Door Seals

[KevW]

After fiddling with the original door seals for months I decided to try and make the car 100% leak-free and bought a length of Woolies 266A (as used by DPR59).

I found it fitted to the flange so well that I decided not to use any mastic during the fitting and merely tapped it into place with a rubber mallet. I made the join down by the sill where the original seal had been joined.

After fitting the new seals the offside door closed perfectly with a really tight, snug fit. The nearside door was a bit more of a problem. I discovered I could hardly close the door, in fact it took two or three attempts to get it to close and closing it from inside the car just wasn't possible. The problem was caused by the tubular sectioned seal not having sufficient clearance where it ran along the sill at the bottom of the door. Bearing in mind the offside doorseal was working so well I decided to live with the nearside seal for a few weeks in the hope that it would compress into shape under the clamping effect of the closed door.

Two weeks later, as I had hoped, the offside seal is now behaving properly and the door can be closed with normal effort. The only downside is that around 8 inches of seal running along the sill tends to adopt a squashed-flat appearance rather than a tubular shape but I can live with that.

So for under £40 I now have two fully working, 100% watertight doors and a side benefit is a huge reduction in wind noise when the car is moving.

[KevW]

Just thought I would update this with my experience of using the Woolies 266A seal long term.

I've already replaced one with a new genuine Lotus door seal (an e-bay find) and am about to replace the other. Although initially the 266A seals seemed fine they began to catch on the doors and became ragged allowing water in.

[lambert.john]

I, too, have had trouble with the Woolies seal; it is too bulky and the door catches on it each time it is used. I am now replacing it with the genuine Lotus door seal. However, what I'd like to know is what is the best mastic to use to keep it in place. The stuff I used before from SJ Sportscars (also used to fix the waistline trim) was too liquid and I had trouble keeping it off the upholstery. Has anyone any other ideas?

[KevW]

I found the both types of seal gripped tightly and didn't need mastic.

[Tanz]

I changed my leaking passenger door seal with one from SJ's a couple of years back. It was fine for a couple of months but the rubber seal 'spread out' with use, causing the door card to catch on it when shutting the door. It got so bad that when shutting the door the seal was pushed off.
Someone who goes to the Staffordshire branch of club Lotus said he new a source of good quality door seal and gave me a sample to try. I have to say it looks and fits great. The rubber is set back from the edge of the 'U' shape that you push onto the car (hope that makes sence) with the result that the door card clears the seal by about 5mm. The backward facing teeth in the U shape prevent it coming off - no need for sealer.



I am going to order some and will let you know how I get on. If anybody else wants some I can give you his contact details.

[lambert.john]

Phil

I'm having exactly the same problem - the door card fouling the seal when closing the door - and this is now with a door seal from the Lotus main dealer! The example in your picture seems to be what's required - with the seal set back a fraction. Who's your contact?

John Lambert

[Tanz]

Hi John,

Are you the guy I spoke to at the Lotus show last W/E ? Seems to be a common problem,

The contacts name is Bob Chapman 07852142753 or 07961738884.

[lambert.john]

Hi, Phil, and yes; we spoke at the Club Lotus festival. Many thanks for your help and I'll give Bob a ring. By the way, it was nice to see an Excel stand at the show, with THREE examples on display!

Regards

John Lambert

[jpm6591]

How did you get on with door seals?

I changed my leaking passenger door seal with one from SJ's a couple of years back. It was fine for a couple of months but the rubber seal 'spread out' with use, causing the door card to catch on it when shutting the door. It got so bad that when shutting the door the seal was pushed off.
Someone who goes to the Staffordshire branch of club Lotus said he new a source of good quality door seal and gave me a sample to try. I have to say it looks and fits great. The rubber is set back from the edge of the 'U' shape that you push onto the car (hope that makes sence) with the result that the door card clears the seal by about 5mm. The backward facing teeth in the U shape prevent it coming off - no need for sealer.



I am going to order some and will let you know how I get on. If anybody else wants some I can give you his contact details.

[Tanz]

[quote="jpm6591"]How did you get on with door seals?

The door seal is great. No problems with the door card catching as i close the door. I have never had a problem with water leaks around the door but can report the door is still water tight. I think some of the water leak problems are down to the window frame being 'bent' outwards leaving a gap. Can recommend the seals - contact is in a previous post above.