Morris Minor Owners Club

How long does Dum Dum take to set?

For ever

Can't be right The existing dum dum on the car is now rubbery and whilst soft is fairly difficult to remove. Applied direct from the tin the consistency is very soft and smudges easily if you touch it.

Dum Dum does not harden for years. its meant to stay flexible so will expand with heat and shrink when cold. if you need to tidy it from wood or the ally panels use a clean cloth and white spirit.

Does it not form a kind of skin on it? If not then I wonder what was on there previously - very rubbery and quite difficult to remove. Same stuff has been applied to the windscreen wiper mounts presumably to prevent water from getting down there.
Thanks for the white spirit tip.

OK - I think I must be completely confused as to what dum dum is actually for. Once all the wood has been finished what is the best thing to remake a seal between the wood and the bodywork. It can't be dum dum because it would smear every time you wash the car! Would it be some kind of rubber silicone that you apply? If you know can you let me know what it might be. Thanks

sounds like they may have used some kind of silicone sealer possibly before

but dum dum would have been the way to go

Thanks - presume you just pack it all the way around and then clean off with spirit so there's no excess left anywhere.

Force the Dum Dum into the gap between the wood and the panel work with a plastic filler card, then simply cut it off so that it is flush with the wood. When the weather is cooler the Dum Dum will slightly skin. It shouldn't wash out when washing the car.
Do nt use Silicon sealer between the wood and panelwork

Many thanks - Dum Dum it is then I imagine that over the years and taking into account the changes in temperature etc etc the existing Dum Dum would have "set" I can't imagine tat Woodies of Chichester would have used a silicon sealer I'm happy now and not Dum anymore

It does eventually set. After 40 years the stuff on my Traveller drops out of the gap and can be cracked in half with your fingers a bit like very old plasticine.

Yep- that's pretty much what I thought. Don't think it takes quite as long as 40 years Think you replied to my first post - must still drop by when I'm in the Reading area

ani wrote:Yep- that's pretty much what I thought. Don't think it takes quite as long as 40 years Think you replied to my first post - must still drop by when I'm in the Reading area

The wood on my Trav was replaced in 1989. We used copious quanities of Dum Dum to seal between wood & metal, and also the glass in the rear doors. 20 yrs on and a lot of it had dried out and is rock hard. The stuff between the A post and the wood was so bad that it just crumbled out, had no waterproofing properties at all.
I've just replaced it with some stuff very similar to Dum Dum but comes in long strips about 1ft long and about 1/4" dia. Don't know the brand name, but it's probably Dum Dum undwer another name. Got it from Charlie Ware's. Seems good stuff, bit fiddly to apply though. The car hasn't been rained on yet so can't vouch for it's waterproofing qualities.