[dansker]

Does anyone have a pic of the rubber seal for the strut seal for the hatch lid. Took one off and of course it's old and shot. Looks like it might be 3 pieces with metal being in the center. anyone have a pic or maybe a good one to copy?
Thanks, Dann

 

[Custom Jim]

From what I can tell with the NOS ones I have is the rubber is molded around the steel. The rubber is not super smooth. If I had to guess I would think they had a mold that they inserted the steel ring into and then injected the rubber into the mold encasing it. The one side I have you cannot see any of the steel ring while the other one you can see some of it. I think their mold (if that is how they made them) did not have anything to hold the steel ring up in a particular position to where if the rubber encased it fully then it was fine. If it didn't it still got used.
Whenever I get to a point further along on mine I may attempt to make a mold and see if they could be duplicated. I have done some reading on another site about a guy making a rubber part for his car and he had to use a vacuum pump to remove the air bubbles from inside the mold and from what I could tell he was happy with it. He did though have to do some experimenting to get it to work. He didn't get it right the first time.
I do remember talking to another hatchback owner in Goergia years ago and he said he had approached a company like Metro rubber or someone else but they said such a limited production run would make the cost of the parts fairly high and they did not want to tool up for it.

Just a few years ago when I went to the Nova Nationals in Chicago there was a 74 hatchback there that it looked like the owner or an upholstery shop made their own set of boots. They did a nice job and just due to how they have to work they had a seam or two running up the side but it did cover the hole in the side plastic and wrap tight around the shock body.

I looked a little bit and I "think" I have pictures of the ones I have but who knows under what file they are in. If I come across them I'll add a link to them.

Jim

 

[dansker]

Ok thanks. I was looking at the one I have, both sides. It looks like the rubber that the strut goes through was originally soft rubber. The pole doesn't actually slide through the soft rubber whick is good as fat as manufacturing the part. Like I said, I think it is a 3 piece unit. Let me explain!
I don't think that the rubber on top of the steel is soft. If it were, the screws would twist the rubber piece. I think that the top piece directly over the metal is some harder material like phonelic or similar. I hope someone has a pic of a good unit. I think it can be manufactured. I know I can make the metal and have a budy that can make the rubber. Let's work together and see if we can come with ideas. I don't think we will be talking a lot of money here.
Dann