Some Misc. Questions.

[Chief]

1) What would you suggest is the best mastic/sealant for a boot lid rubber? (not sure whethere you would use sealant or mastic)

2) How can you remove the heater, to open it up to see if foam is perished and possibly replace foam?

3) How can you replace the oval rubbers from the windscreen wipers? Do you have to get to them through the glove compartments?

4) Other than the windows,quarterlights and door rubbers what other place could water get in to make the drivers side seatbelts damp?

5) What colour of nail varnish is for the blue of the morris minor bonnet badge? (it mentions only red in the useful tips section-looks good too).

6) Whats the best way to fit a boot lid, when the rear seats cant fold down due to the seat belts fitted in the back? (is it safe to remove them/how would you).

7) To replaint the grille do the front wings HAVE to be taken off? and what would you reccomend for removing the old paint ready to repaint it?

Is it possible to buy your old car registration plate number if your car was at one point in it's life re-registered? (merely a query as I doubt very much I could afford it).

Thanks for the help

[Cam]

1) What would you suggest is the best mastic/sealant for a boot lid rubber? (not sure whethere you would use sealant or mastic)

Use a contact adhesive not a mastic. Put lots on both surfaces, wait until it goes tacky and press together, then shut the boot and keep it closed for 24 hours.

6) Whats the best way to fit a boot lid, when the rear seats cant fold down due to the seat belts fitted in the back? (is it safe to remove them/how would you).

Get two people to hold it in place, tighten the bolts up lower it to test the alignment then up again and adjust until it's correct (mine was first time!).

7) To replaint the grille do the front wings HAVE to be taken off? and what would you reccomend for removing the old paint ready to repaint it?

NO!! You can take off the entire front panel (including radiator) without touching the wings at all! For painting either sand down by hand, use a paint stripper or a power sanding tool. I think you can remove the grille without removing the front panel, but I think you have to remove the radiator to do that. I think I would unbolt the radiator (but leave it in place) and then remove the front panel complete with grille and take it apart off the car.

[57traveller]

3. Just done this on my Traveller. All done from outside.
Remove the wiper arm.
Remove the chromed nut from the wheelbox.
Remove the chrome embellisher. This might be stuck to the joint so some VERY gentle taps with a blunt instrument or careful levering with a small screwdriver should release. Use a small piece of wood as a fulcrum, if using a screwdriver, to protect bodywork. Wheelbox may drop slightly into car.
Remove rubber joint.
Clean area thoroughly.
Fit new joint in position.
Fit embellisher.
Fit nut. It may be necessary to pull up the wheelbox with one hand while carefully screwing on the nut. It's a fine thread so be careful not to cross.
Tighten the nut until the joint just compresses. Make sure embellisher and joint are correctly positioned before tightening.
It may be worth chucking a bucket of water to make sure there are no leaks!

[rayofleamington]

1) What would you suggest is the best mastic/sealant for a boot lid rubber? (not sure whethere you would use sealant or mastic)

Same advice as before - contact adhesive. I've use Evostick timebond in the past with good results. If the boot is a bad fit (mine was) then closing it will not clamp the rubber in all the places.
I used big clothes pegs to hold the rubber on for a day (put cardboard under the other side of the peg to protect the exterior paintwork.

2) How can you remove the heater, to open it up to see if foam is perished and possibly replace foam?

For removal, theres a section in tech tips on the heater which also references to the Mini heater. - it's simple to follow though I haven't tried it yet.
For replacing the foam it can be done without dissassembly, or even removal of the heater - have a look around for the post - it may have been in the tips section

4) Other than the windows,quarterlights and door rubbers what other place could water get in to make the drivers side seatbelts damp?

the other point is via the rear spring hangars. This doesn't often get to the rear footwell but it is possible. If there was any rot the hangars get plated (botch repair) in the areas you can see - this leaves a big hole inbetween the sides of the hangar, right above the spring eye.
I've seen this on many tatty cars and it lets water into the area under the back seat. This can leak through into the rear footwell.

