Pop-top roof sealing rubber - here's what you need

Hi

If anyone is considering replacing their pop-top roof rubber, I've just done it and thought I should probably post to save others some pain. I'd taken it to a couple of camper van converters and asked about it. I was met with blank looks and the sucking in of breath...

The panel width on mine (1993 Hiace Composer) is 4.85mm. Total length required is 7 metres.

"The Metal House" sell a "Large Boot Seal Trim 16.5mm x 29.5mm"

https://www.themetalhouse.co.uk/Large_Boot_seal_-_Black/p1352135_17404614.aspx

It cost me £38.80 including UK mainland shipping but that was for 8 metres (I bought extra just in case I'd measured wrong).

The fit is good, and the bulbous sealing bit looks to be about the right size and shape when compared to the 25 year old crumbling skank I removed.

No affiliation whatsoever - it's just that it's cheap and it works and I thought it might be useful for others.

Only just put it on so can't comment on shelf-life etc. The rubber feels good quality though.

If it starts falling off or leaking in a month I will post again to let you know.

Kind regards
Niel

Hello.

Can you post a picture of the finished view, please? I've been putting together a shopping list with the same company (also no affiliation), mainly for various foam pices for the rear light clusters and various bits elsewhere.

Anyway the pop-top on my van has a quite different edge trim that look much more like this piece (see: _ttps://www.themetalhouse.co.uk/product/21u do the usual 'h' replacement as my posts don't seem to work with links). I would have to say I've not measured to check this has the absolute best fit, but the edge trim certainly does not have a 'bladder' like is typical on door seal, which is why I'm interested to see if we are talking about the same thing.

Cheers

Hiya
I’m so sorry about the late reply - my van is at the garage at the moment with a diesel pump leak. As soon as it comes back I will take some pictures and put them up.
Kind regards
Niel

Hello Neil.

Not a problem about any interval and thanks for your news. Now I can add pictures myself thought it useful to upload these three. They all show the area of the roof just above the B pillar (from the left side so just in front of the sliding door) where the top fits. As far as I know the seals are all original.







Be useful to see the comparison when you get your van back.

On that, I'm also interested in the injector pump leak as I may have one, too. The timeline and diagnostics is a bit complicated but I'm not encountering a leak since recuilding the primer pump so have my fingers crossed it was this rather than the injector pump. The leak was evident after short journeys but not after longer ones when everything was walm. Recently, I've only been idling and putting the van in and out of the garage to work on bits. I've also researched the seal kit I need for my van, which is this one (for a 3L engine on a 4x4 CC), https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153865944809?hash=item23d31ffee9:g:pOMAAMXQ~6VQ4AVy.

Interested to know more when you get your van back.

Cheers