I recently ordered the hatch outer upper and side w/s pieces from MSA. After getting the upper piece installed I moved to the side pieces. That is when I noticed they did not have the same tubular cross-section as the upper piece. I checked and could see there was no way the flat side piece was going to contact the hatch flange, there would be no effective seal.

I contacted MSA with my concern, they assured me these were the correct side pieces and had been shaped like this for some time. I gave it some thought and went back to MSA with a request to RA the side pieces saying I would order two additional upper pieces and fab my own side units. The RA was quickly approved and we swapped parts. The two new uppers were a net increase of $6.

Here are a couple of shots, one showing the comparison of the "official" upper and side piece profiles, the second is my newly installed "unofficial" side piece that provides full contact all the way down.

Jim

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Jim Arnett
Richardson, Texas
HLS30-15320 12/1970 (original owner)
ZCON 2015 Gold Cup - Street Modified class

This is a critical application for keeping exhaust fumes out of the cabin. I will be very interested (VERY INTERESTED) in hearing how this works when you drive it.

The MSA kit on my car has some trouble keeping a seal. I have to keep 'reminding' it about how it should keep contact with the closing hatch. It seems to have developed an errant memory somewhere along the line. If I don't play with it while closing the hatch, my next ride tries to asphyxiate me.

However, it lets NO water into the cabin, for whatever that's worth.

Frank

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1970 240Z

Hi Frank,
As I see it, the outer seal is the first line of defense against water. Since it has no bottom element, it cannot protect against fumes. That is the job of the big boy inner w/s as a continuous piece. I noticed my hatch was not closing tight at the bottom right corner of a brand new inner seal- I could see light, so I pulled the hatch striker down a bit to force a tighter seal.

Excellent cautions from you on the importance of tight seals for the hatch (plus taillights and fuel tank vent hoses).

Jim

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Jim Arnett
Richardson, Texas
HLS30-15320 12/1970 (original owner)
ZCON 2015 Gold Cup - Street Modified class