The Lotus Grand Tourers

I am after a new, or second hand in good condition, 1986 Excel SE driver's side door rubber. This is the internal one and not the one actually located on the door. Please note I am in Sydney, Australia if quoting on postage.

Many thanks

Alastair

Hi Alastair
There have benn quite a lot of posts about this! Use the search facility for "Door Seals". Also I seem to remember that a member here had got some replacement rubber seal from Woolies Trim here in the UK. Have a look at :
www.woolies-trim.co.uk
John.

Hi Alastair

Next time I'm at picknpayless I'll see if I can find something that will do the job and looks similar to my 86 se

Robert.

Hi Robert

You are a champion. Many thanks.

Alastair

try lotus bits, cost approx £100 but it is the correct part

Try searching the forum for eBay and door seal. People have had some success with the ones advertised on the uk eBay. Not sure if they post overseas though.
Ted

Edit: also some previous threads say not to buy from woollies. Lots on the forum.

Thanks for all the advice but I'll stick with Robert as he actually lives in Oz and would know where to access this sort of stuff.

Alastair

Pressure's on! Give me a week or two max, sure I'll find something suitable

Robert

No rush, Robert. The car won't fall apart without it! But in this cold (for your Poms, it's only 19C today - like a summer's day for you folk!) it's a little draughty!

best wishes

Alastair

Just to add my ten pence. I would avoid the supposed "superior quality" doorseal costing £20 per side from ebay. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt and it didn't fit. This is very much a case of you get what you pay for. I spent a long time trying to get them to fit and in the end wished i had paid the extra to get the ones that are properly contoured for the doors. I found the cheaper ones didn't fit inside of the corners where the angles are sharpest. I simply repaired my originals until I could afford the originals which fit properly.
Other people may have had a different experience to me though.

For another 10p. I got the seals from Ebay and spent about 2 hours on Saturday trying to fit the drivers side. I got there in the end but had to cut the seal to fit the right-angled corner. Found that by folding the seal back on itself whilst pushing the metal flange bit down, the gap on the flange opened enough to get it onto the seam over which it is then pushed and fitted. Also the fact that the extrusion is manufactured in one plane means that you have to twist it as you move around the door seam otherwise it either steadfastly refuses to go on or goes on "wonky".

Also found that because it was a very tight fit, I had to push leather and headlining back in place with a wooden spatula temporarily liberated from my daughers clay modelling tools, needs must

Must say that a big difference in the amount of wind whistling through the door, as in reduced, with the new seal fitted though next time I'd be inclined to go with something that has the correct contour.

Mark

If the seal itself is intact, but flattened - it's possible to "re-inflate" it by cutting a small nick in it and feeding in some windscreen washer tube to create an inner reinforcement.

The ww tube is a bit stiffer than the rubber seal and does a decent job of resurrecting the seal. Mine is still water-tight after a few years.