[Chief]

A bright new start to the day, and how did it start?

Wet seatbelts (as always), puddles on the parcel shelf and soaking wet carpets The only thing I can think of is the wiper rubbers, we've only just redone everything else i'm getting a little disheartened And the old boot lid rubber fell off today.........along with a pile of rust So it's lucky I asked these questions when I did
The water can't be getting in from the rear, as it's only the drivers seat area getting wet and no where else

[Peetee]

If you have a parcel shelf a perished wiper rubber would cause water to drip on that first.

[Peetee]

The water can't be getting in from the rear, as it's only the drivers seat area getting wet and no where else

Is this the case? I'm sure a leaking rear screen in my four door was causing a puddle on the floor.

[rayofleamington]

I've had wet seat belts from leaks at the rear - however as you've just found a wet parcel shelf then you know to look at the front...

good luck!

[salty_monk]

Ahh have a look at my post, we're experiencing similar problems.
Pootle as my girlfriend calls it had about 10 leaks in total, down to the last 2 now but one is causing the drivers floor to be wet....

[Chief]

Peetee, surely the rear carpets would also get wet though?

It may be worth chucking a bucket of water to make sure there are no leaks!

That won't be needed- we have Scottish weather here ;)

I should have mentioned that we did replace the rear windscreen rubber, but no sealant etc was used as they fitted it on wet ... and the wrong way round they're suggesting we pay them to make them fit it the right way- if they do say it will cost us we've decided to say "goodbye" and go elsewhere

[57traveller]

Peetee is correct re leakage through wiper embellisher joints. The water shows up on your parcel shelf. In my case, unfortunately, only after it's dripped out of the radio/cd.

[Peetee]

I have had quite a wet carpet from water that settled on the top of the door frames and then was flung in from the action of the door shutting and a poor fit on the door seal. I also suspected that the guttering was leaking into that gap but I never found out for sure before I sold the car.

[Matt]

in regards to the number plate question..... if you can track down the orignal number plate and if its still on the road, and if you can buy it back of them yes!

[Chief]

It has to be still on the road from what I can judge the old number was sold to pay for the cost of getting the body /engine rebuilt

[Matt]

you could see if the dvla are selling the plate on their website.....

[Cam]

Also if you do an on-line insurance quote on the original registration, a lot of companies will tell you what car it is on! My original '52 reg (JAM 108) is on a Mercedes Clk 320 Elegance Auto, Sports 3199cc.

I got a rough idea of the cost of the plate from newreg.com and it was about £5,000 so there's no way I am buying that back even if they DID want to sell it!!!

[MrA.Series]

Yeah, I've managed to regain a few numbers from the DVLA for mine and me dad's classic motorbikes. Even if the number had not been in use for, say, over 30 years they still re-issue it to you.

[Kevin]

The water can't be getting in from the rear, as it's only the drivers seat area getting wet and no where else

You say only the drivers seat area if your seat belts are getting wet I assume you mean to the rear of the seat, have you taken the rear seat cushion out to look through the holes to see if the new rear window rubber did its job and did you have the side rubbers replaced if its a 2 door, if you take the carpets and rear seats out that will assist in checking to see if there is a water trace from that end, did you check before doing the rear screen ?

[Willie]

Leaks at the front? Nobody seems to have mentioned a very
common leak point......the part of the bonnet hinge which is
fixed to the BODY,not the bonnet itself. This has a gasket
under it and if it is loose can leak quite badly. Awkward to
tighten. TIP, use a suitable SHORT spanner and tie it securely
with cord or wire to your wrist because if you drop the spanner
it will most likely drop into the double skinned section next to
the A post and be impossible to retrieve without the string.

[Chief]

we have the bonnet gasket things, just havn't had any let up in rain to fix them ironic or what