1967 911 - Bumper Rubber Installation

[CA-Don]

I'm restoring my 1967 911 and getting close to reinstalling bumpers. Front bumper has rubber that attaches to the body (in the middle) with a small bead that needs to slide into a slot. There is no room to slide it in from either side. Is there a trick or special way of getting the rubber in to the slot?

The rear has a different issue. Has same (small rubber) that attaches to the center panel below the engine lid. It's the seal when the lid is closed. I can start the bead in to the slot but it only goes in about an inch. I'm going to try using dish soap, but wondering if there is a special way of doing this?

I've attached some photos of what I talking about.

Thanks,
Don

[mac73s]

Hard to tell from your photos, but you may have the license panel rubber upside down...standing behind the car, the center 'cut outs' should face you. I just installed this on my car within the past 30 minutes...took less than a minute to do. It 'pushes' into the slot...just work from one side to the other. I think trying to 'slide' it in would be almost impossible and risks tearing it. P.S. in the attached photo, you can see there is also a top seal...assume 67 used this like the early 70s cars...perhaps not. No lube needed. Photo attached

[mac73s]

P.S. the front bumper seal top bead also pushes in - not slid in - but you may need a plastic trim tool to push/lock it into place. Another photo attached

[Jim Morris]

You also show the front gasket upside down in the first photos. Where a piece can be slid into the channel (as in the rear valence), I use corn starch on the rubber. For the front gasket, you might need to carefully pry up the channel lip to where you can press in the rubber bead with a plastic tool. Ideally, this is done before paint. If it is done, the bead can be easily pressed in and the channel gently pressed on to the bead at the edges and as necessary at points along the length, to secure it. Now, it will take a bit more care to open up the channel all along the way without cracking the new paint.

[Richy]

mac73s , the license panel has 2 seals , one at the body and one for the decklid . It seems like Ca-Don was asking about the decklid seal , I don't see it in your picture . Anyway , install as mac73s describes .

[VintageExcellen]

You shouldn’t be able to slide it in, that way the channel would be too loose. You have to push it in with a plastic tool. The front seal is 2 different extrusions that are glued together, you might have to cut with surgeon precision where the 2 pieces meet to make the transition.

[tom1394racing]

I just went through this on my '70E. On the front, I lubed up the slot and the bead on the seal with SylGlide. I then carefully pushed the bead into the slot using the plastic seal tool I purchased from Stoddard. It was a slow patient process to work across the front latch panel to get the seal seated properly without tearing it. On the rear, the slot in the license plate panel was too wide to allow the bead in the seal to seat properly. I had to close it up slightly by gentle taps with a sheet metal hammer to make it narrow enough for the seal to seat.

[Orange71S]

Hair spray makes a pretty good lube for the rubber, too. It also dries nice and sticky, holding everything in place.

Jay

[bob joyce]

you want to use a boning tool.... it is made of a special kind of Teflon, less likely to scratch or rip things.... still, you have to be very careful not to dislodge or chip the paint as you try to leverage the rubber into place.

[Haasman]

On a side note, I found Dawn dish washing detergent used in full strength really helps with installing/sliding rubber. I has the benefit of being removed with water and will not decompose rubber over a long period of time such as petroleum based lubricants.