something like pond liner, if you need to replace it at all.

Yours
Vern

 

[ButterFingers]

hi there,
I removed the windscreen wiper valance (cover)
and this is what I found....

 

[ButterFingers]

here are some more.
The lower rubber has lots of holes in it, original or has the rubber disintegrated?Hmmm
is it possible to just remove and replace the bottom channel and rubber or is there another piece behind the glass and the dashboard?

 

[mtb_tuli]

The rubber for the channel looks strange. At my car the channel and rubber was missing, so I cannot say, if this was an original rubber at all. Anyway, you have to take it out. Between glass and dashboard, there´s a rubber too (the one you see also from the inside), it "seals" against the air from the motorbay. This rubber was ok at my car, when the screen is out, you have a chance to clean it properly. If you think, to leave the screen and only replace the lower channel seal, it could work, as the old main rubber will hold the screen, even if you remove the mid support and wind down the supports lh /rh (you will see, if it comes down....). But you will have to do this general work sometimes, see my photos, what the body frame looked like, when I took off the screen. My car has only minor rust, but this area did not look good.
Vern told you, the new lower seal (glass to channel) has a "flap". You can see it a little bit on my photos. It also guides water to lh and rh side. As some idiots removed channel and seal on my car, all the water goes to the bulkhead area. Had to take out the heater and it was 5 to 12 for restoring this area.

 

[ButterFingers]

hi jorg, thank you for your input, yours looks like a bad case of negligent care. how did you rectify all the faults?
peter

 

[mtb_tuli]

Without this forum, no chance, you do not even have chance to identify, what´s original and what´s a "quick fix". The missing support channel and missing mid support adjuster I got from Wins, he has a lot of 2nd hand spares also. The car was ever serviced at a Jaguar workshop, but I think, they did not look for original seals when the replaced the front screen many years ago. You can see, the main seal is a very thick one and they replaced it with kgs of sealant mass which took me a lot of time to cut out. Once the upper s/s valances (mounted with rivets) are also off, you can see the simple design, which makes it easy to take off the screen and reinstall everything. Have done this without help. The problem are the valances around, so you cannot see, if there´s a seal problem, but after 40+ years, all seals will have a problem.
On my car due to the missing bottom channel seal, water got down to the area around the heater box, then between heater box and its foam seal to the bulkhead, then into the passenger´s footwell
It makes sense, to check from the inside of the footwell areas carefully the inner side of the bulkhead. For this, you have to remove the glove-boxes (easy). If you decide to take the screen(s) out, reinstall the new screen with mounted rubber seal with some soapy water into the car´s frame and before you do this, apply good quality screen sealant (flexible, removable) onto the frame. At his point a 2nd person is helpful (did it alone...) because the complete screen with rubber seal on must be "slided" from bottom to the, only the last millimeters with support of the channel and its supporters, otherwise you have no feeling, if the screen goes into the opening correctly. After installation use again special screen sealant for final sealing around the new rubber seal. The bottom channel rubber will be mounted dry into the channel.
If you have no workshop manual, look for one, you will need it also for other jobs. If you are member of the Rover P6 club, you can get workshop manual and spares book on CD for small money.
Do NOT use any silicon sealant !!! They used it on my screen. Most of the (cheap) silicon contains acid and therefor it "eats" away the paint on the body and quickly leads to corrossion, which you will never see.

 

[mtb_tuli]

Forgot one thing...
Between the 3 supporters and the metal support channel you may need also some foam or rubber strips. I only can imagine to take off vibrations or so. I have used rubber strips made from an old bycicle tube....

 

[Vern Klukas]

There is no rubber between the 3 supporters and the metal channel. The lower seal in the pictures is correct, but is badly perished (the gaps are missing bits, not by design). You can get this seal as a repo. Under the glass there is a strip of foam which is not available but can be fabricated. If it is missing or crumbly, it won't leak water but it is a small air leak and more importantly noise will get in. Finally there are small rubber blocks, one at each end under the glass, that act as spacers so the foam strip can work properly. These are also not available, but normally are reusable.

Yours
Vern

 

[Vern Klukas]

With regards to installation, sealant (non-hardening rubber based, not silicone or polyurethane) must be applied to the channel before installation, not after. The workshop manual has a pretty good procedure to follow. Note that where the sealant goes is different between the front and rear windows. I'd suggest installing the screen in once without sealant as a practice run.

Yours
Vern