Club 80-90 Forums

Hello All,

The sealant in the gutter of my high top AutoSleeper Trident isn't as good as it could be, so which sealant should I use, and how high should I fill the gutter? I think that Sikaflex 521 is what I need, but are there other types of similar sealants available?

On another note, my high top no longer has the rubber trim that used to cover the join of the high top with the front of the van immediately above the windscreen trim, so, does anyone know where I can source an appropriate trim that's not too different from the original, as supplied by AutoSleeper? Any advice for both these queries would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Sal

Probably best wth silkaflex, there are similar made by Evostick but, despite claims of being all weather exterior grade, I found after about 9 months it shrank.

As for the seal, try seals direct. I just ordered some for my Autohomes which also has a front seal above the windscreen.

Could you tell us which seal you ordered from Seals Direct? I would like to change the ones on my Komet which presumably will be the same as those on the Karisma.

Yes, it would be good to know which seals are available from Seals Direct. I looked at their website but couldn't identify a seal that would do the job, ie, sealing along the join of the high top just above the windscreen.

AngeloEvs wrote:Probably best wth silkaflex, there are similar made by Evostick but, despite claims of being all weather exterior grade, I found after about 9 months it shrank.

As for the seal, try seals direct. I just ordered some for my Autohomes which also has a front seal above the windscreen.

How many tubes of sikaflex would I need to do both gutters, and how high should I fill them - ca two thirds or there abouts? Also, can I do the filling in one thick layer, or do I have to do 'x' amount, wait till it dtries and then do another layer? I also need to get rid of previous silicon. I've heard of and seen some applications that are supposed to remove silicon, but do they really work, or is it a matter of scraping and elbow grease? Some of the silicon that's already there laps over the AutoSleeper decal stripe at the bottom of the high top so I wouldn't want to harm it.

You need to look at the section 'edge trim with top seal'. I identified 3 possible replacements for my Karisma ETS3238, ETS1668 and ETS59. I have sent them a section of the seal and they will compare it to those and let me know which is closest so that I can order two metres. Will let you know the outcome.

As for sealing the gutters and quantity needed depends on how much of the old sealant you remove. On my Karisma the Hi top has a lip that sits in the gutter, there isn't a lot of sealant needed because the gap between the lip and the gutter edge is only a few mm. I used a Stanley knife, a 4mm wood chisel and Dremel to clean out the gutters. I filled level but I don't think that is necessary.

Its one of those jobs that is very much dependent on your hi top fitting, condition of sealant, etc.

Hi,
Try C O H Baines website. I have used them. Very good range.
I have used Tiger Seal in the past as a sealant with no adverse effects.
Rubber seal at front and back on Autosleeper (and others) was fitted to the high top edge then the outer lip of the seal was pulled back and the top was riveted to the roof of the van. Result looked ok but water gets in and speeds up the roof rust.
I removed my seals, filled holes etc, and sealed and painted.

kentishvanman wrote:Hi,
Try C O H Baines website. I have used them. Very good range.
I have used Tiger Seal in the past as a sealant with no adverse effects.
Rubber seal at front and back on Autosleeper (and others) was fitted to the high top edge then the outer lip of the seal was pulled back and the top was riveted to the roof of the van. Result looked ok but water gets in and speeds up the roof rust.
I removed my seals, filled holes etc, and sealed and painted.

When my van had its bodywork done and repainted, the seals were removed just as you've described, but little cracks are occuring, especially (I think) with the high temperatures occuring at present and with the high top expanding and contracting at a different rate than the steel body.

AngeloEvs wrote:You need to look at the section 'edge trim with top seal'. I identified 3 possible replacements for my Karisma ETS3238, ETS1668 and ETS59. I have sent them a section of the seal and they will compare it to those and let me know which is closest so that I can order two metres. Will let you know the outcome.

As for sealing the gutters and quantity needed depends on how much of the old sealant you remove. On my Karisma the Hi top has a lip that sits in the gutter, there isn't a lot of sealant needed because the gap between the lip and the gutter edge is only a few mm. I used a Stanley knife, a 4mm wood chisel and Dremel to clean out the gutters. I filled level but I don't think that is necessary.

Its one of those jobs that is very much dependent on your hi top fitting, condition of sealant, etc.

Thanks for this - I'll look up those refs on the Seals Direct website; and I'll take a better look to see exactly how the high top sits in the gutter.

Still, however, can anyone tell me how many tubes of sikaflex would I need to seal/fill my gutters, presuming that I filled them around two thirds?

I may be missing something to do with your roof but why are you filling the gutters with sealant? Sealant should only be needed under the high top edge.

Oldiebut goodie wrote:I may be missing something to do with your roof but why are you filling the gutters with sealant? Sealant should only be needed under the high top edge.

The gutters were filled about two thirds up when I got the car, and now that they have been cleaned out and the car repainted, water ingresses and leaks. I've read on here that the gutters can be partially filled and I've been advised to do so from a couple of VW restorers. I've just been wanting to double check what others have used and to what level should the gutters be filled. A simple query really.

My gutters are full of sealant, up to and including the lower edge off the trim. The reason being that water sitting in the gutter has more chance of finding a gap than water running straight off. That is not quite as much sealant as that sounds 'cos part of the gutter is filled with the lower lip of the high top.

If you are having to fill the gutters surely that is an indication of problems with the high roof edge sealant or a perforated steel roof itself. All you are doing is masking the problem.

Oldiebut goodie wrote:If you are having to fill the gutters surely that is an indication of problems with the high roof edge sealant or a perforated steel roof itself. All you are doing is masking the problem.

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Hi,
I hadn't actually got any water penetration maybe 'cos of my gutter full of sealant or maybe not.