Boot lid seal replacement update

For those of you that are having difficulty fitting the boot seals supplied by the usual vendors because they are too thick, I have a potential solution. Liz at COHBaines was kind enough to send me four samples of their “Draught Excluder” linear seals I selected to trial fit them in my boot. I have found that most of the samples would work for my application, but the Model DX100 seal works the best. It is low profile between the boot lid and the seal rim, and has a flap very similar to the original NLA seal.

Original Seal:

DX100 Seal:

Sample installed in boot:

I like this sample the best because it has the foam rubber lip that engages the boot lid to seal it and has a cutout on the bottom to allow the water to flow to the drains. I am going to order the required 10 feet of this for my boot and will report back when it is fully installed with a fit report. If anyone else wants to try out the four samples Liz sent me I will forward them to you. PM me if interested.

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Hi Doug, Having had used C.O.Baines in the UK for my E types and 420 total restorations I can tell you they are the BEST. The wait in shipping is well worth it because you will save so much time fitting their weather stripping and seals. Nothing compares. A very happy customer.
Regards,
Allen

This is really good news! I’ve fitted two different seals over the years, hoping for one that fit properly. Looking forward to hearing about your final results.

Doug, did you order it from the UK supplier or in the US?

I’m only aware of the UK supplier. Liz who helped me is in the UK.

Does Liz strike you as someone who would be willing to work on having a reproduction of the original seal produced? There would be a good market even if they just produced an extrusion sold by the foot that had to be fitted and glued.

I did not broach that subject with her as I believe that if they thought there was a market there they would have pursued it by now. They have several extrusions already for the E-Type. They may be able to reproduce the original but are they willing? Also, the one I’m going to use is really pretty close to the original.

I finally got around to ordering and installing the COH Baines DX100 draught excluder in my boot. I have to say that for my boot this seal fits perfectly and should do an excellent job of keeping water/dust/etc. out of the boot. The boot closes nicely and I’m very happy with the result. Here’s a couple photos of the installation (ignore the tools in the boot, they’re for another issue…):

It even leaves the drain holes open:

I have some of this seal left if anyone wants a sample to try out.

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Excellent. Have you tried a leak test with a garden hose to see how well it seals?

Don’t be silly that might put water in his trunk​:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Not yet but I’ll post results when I do. I can feel the rubber lip lightly pushing on the boot lid as I close it which gives me some confidence.

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Brilliant! In case you missed it, there is a video on Youtube where the owner of Monocoque Metalworks shows off a 100% original '64 he acquired. That is exactly how the original seal looked. I have no idea why they sell that tall bulb seal.

Please put me down for the sample tour. I do want to order one. I’ve had door weatherstripping stuck on mine for 20 years.

Doug, is this the correct website link?

I see they sell by the metre. What was the length you ordered?

I ordered 4 meters and have a little over a meter left. 3 meters should work but I wanted some extra for samples. It really isn’t very expensive and they got it to me very quickly considering its from England.

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I got a quote for 8M of this stuff from the manufacturer.

£18 to purchase
£41 to ship

Think I’ll wait.

8M is a lot of rubber. Are you trying to do multiple cars?

Well, the estimate was four meters. I needed a minimum $ order, so I ordered enough for two cars, figuring I could sell half in the States. It’s the shipping that’s the eye-opener.

Yes it is steep. Maybe a group buy would be better, but I suspect that by the time it is resent to other people it wouldn’t be much better. I might see if there are other rubber parts I could use and see if it will be shipped for the same price.

If you want half I’ll order it. We can split shipping.

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I wonder if 6 meters for two cars and less excess would be substantially less…