Running board rubbers

[PeterW]

Can anybody advise me on replacing running board rubbers on my Box 7 RP ?. I'm finding great difficulty in getting the rubber to bend around the edges of the board as the thick rubber simply lifts , even when it has been clamped down overnight . I've used R146 glue , but it's not strong enough to hold on the right-angled edge and lifts , leaving " bubbles " under the rubber .Is there another glue to use ?.

[Robin Oldfield]

Some batches of running board rubbers sold a few years ago were too thick.  Subject to that I have used Tiger Seal clamped down every 10cm or so.

[Nick Turley]

You really need to use a polyurethane bonding agent like Sika-flex.
It is also important that you rough up the back of the rubbers to enable the bonding to really grab hold of it.
I put my rubbers on 30 years ago and they have stuck well.
Hope that works for you.

[Hugh Barnes]

Peter, I have recenty done this job with rubbers I had had in stock for many years and as Robin suggested, were rather thick.I used SIkaflex 221 as suggested by Nick, I experienced exactly the same problems as you and, in the end, I have had to give up and will start again with new rubbers when the Workshop has new stock. I spoke to technical support at Sika and we came to the conclusion that the adhesive was failing to adhere to the metal of the running boards, which allowed the rubber to blister up. I had removed every trace of paint etc before I stuck them down (though there is a school of thought that says they should be painted so as to prevent rusting if there is any water ingress) The chap at SIka suggested the metal should be wiped over with something to degrease before application. I was using thinners which he reckoned should be ok. In my experience, the adhesive stuck to the rubber but seemed to pull off the metal. His final suggestion was to put a blob of adhesive on the metal and leave it to go off for 24 hours to make sure it was sticking ok beofre final assembly. It caused me to tear my hair out (what little I have, anyway). I hope that helps though it isn't really a solution to your problem as such...

Let us know how you get on...

[Charles Levien]

Some batches of running board rubbers sold a few years ago were too thick.  Subject to that I have used Tiger Seal clamped down every 10cm or so.

ive recently fitted new rubber running boards to our Opal, also using black Tiger seal. Works well but to avoid subsequent lifting you need to get a good fit to the car, avoiding pressure points which can lift the rubber after bolting up.
As already said, important to key the surfaces before putting on the sealant. The other thing I found useful was making templates  out of polystyrene and plywood to the shape of the running board — which I then used as a sandwich for clamping ( polystyrene inside) — this spreads the pressure nicely.
Its a job that rewards patience!

[Ron Hayhurst]

 When fitting running board rubbers some years ago I overcame the stiffness by very careful application of an angle grinder to the two crease lines on the side to be glued. This allowed it to fold OK and take shape. I used Sikoflex and did the job in two stages. Two, maybe three G clamps and a strip of wood the length of the running board grabbed the top end of the rubber to the cill. another length of wood was wedged to the lower end of the vertical section with clamps fitted to the outer edge of the running board. This drew the horizontal part tight into the cill area. After a day or so the clamps were removed and, with fresh application of Sikoflex, the turned over edge was glued to the outboard part of the running board, again pulling tight with a clamped strip of wood. The running boards were painted and there has been no lifting of the rubber in the last 10 years.
Hope this helps
Ron

[Mick Hobday]

The running board rubbers I bought only 18 months age were too thick to bend. I did what the supplier advised, which was the same as what Ron did. I used an angle grinder to carefully thin the backs of the rubbers along the crease lines so they became easy to fit.

[Bill Dixon]

If the cover is too thick,with a sharpe knife cut through the reverse side with care, this worked for me 50 years ago, still ok.

[Martin Prior]

My experience is the same as Mick's, only I use a router as I think that there's less risk of it coming out the other side! A 90 degree end cutter gives a very nice groove on the back side. I use Tiger Seal to fix the rubbers.

[PeterW]

Many thanks to you all for the replies . You've given me some good ideas …. and hope! .