B Post door seal XK120

I cannot find this B post seal on XK 120 Roadster. Not available at the usual suppliers, anybody can help me find an alternative?

it is not a seal and I don’t mean the ocean variety.
It is actually a piece of rubber bead/tube with a vinyl wrapped around so you would call it a piping and virtually the same except smaller diameter than the wing piping on an early XK120.
diameter guessing 2.5 mm tubing with vinyl wrapped around so overall diameter 4 mm

Thanks @Terry_McGrath, do you know a source for this kind of piping? Also, is it attached with weatherstripping adhesive? Thanks

I could make it if you want some
it is actually clamped between the rear wing and shut face panel so no glue required

You can buy this beading (sometimes referred to as fender beading) in many colors and sizes on eBay.
Richard C

Thank you @Terry_McGrath, sent you a private message

https://www.woolies-trim.co.uk

This stuff is also called fender welt, available in many colors from many sources. Search the web.

Might it, perchance, be similar to the welting used between the bootlid and rear license plate plinth?

Here is what mine had on the license plate plinth, extruded rubber, which I suppose is C.2944 Seal (Rubber) around Rear Number Plate Panel (5’ long).
PICT0004

1 Like

The B post should colour match to the car, too…

Here is a description I got from Urs Schmid. We agreed a 5 mm rubber cord would work as a replacement.

"On my 22000 mile 120 OTS the original welting is still there. Your description corresponds to it except for the tube. It’s core does not consist from rubber but from cord which is wrapped by Rexine with rubber backing, the rubber being glued to the cord. This sort of gasket is called “Rubo” gasket. The gasket was overpainted in the colour shade of the car but the colour breaks by aging and usage so that on many original cars just the the black rubber/cord tube rests.

Hope this helps

Best regards

Urs"

Tadek

1 Like

Depending on national location, Bill Hirsch carries a lot of that manner of stuff.

I’m at the stage of remounting the rear wings for the final time and my mind is on seals. This is my tired, original fender welting

image

which mikes out at 0.24” … let’s call it a quarter inch. Replacement, to be painted body colour, the same diameter.

Now, this is what the latest JCNA judging guide says about the B-post seal (p. 52).

ď‚· There should be relatively heavy piping between the front face of the rear wing/fender and the body shut panel; this piping is heavier than the piping between the wings and the body.
ď‚· Using fender piping (welting) between the front face of the rear wing/fender and the body shut panel is NON- AUTHENTIC.

and pictured is what looks like black vinyl piping.

So … is this correct, that the B-post piping should be heavier that a quarter inch, say 5/16” diameter, and not body colour but black?

Hmmm. No opinions?

Viart, on p. 405 of his XK 120 Explored, says the OTS door shut pillar is wrapped in Rexine and painted body colour, but there are reportedly myriad errors in the book, and what may be correct for an earlier car may not be correct for a late one. While I’m not completely anal about details like this one if it’s a simple and easy matter of getting it right before assembly it makes sense to do it, because if I should decide to get this thing judged at some point it will be considerable work to rectify.

I’m going with black rexine. A painted seal is bound to get scuffed and worn down to the base with continued opening and closing of the door.

If the fender welt was painted with the fenders in place this makes a lot of sense. I can’t imagine loosening the fender mounts just to slip this welt into place on a newly painted car.

There’s not much left of mine, but it looks heavier than the fender welt.
PICT0001
PICT0002
paint line Browns Lane

B post:
this is what I would say is very accurate from urs (see bottom)and ties up with Viart book this item is providing some sort of sealing/cushioning for door. I don’t believe this changed right through to end 120 production.
Rear wing piping:
on early XK120’s and some cases even 140’s painted maroon the rear wing piping was a cord wrapped in rexine and painted body colour. But late 120’s most 140’s and 150’s the rear wing piping was plastic as shown in this picture of nick’s.

The JCNA failure to note the B post piping should be body colour is an error as clearly it was body colour unless you have a black car then its black!
this is what the latest JCNA judging guide says about the B-post seal (p. 52).
203C5981-097D-4596-AEDB-E8518A62D26D

terry

I expect you’ve nailed it, Mitch. Likely the same for the B post seal, ie both were installed as the body was assembled then painted in situ. It would not however make for a top notch paint job as you’d end up with a meniscus of semi-adhered paint in the gaps between the seal/welt and the body that would flake off as the paint aged.

1 Like

I mounted the rear wings with 1/4” fender welting pre-painted in body colour and B post seal made from black rexine wrapped and glued around 1/4” OD rubber tubing. This is their presentation:

image

With the door closed, a good seal is achieved.

image

It does follow that both the welting and seal would have been painted in situ while the bodies were fully assembled and still mounted to their rotisseries, as Mitch surmises. While this would have sped up the process considerably, rather than painting the rear wings, piping and seal separately before mounting to the painted body, it would not have represented a best practice. Certainly not if longevity of the result was an objective.

This, I submit, is an example of restoration technique exceeding factory standards and where a strict, deliberate adherence to “factory originality” would yield an inferior result, both from the standpoint of aesthetics and of functionality. (Drippy black paint and uneven panel fits come to mind as others). I opted not to paint the door seals before mounting because it would be only a matter of time before the door closing on them would mar them.

imho, ymmv, aaosata(*)

(*)and any other silly acronym that applies.

2 Likes

Couldn’t have said it better.

There is a body molding on the MGA that was introduced after the first year or so that hides the lower rocker edge. In my opinion it adds to the appearance and all cars should be so equipped at restoration time. Also, there’s a bit of lather once in a while as to whether they should be painted - AND whether they should be painted on or off the car if at all. Of course there’s a better way when the car isn’t moving down an assembly line.

The fan guard on some year Healey’s are supposed to be brush-painted red and heaven help you if it’s been sprayed.

I do the best I can, screw the judges.

2 Likes