Question on bowed deck lid

[Jerry W.]

I have a 1966 Roadster. The convertable deck lid is bowed.It is higher in the center than on the outside corners. It had a frame of in 1990 . I was told the aftermarket rubber seals were too thick and may cause this. Does anyone know how to correct this.I hate to buy another lid an still have the same problem.
This is a Top Flight car and I want it right. The height difference is about 5/16th inch.

[Jack H.]

Re: Question on bowed deck lid

This is one that get debated by a lot of us, Jerry. If you look around in your '66 AIM book, you'll actually find a dimensional call out that provides for a reasonable degree of 'slop' in seam line of the rear deck lid. This is supposedly the result of a fresh rubber weatherstrip needing time to take a 'set'....

These were 'kit' cars and not hand built (E.g. Rolls Royce) and parting lines were known to be not all that hot (along with uniformity of paint coverage) on factory original cars. But, some of us debate whether the durometer of NOS rubber changes over time (gets harder due to outgassing) as well as how the chemistry of reproduction weatherstripping agrees with factory original formulation (durometer, aireation, polymerization).

I've seen some restorations that fit 'perfectly' in this area and talked with the owners who spent considerable time shimming their rear deck lid, trying this/that source of weatherstrip and actually making 'cuts' in the weatherstrip to let it collapse easily....

My '65 sat up at the upper end of the factory allowable tolerance. Now, that eight years have passed it sits much more flushly....