Re: KPack's 1954 Panama

Posted by BigKev On 2021/3/16 9:04:18

Interesting that the trim is different. Perhaps because it would have been the same trim used in the convertibles.

My trim is multi-piece with separate corner pieces that have a stud that extends through the gasket and secures it from the inside. So this helps to locate everything and force the gasket/trim into position.

Steele Rubber is usually known for being a bit larger/thicker than expected. Usually, they make the molds a bit large to compensate for whatever original one they used for a pattern having shrunk over the years.

Perhaps Ross can offer some advice on your trim as he may have had to deal with that before.

Did you lube up the trim slot with liquid soap and put a piece of wire in there to help spread and hold it open? With the trim out, you may want to go around with a plastic putty knife and make sure that the groove is clean and it's not sticking together anywhere that could cause it to be shallower than expected. I would expect the problem to be most evident near the corners. I know some people have had to trim or slightly modify Steele Rubber parts to get them to fit in their applications sometimes.