Fender to body seal material

[adam912]

Hey folks, what's the right material to use to seal the long joint between my front fenders and the body? My '66 appeared to have something like plumber's putty in there. Now that I have it all stripped and POR-15'd I would like to re-seal with the right stuff...

thanks
Adam Reed
S wannabe--'66 912 with 2.2L T4 power (!) and S suspension

[red911]

Hi Adam,

I used 3M paintable seam sealer and just brushed it on in my 1966 911. This accomplished two things in my opinion, kept the contact points from rubbing and will keep squeeks down. If you want more thickness, Eastwood carries a body seam strip caulk, but it's black, not the tan or white color of the original.

Good luck, Tom

[Richard]

I think you want to definitely use an automotive seam sealer. You can get both seam sealer or 3M strip caulk at any automotive paint supply store. Either will work fine...and you don't need to use too much of it. Just a narrow bead should be fine. When the fender is bolted to the chassis it will flatten out the seam sealer and make for a good seal. While you have your fenders off I'd also recommend cleaning out and sealing the vertical channel (on the inside of the fender in front of the door) where there is a 90 degree angle to attach the rear of the fender to the chassis. This channel was sealed at the factory but often not totally sealed and after forty years there's usually lot's of room for water and dirt to get in as it's thrown up by the wheels. Although the channel is open at the bottem to allow water to drain out it quickly gets plugged up by dirt. When ever you see rust bubbles at the bottem of the fender just in front of the doors it's because this channel get's plugged up. The best solution is to clean it out and completely reseal it when the fenders are off.

Good luck,
Richard

[nick-moss]

I am restoring a 1966 911 at the moment. It was taken off the road in 78 and was very original. There was a grey sealer between the fender and inner wing. The fender - scuttle seal was a piece of folded leatherette, not the rubber seal used in later cars