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Wed Aug 20, 2008 10:01 am

I removed all the glass from my 71 Squareback. I'm working on just about everything at once, body, interior, engine, suspension... I would like to be able to drive the car after the body work is done, but before a new coat of paint arrives.

So the noob question of the day is... Can I install new window rubber seals today, drive around with primer for two months, then remove the rubber seals and reinstall them again? Can they be removed easily without being damaged?

I'm basically trying to enjoy the car while it's being restored without spending twice as much on window seals. Thanks everyone!

Wed Aug 20, 2008 11:02 am

The window seals can be "reused". I don't know if I'd want to put good paint over primer that had been on the road for several months and sucked up all kinds of water & other contamination.

Wed Aug 20, 2008 11:22 am

Don't cry too loud when the windshield cracks taking it out.
I need a new windshield for my 69, but have been putting it off because of need for body work. I have a set of german seals, but do not want to use them.
I think I will opt for a set of cheap brazilian seals to get me by, and then just sacrifice them out when I do the body work.

Wed Aug 20, 2008 12:09 pm

LesTroyer wrote: The window seals can be "reused". I don't know if I'd want to put good paint over primer that had been on the road for several months and sucked up all kinds of water & other contamination.

The idea here is to throw a thing layer of rattle primer on the body after all the body work is completed. Once the car is ready for new paint it will go in for another session of wet sanding to remove most of the crappy primer and a better primer will be applied.

Wed Aug 20, 2008 1:44 pm

[VU]Juan wrote: LesTroyer wrote: The window seals can be "reused". I don't know if I'd want to put good paint over primer that had been on the road for several months and sucked up all kinds of water & other contamination.

The idea here is to throw a thing layer of rattle primer on the body after all the body work is completed. Once the car is ready for new paint it will go in for another session of wet sanding to remove most of the crappy primer and a better primer will be applied.

A better alternative would be to seal the car up in epoxy primer, as it doesn't absorb water like regular primers do. You can put this on, and drive it like you want to, and when you're ready to have it painted, just light sand it down (mostly scuffing the surface), and re-spray it again in epoxy, then you've got 7 days to have it painted. A friend of mine did that with his work truck (he couldn't take it off the road due to needing it to work out of), and it was in epoxy primer for over 2 years, before he got the chance to paint it. I did something similar with my old bug back in the mid 90's, as I didn't have the cash for a paint job. It might cost a little more to do this (buying the primer twice), but it allows you to drive the car, and keeps the rust at bay.