(Yet another) Seam Sealer Trick and Tips?

RXTbone

Member
Mar 30, 2005
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I've ran into one of a couple of areas that the smoothness of the seam sealer matters - specifically where the rear quarter wraps around the door jam. I believe the factory finish was a smooth flow into the jam (?).

So what's the trick - other than patience? I'm using 3M Brushable Seam Sealer. I've heard you can use acetone to smooth. Is there a particular grit I can use to sand the sealer?

Any insight would be appreciated!
 
If you are talking about just putting seam sealer over a seam like the door skin to the door frame or quarter panel outer skin over the door post/jamb, use a tube of seam sealer, lay a bead down, then spit (saliva) on your finger and flatten it out. Yes I said spit on the tip of your finger.... Keep the tip of your finger wet with spit and flatten the saler out, if your finger dries out and you get seam sealer stuck to your finger, wipe your finger clean with a paper towel/thinner and spit on it again. Trust me this works.

I did my seams on a prior Mustang project and a friend came over and told me they looked like shi_. So he got the tube out and re-did all of them and I had already painted the jambs. I let him (without flipping out) and he was right, they looked great when he was done and I had repainted again. I work for a paint company, so the time was all I was out.

The other trick, if you don't want it to look 60's or 70's factory but really "precise" or modern is to buy/use seam sealer tape. It comes in a roll and is adhesive on one side, just peel and stick. The stuff sticks like nobody's business. I have yet to use it, but plan to real soon.

For floor pans, trunk floors, undercarraige, under hood, etc--brushable with a short haired brush looks like the factory did it and can make a so-so area look original (take a 1" brush and trim it down). Just be careful as the stuff shrinks and please don't use it to hide real problems.
 
I quit using the 3M brushable seam sealant because of the shrinkage, which was most prominent on the seams. It would just split there in a few weeks, so it really wasn't doing its job.

Now I use tube type sealant instead. CJ Pony parts has a decent sealant that is paintable (that I prefer) and I have had good success with 3M Flexiclear.

By the way, I hope that you primer the area before applying seam sealant. Ford really didn't have "a better idea" when they originally applied it to bare metal. Many rust outs found at seams can be attributed to this one flaw.
 
Thanks for the help - especially the seam tape. I didn't know such a thing existed...

With regard to sealing on primer - I've opted to seal on top of Eastwood Encapsulator. It is amazing, though - even on a non-rusty Mustang how much surface rust has formed around Ford's original sealing...

Thanks for the help!