MGB Register Forum

This barely qualifies as a technical question, but I’m flummoxed. I’m replacing the seals between the windscreen pillars and the quarter lights. I can’t work out what to do with the pilar seal supports. The pilar seal retainers are riveted to the pillars, and the seals slide in, and I’d have said that was job done. But the workshop manual, and both Moss and Brown & Gammons websites show pilar seal supports, but aren’t clear about how they fit or what they do. So far, having them in my hands and staring at the car hasn’t solved the mystery.

https://www.ukmgparts.com/catalogue/mgb ... ls-mirrors

https://www.moss-europe.co.uk/shop-by-m ... 62-80.html

Anyone?

Allan, if you've got a parts list look for the pillar supports there. You should be able to work out how they fit.
Edit. I'm studying the parts list and workshop manual and can find no mention of pillar supports in either. Can you please clarify?
The parts list is a genuine BMC version for all chrome bumper cars. It's not a supplier's list. Workshop manuals are genuine ones too.

Thanks Vic - I completely agree with your reasoning, it's exactly the approach I've been trying - it's just that it isn't working!

The mystery strips are exactly the same length as the pillar seal retainers, and have the same 7 holes punched in exactly the same places. They're very slightly wider than the retainers. This rather invites you to think they might be meant to be riveted to the pillar as a 'sandwich' with the retainers. But the online Moss and Brown & Gammons diagrams, and the printed Moss catalogue, illustrate the strips outside the rubber seals. So, apparently, the retainers are riveted to the windscreen pillars; the rubber seals slid into the retainers; then somehow/somewhere, the mystery strips are added.

I've just checked the MGBeeHive and MGOC Spares listings, and as far as I can see, they each have the retainers and rubber seals, but don't list or illustrate the pillar seal supports.

And they weren't fitted to my car last time the job was done, so I can't just follow that lead.

Because they're listed, I assume they bring some kind of advantage, and I'm trying to get it 'right' this time.

But what advantage? And where and how do they fit?

The only other clue I've found is that Moss thinks 8 rivets are needed to do the job - two each for the seal retainers, leaving two each for the supports. But riveted to what? To the rubber seals?

Bewildered of London.

Thanks to a contributor in another Forum, the mystery is solved.

After riveting the seal retainers to the windscreen pillars and sliding the rubber seals into position in them, the support strips slide into the voids running the length of the rubber seals, and then self-tapping screws are introduced through the rubber seals, through the holes in the support strips inside, and into the corresponding holes in the seal retainers.

A bit of a palaver, and the rubber seals are such a snug fit in the retainers, I reckon they'll stay-put without using the supports. If I'm wrong about that, I can come back to it.

Thanks again for your thoughts on this puzzle, Vic.

Replaced my pillar seals earlier this year and left the strips out and thought the same - that if there were a problem I would fit them later.
So far so good!

Just discovered this helpful note from Moss: https://mossmotors.com/media/instructio ... 9VMX6Bsy3o