Skirting

The stereo installation is taking a while, mostly because I’m taking my time with the speaker enclosures. While they were set aside, I got out the new pins and gaskets for the wheel skirts.

I started with the pins, which were probably removed and thrown away when the car was painted a decade or so ago. The look a little odd mounted on the fender when the skirts are not in place, but all the sources I checked indicated that this was the right way to go. Bolting them on was easy enough.

New Skirt Pin
New skirt pin in place.

Originally, the skirt gasket was stapled to the skirt itself. The original hole were still there, and I know some folks do wire the new gaskets on, but I chose to glue the new rubber in place. The glue I use for weatherstrip gaskets (“Elephant snot”, a friend used to call it.) is a kind of rubber cement: coat both surfaces and hold until the glue sets. The skirts make a few odd bends that would try my patience, so I used clamps to hold the gasket in place. I started with the narrow end, towards the rear of the car. The first bend is mild, but does require some clamping.

Mild Turn
Mild turn, towards the rear.

The turn at the front of the skirt is more severe. The die-cut “V” in the gasket was not quite obtuse enough, so it overlaps a bit.

Severe Turn
Severe turn at the front.

I let the glue dry for a day with the clamps applied. The gaskets were a little long, but I will wait another day or two to trim them flush. For the rest of the drying process, I put the skirt on the car.

(Mostly) Finished
The (mostly) finished product.

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