Tips for replacing the cowl to front fender seal

[Cattler]

I read through several threads and finally went ahead and replaced both seals this weekend--I have an 87 cabriolet and used the wider (6.5 mm, Porsche 911 & Carrera Front End Seals - Page 2) seals. Each of the existing threads had a few tips--people seemed to disagree with some of the points from each. Here's what just worked for me.

-- Here's a snapshot of the tools I used. Most useful was the screwdriver with the flexible tip and a 5mm allen bit. You'll need something like this to get at the interior allen bolt holding the fender in place inside the door opening. The bolt closest to the door was easy to get at with a conventional 5mm allen wrench. Pliers optional--some recommended them, but I found they just shred the old seal when you pull on it and rip small pieces off the new one if you use it to pull it into place.



-- I only loosened the two allen bolts accessible through the forward edge of the door openings. Others had recommended loosening the four fender bolts inside the front boot. (I couldn't ID them , so I ignored this step and it worked fine.) Be very careful not to loosen them so much that they fall out. Thankfully, this didn't happen to me, but seemed to be good advice given the tight space. Here's a shot of the bolts I'm talking about.



-- The old seal should come out without much trouble. If its tight in places, use the plastic putty knife to spread the fender from the cowl. You can also carefully pull the fender away by gripping the edge of the fender near the cowl.

-- Blow out the space between the fender and cowl after the seal is removed. I also sprayed some WD40 in there and wiped everything down.

-- You'll need to cut out the portion of the seal below the rear bolt hole unless you're removing the fender entirely. Here's shot of the new and old seals. Some threads recommended trimming the bottom half off the new seals--I didn't do this and they fit well.



-- I coated the new seal lightly with dish soap.

-- Start in the front boot and press the first section down--the portion of the seal that will be covered by the front boot cover. Use the plastic putty knife as necessary to spread the fender and cowl apart and pull the fender away gently with your hand as necessary. I found it easiest for me to work the gap and my wife to press the new seal into place.

-- I had a small portion (< 1/4 inch) of the new seal extend beyond the edge of the door frame. Tighten the allen bolts while ensuring the seal remains flush with the body. I then used the razor knife to cut the excess away.

Here's a before and after. This is a very easy job and took less than an hour for both sides. Well worth the $6 or so in new seals.

David

[greasemonkey]

Thanks for posting the details on this. You know what I'll be doing this weekend now!