How to Install the rubber seal around the engine grill ??

[Jim Clement]

good idea.. will do

[Jeff Fadley]

Jim -

This may not help you as the replay is late, but you brought back memories of my adventures with uncooperative engine grill rubber. 1 can attest that it is a series of simultaneous equations... After exhausting my German swear word vocabulary, I kind of found this process to work for me (C Coupe) -

First, I had rubber that fit too tight as well. I put the rubber on the grill off the car and let it sit for a day. I don't know if that stretched the rubber at all, but it made me feel that I was showing the car who was in charge. You may want to put the grill (with the rubber attached) into boiling water. Clearly with this step the rubber knows that you aren't fooling around.

Second, dry fit the grills - mine had an orientation with the seam on the bottom, but it definitely slipped in one way easier than the other and seemed to have a right/left. Maybe this is just from 60 years or so of being in the same place, but it just felt in place.

I know yours is an A, but on the twin grill cars see which side is harder - do that one first. You can get your hand behind the grill on the inside edge when fiddling.

Next, screw the (I think 6mm) screws partially in on both sides of the grill. You are looking for the screws to be loose enough to get the grill to slip in at the slots in the aluminum, but not fall out. Falling out is bad - leads to more swearing in German.

Push the grill in about half way and tighten the four screws beyond finger tight but not "clamped" down.

Soak the rubber again hot water.

Stretch the rubber from the top to the bottom using a plastic auto trim blade. I oriented the rubber seam on the bottom to line up with the grill seam.

When you have the rubber stretched fully around (actually pretty easy at this point) loosen the screws slightly and carefully push the grill down. The rubber will want to dive in places so use the plastic trim tool to gently lift the rubber into place. The roll of the grill should basically bisect the rubber at the groove.

Like many jobs on these cars, the first time that you the project it will take forever. Now I will take the grills off and clean the rubber when I do a decent cleaning job - it really comes back together quickly.

Jeff

[Jeff Fadley]

OK, I looked again at Victor's photo which shows a fillister head screw. Since he knows these cars better than I do I checked my parts list and sure enough T-6's had hex, prior fillister. Other than a jeweler's screwdriver (if it fits) or a points file (on its edge) I concede - your A is much harder than my Cs. Learned something...

Jeff