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What glue or adhesive to use with rubber seals

Started by adamb, 04 September 2023, 04:14 PM

raueda1

If I remember right, the edge seals 228 and 230 have a small lip around the corners that's visible.  Presumably you'd want to retain that look.  IF that lip is intact I'd attempt resurrection anyway, though obviously I can't guess at how destroyed they are. If they're just a bit torn but still in one piece I'd try resurrection by solvent swelling.  Rubber and flexible PVC will often suck up organic fluids and swell.  If they're deformed by pressure/compression this can bring back the original shape, at least cosmetically. 

So, before doing anything else, I'd try soaking the pieces in mineral oil for a week or so.  Lighter solvents like naphtha, ketones etc would almost certainly swell the parts but eventually evaporate, losing the effect.  Mineral oil ought to stay put in the polymer.  Transmission fluid might work too. Then you could use a flexible sealant around bolts etc so it doesn't leak. Honestly, I can't say if would work, but worth a shot.

As an aside, if I remember right, those parts are flexible PVC, not rubber.  If so, IMO this really isn't a very good gasket material, leading me to wonder if they were really designed to keep water out (vs relying on the lamp assembly gasket or something else.  Cheerts,
-Dave
Now:  1976 6.9 Euro, 2015 GL550
Before that:  1966 230S, 1964 220SE coupe, 1977 Carrera 3.0