Engine hatch weatherstrip gluing advice needed

[eche_bus]

I'm replacing the outside engine hatch weatherstrip and could use a little gluing advice. The new one-piece weatherstrip is made of EPDM and so isn't as stiff as OG, and I've found it won't stay in place without gluing. I can see clearly that VW originally used a thin line of glue under the whole length of this weatherstrip to hold it in place.

I've got 3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive on hand, but my experience is with applying it to both surfaces, then waiting for it to stop being tacky. Touching the two surfaces together then grabs immediately. Trouble is, I need to be able to shift the weatherstrip around enough to make sure it goes into/over the metal channel properly, so this just isn't going to work.

Q: Is there another glue I should use here or is there another technique using 3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive that allows a little time to move things around but still bonds properly once dry?

Thanks!

[SGKent]

put it down without glue. Use a pencil to make marks every at the beginning and every 1' or so. Lay it down and see if you have too much or too little at the end. Adjust your marks until you get it right - then do the glue. If it is like mine, 3M won't hold it for long as the pressure in the corners will pull it loose. Use the hatch to hold it down for a few days until the glue really sets up. I have yet to find a hatch seal as flexible as the originals but the ones sold will work if you leave the hatch on long enough for it to take a set.
_________________
“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[eche_bus]

[vwwestyman]

[Busstom]

I see what you're saying, about sort of angling the seal into place while tucking the inner edges under the flange without getting it stuck. Maybe if you apply the adhesive surgically to the very outer edges only, both on the body and the seal...that would minimize the chances of catching before getting it tucked. (By the outer edges, I still mean the gluing "face" of the sealing surface, not the top, bottom, and sides of the frame, so to speak.)

I'll be up against this job pretty soon here, and SGKent got me thinking...if I can find an adhesive that only needs to be applied to one surface, and doesn't need to flash tacky, then maybe it can be set, restrained if necessary with a few pieces of blue tape, then shut the lid and let it cure. If I recall, mine didn't have that much glue, and the seal pulled out fairly cleanly, unlike a lot of seals do (leaving tons of remnants behind)...it probably doesn't need all that much glue for the purpose there.

[Tcash]

Throw the seal in the dryer on low heat until is is pliable. You need a slow set product like this 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Instant Adhesive CA5 Clear. For clean up 3m 08984.
Good luck
Tcash

[eche_bus]

The method SGKent suggested to keep track of stretch is a great tip.

The issue that Busstom highlighted is the main one I was getting at. Whereas the base of the seal pretty much just lays into place, the flange/slot edge of the seal requires some fiddling with to get pressed into place in a straight line. The idea to angle the seal into place is spot on. The challenge is doing this with a 3-4 foot long piece of wiggly rubber that gravity wants to pull off the flange. I'm convinced the original seal would stay in place, but I've already experienced that this new seal doesn't have the stiffness or molded features sufficient to perform this way.

Perhaps a way to do this is to first apply glue to the seal and bus and let dry to the touch as per directions. Then, drape sheets of paper (Post-It Notes?) over the glue on the bus, to allow the seal to be inserted around the flange without risking contact with the bus glue. Then, with a section of the seal in place, remove a sheet of paper, press the section of seal to the bus, and repeat.

Tcash - thanks for the tip about the Scotch-Weld Adhesive. I'm going to experiment with using the 3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive using some scrap first, and consider that next.

[Tcash]

What about double back sticky tape? That would allow you to peel as you go and re-position the seal if needed.
Tcash

[rodgersbadassbus64]

Super glue works great. I also use it for my safaris on my splitty

[raygreenwood]

Scotch weld IS superglue (cyanoacrylate). Its a little crispy and hard ro get off if need be. We use it for permanent assembly of surgical foams to plastics.

A high tack silicone RTV applied to one surface would be best. Ray

[ron3865]

I used Loctite Black Contact Adhesive on the engine hatch and door seals. Apply a couple of spots to one side (just enough to hold it in) and it works great. Trouble is that Loctite doesn't make it anymore but I found it online at Zoro.com. I should have bought a couple of tubes as I find I use it for quite a few jobs.

If you want a real pliable seal get one from Wolfsburg West. They make one that is in 4 parts and you trim for final length. Was almost too easy to install. Just use a few dabs of adhesive as it stays in pretty well by itself.

[raygreenwood]

[speedystar77]

FWIW I did this weeks ago and used a thin layer of black Permatex (?) automotive weatherstrip adhesive. I could not get it to stay in position without the adhesive. I had something on hand (silicone solvent) to wipe away any excess while it was still wet. Everything is holding well so far. It did take a few days of hatch closed to get it compressed where the lid latches easily like it did with the original seal.
_________________
1974 Baywindow Westfalia Bus
Tintop Campmobile
Production date: November 29, 1973
1700 cc engine with manual transmission
32/36 DFEV Weber Progressive

[ron3865]

[raygreenwood]

[Tcash]

Permatex® Super Weatherstrip Adhesive, Part Number: 81731
Allows for repositioning parts after contact is made. - See more at: http://www.permatex.com/products-2/product-categor...6Lt0P.dpuf
Tcash

[eche_bus]

I appreciate all the anecdotes and ideas and am honestly taking it all into consideration. I'll reiterate that the crux of the issue is that it's TOO flexible as it readily falls out of the flange, just like speedystar77 points out. We're not talking about installing an OG VW seal here which seems more likely to stay put without or with a minimum of glue.

This new seal is made from EPDM, which from a little research last night, I discovered is actually pretty tough to glue.

Cyanoacrylate glue: Yes, that will bond to it, but this class of glue is notorious for a lack of durability in humid environments. Perhaps ScotchWeld is somehow different, so its not entirely out of the question.

3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive: Turns out the yellow 3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive I had on hand isn't recommended for use with EPDM. 3M says to use their black one for EPDM (and I thought the only difference was color). Trouble is, it isn't repositionable. Coat both surfaces, touch together, and it GRABS. I'm holding off on this for now.

Permatex Black Super Weatherstrip Adhesive or Weatherstrip Cement (clear): This is the only family other than ScotchWeld that represents itself as repositionable. I spoke with Permatex this morning to ask how long can be repositioned. The answer was "not tested, but it's a modified contact adhesive to allow repositioning". Then I asked which product was recommended for use with EPDM, as their website doesn't say. The answer was "I don't know. I'll have to ask the lead chemist and get back to you." So waiting to hear back.

Loctite Black Contact Adhesive: it's a contact cement and isn't represented as repositionable or for use with EPDM. If someone here can tell me otherwise, I'd be very happy.

Hi Tack RTV: Will this actually bond EPDM?

[poptop tom]

Not sure if this helps.
http://www.permabond.com/blog/2015/05/12/bonding-epdm-industrial-adhesive/
_________________
'76 Deluxe Campmobile

[eche_bus]

[Tcash]

3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive: Turns out the yellow 3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive I had on hand isn't recommended for use with EPDM. 3M says to use their black one for EPDM (and I thought the only difference was color). Trouble is, it isn't repositionable. Coat both surfaces, touch together, and it GRABS. I'm holding off on this for now.
Would it be worth asking if there is something you can mix with the Adhesive to retard the set time?
Tcash