On Sun, 8 Aug 1999, Joe Curry wrote:
> I have seen a lot of messages on the subject announcing how this strip
> is "unnecessary". Perhaps it is. If Triumph deemed it unnecessary, who
> are we to question this?
Troublemakers and upstarts. I'm one myself!
> However, Most car manufacturers that used bolt on fenders in the past
> used a rubber (or synthetic rubber) welting that went between these
> metal parts. Most even allowed it to show as a decorative bead between
> the parts. There must be some reason to do this. After all, millions
> upon millions of Volkswagen Beetles were equipped this way and certainly
> they must have known something.
IIRC jonmac had something to say about body caulk. Apparently it was
applied after the body tubs had gone through the oven (enamel baked on).
Black(?) or red stuff, about the consistency of cheap baseball-card gum.
There are some forms of asphalt roof patch that are similar.
I used caulking-gun style wet/dry roof patch, and am not pleased with the
results. While it is *very* waterproof, the stuff sticks like there's no
tomorrow, and tends to harden when cold. I nearly wrecked my fender
(again) when trying to pull it away, eventually had to "cut" the stuff
with a hot wire. This time I'll put some compound in there that isn't so
sticky. After all, the fenders are bolted on, why make it hard to remove
them...? But in the same thought, don't make them easy to rattle...
IMHO there is little danger of electrolysis or dissimilar metals causing
corrosion, as there's not much other than steel in *my* body seams. But
captured moisture / dirt will *certainly* accelerate corrosion.
Need to find some sort of 'dry tar' to stick in there. Hmm...
-Malcolm
* There is a FAQ for this list! Its new home is:
http://www.islandnet.com/~walker05/triumph/trfaq.htm
|