S1 Chrome Hatch Window Surround Gap, is this normal? (pics)

E-Type
#1

Guys,

Struggling to get the chrome strips that surround the rear hatch to fit properly. They were missing when I got the car and I started with new ones from a usual. They were not the correct shape and I started a search for originals. Found the top one on e-bay used but in good nick. The lower I got off a list member, NOS from Jaguar!

They seem to be the perfect curve but when I put them into the rubber one of the edges always pops out. Trying to twist the shape to get the edge down only splays out the ends and when I pull the ends back into the rubber the edge pops out again.

There were not easy to get and I really don’t want to take pliers to the to try and “make them” fit.
Should I just glue them down, fill the edge with black sealant and go? This is not a concours restoration.

Any Thoughts?
BrianM
'64, S1 3.8 FHS (Driver)

chrome2_2349
chrome2_23491331Ă—998 144 KB

chrome1_2349
chrome1_2349998Ă—1331 129 KB

#2

Yours looks great. I just added mine and botched the job sadly. I thought I would adhere it better using urethane but it buckled and I made it worse. Hope to get it the next time round.

#3

These chrome strips are on the top of my list of things that are hard to do on an Etype. One never knows if its fitment of the chrome, issues with the rubber molding, installation technique, or a combination of the 3. How they ever did this swiftly in an assembly line environment is beyond me. Here is an article I wrote. It may give you some ideas.

There are some previous posts where folks used a suction cup/clamp tool to good effect.

2 Likes
#4

Yep, searched and read all I could find. I had read yours a year ago remembered the screw trick. Used it on the front chrome,worked a champ.

My problem is not getting it into the rubber. Soapy water and some plastic window tools work great. my problem is when installed all the way around the metal “rolls” out along on edge. worse in the middle and at the turns.

BrianM

#5

I feel your pain. BTW, the article I inserted above is a newer one but it is still a hot mess. As noted, there may be situations where you don’t want to lubricate, to give the rubber more grip on the chrome. I have resorted to superglue in the past but if the fit is poor, superglue is not going to hold it. I’m not sure which usual you got your trim from but my last batch from SNG for the rear hatch fit acceptably. I have never had the good fortune to obtain originals but I would have surmised they would be better than the current reproductions.

1 Like
#6

Mine were original re-plated parts and the lower one fits just like yours. It will not stay in the rubber lip at the upper edge. I’ve gotten used to it, but it bugged me for years. The base material is brass, so it wouldn’t be recommended to attempt to reshape them by hand for fear of deforming them beyond use. Some people use urethane adhesive to fill the gap, but I haven’t done that. So far (5 years) it’s been stable and nothing bad has collected in the gap area. .

#7

Even if the fit is perfect, these are a struggle to fit. Get a set of the window trim suction clamps. They help a lot, although a second set of hands is a blessing also. I helped Drew install his and I recall having to use a bit of trim cement but not a lot. We also had to trim an end because it overlapped the other. That extra material made it impossible to get the clip on.

1 Like
#8

Those pieces are some of the hardest things to “get right” on the car, IMHO. I used black weather strip adhesive and clamps to get mine more or less correct.

1 Like
#9

Amen brother!

I’ve never been in the metal parts molding business but as a mechanical engineer, I can see that getting a flat piece of metal to conform to that particular desired shape is not easy feat. Couple this with the vargaries of the rubber seal, the hatch opening, and the glass and it is a wonder we can ever get them looking right. I left them off my driver 2+2 for 10 years out of frustration. The article I inserted above represented a modest triumph for me. My dirty secret is that I met Tony (my “dealer”) at the Burlington mall and he brought me several hatch moldings. I tried to eyeball the best ones but frankly they were all very similar. I came home with 2 of each and finally got it to work. The only glue I used was on the short pieces that cover the joint.

I vaguely remember seeing some video of the Jaguar assembly line. There was a 10 second clip where they put in a windshield. Slam, bam, done. Amazing!

#10

Practice makes perfect. :grin:

#11

Also, getting paid for piecework!

#12

Getting off topic but in Porters book, one of the old hands remembers that a team of 4 guys could weld up four monocouqes per hour. He said yes, piecework was the way to make the best money.

1 Like
#13

A version of “flat rating:” When I worked at a Datsun dealership, in 1975-76, being the new kid on the block, I got all the sh*t work: one of those was 1000-mile warranty inspections, which paid 45 flat-rate mins. I got to where I could do four/real-hour… :open_mouth:

#14

So I surrendered and filled the gap with Sikaflex 221. Stuff works great in a syringe, nice thin lines. At least I know they’ll never come off.

Thanks for the tips.

BrianM

#15

The thing that worked for me was to position the trim strip as well as possible on top of the rubber and screw through the holes in the trim to keep it from moving up or down, and slipping out of the retaining lips. I used a few dabs of weather strip adhesive and taped everything down. let dry and pull the screws out