What have people been using to "re-seal" their 60 rain gutters? Had window seal replaced and it turns out that the passenger side gutter is leaking down to the floor board. What's the choice way to re-seal these suckers? Thanks
Rain gutter sealing solutions??? (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter FJKai
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Hopefully this summer I'll have enough time at home to try something that an old muscle car enthusiast told me has worked for him.
The way it was explained to me was to get a small wire wheel (dremel-sized) and get all the old caulk and paint out of the gutter as well as you possibly can. Then chock the front tires and jack up the rear end so as to create a back-to-front downward slope. Mask off everything under the bottom of the gutter (where it ends at the bottom of the A pillar) to prevent any damage to your paint from drippage. Starting at the back, slowly pour liquid gas tank sealant down the gutter, letting it flow the entire length of the gutter. He said to do this several times so that it builds up a fairly thick seal. I guess the reasoning behind using gas tank sealer is that since it's made for fuel, it'll stand up to solvents used for painting and easily stand up to washing and the weather. Another reason he told me is that it's made to be flexible to stand up to the tanks getting torqued by high performance cars when the driver romps on the skinny pedal, and he figures it'd hold up great to the bit of body flexing our rigs would see when off road. Now he says he's never done that on a larger 4x4 before, just on old cars; but he says it's always worked like a champ for him, so I'm willing to give it a shot.
This would definately be easier to do with all the chrome removed, as mine is.
The way it was explained to me was to get a small wire wheel (dremel-sized) and get all the old caulk and paint out of the gutter as well as you possibly can. Then chock the front tires and jack up the rear end so as to create a back-to-front downward slope. Mask off everything under the bottom of the gutter (where it ends at the bottom of the A pillar) to prevent any damage to your paint from drippage. Starting at the back, slowly pour liquid gas tank sealant down the gutter, letting it flow the entire length of the gutter. He said to do this several times so that it builds up a fairly thick seal. I guess the reasoning behind using gas tank sealer is that since it's made for fuel, it'll stand up to solvents used for painting and easily stand up to washing and the weather. Another reason he told me is that it's made to be flexible to stand up to the tanks getting torqued by high performance cars when the driver romps on the skinny pedal, and he figures it'd hold up great to the bit of body flexing our rigs would see when off road. Now he says he's never done that on a larger 4x4 before, just on old cars; but he says it's always worked like a champ for him, so I'm willing to give it a shot.
This would definately be easier to do with all the chrome removed, as mine is.
If you don't want to paint the product that you apply (3M seam sealer should be painted) you can use another 3M product that is stand-alone durable without being painted over...3M 5200 marine sealant. It also comes in a caulk tube and comes in white and black. I've heard that it comes in grey also, but haven't been able to find it. A couple of words of caution...don't get it on you or anything that you don't want it to be on forever, it's good and nasty. I put in in my 62 gutters over 4 yrs. ago with no problems. Make sure you tape off where you don't want it and once you use the tube, use it where you need it and toss the tube because it won't keep no matter how hard you try to seal off the tube (screws, bolts, tape, etc.). For those of you that used to be in the military, it was called "PL5200". I use this stuff in the marine industry and it can't be beat.
Do you remember how long this stuff takes to cure? How flexible is it once cured? Sounds like a better way to go than the fuel tanker sealer, especially if you can get it in grey. Be a pain in the arse to mask off the outer edge of that gutter though...
To seal my gutter, I removed all of the old caulk, tape the area off, used a wire brush to roughen up the area, 2-3 coats of rust bullet sealed it up, followed that with self leveling epoxy seam sealer, couple more coats of rust bullet for the hell of it, got in any low spots with some regular body sealer, then painted over all of this with a color matched spray can. Seems to have fixed all my wather issues besides it leaking in by my windshield gasket.
- Thread starter
- #8
Thanks for the info. It sounds like a bit of a job, at least in terms of getting the old crap out. I'll be looking in to the 3M stuff. One tube seem to cover everything as needed? Would hate to start it and run out before I'm done.
I am a boat mechanic and we use a polyurethane based sealant around the shop. Bostik, Sikaflex, etc. It has incredible adhesion properties, obviously waterproof, seems to hold up well to chemicals, resists shrinking and cracking, uv, etc. Sikaflex is kinda "stringy", but the Bostik is very clean and easy to work with, and whatever excess you do get, cleans up very easily with a mild solvent, acetone, thinner etc. Just avoid 3M 5200. s*** drys like concrete. You'll have to chisel it off if you ever need to remove it.
- Thread starter
- #11
Well I'm not thinking about painting it at the time. I will need to eventually since I got oxidation on the roof and hood. I just need to solve the leak problem in the mean time. How are people getting to old crap out? Scrap and chisle it away? Sounds fun.
Good thing you added that! The 3M 5200 is some VERY serious stuff. I used this on my J24 keelboat, and I still say BS when you say "chisel". More like a jackhammer! I used it to seal up my winches and I doubt they will EVER come loose. The boat will be needing a new deck if anyone was to remove them!
3M 5200 stays very flexible! No cracking or peeling after curing...keeps a rubbery flexibility to it. No chiseling required. It does take a few hours to "skin over", but not bad. It's your best way to go.
Not sure what 5200 you use. I can immediately tell when I'm working on a boat and someone else has used that stuff, and I generally want to kick their ass when by the time I'm done.
Any product used in the wrong fashion isn't good. 5200 is designed to be used for sealing pretty much where ever you are fastening different materials, i.e. metal stanchion onto fiberglass superstructure, radar array onto boat roof to help seal the holes and hold the hardware into place, sealing thru-hull fittings, etc. I've used it on work boats and my personal boats without issue...under the water line! If used correctly and in the right fashion, why would you ever need to remove it? Why would you seal a rain gutter on any landcruiser, then want to take it back off? You wouldn't, so use the product that doesn't come off easy. If you say the stuff is such a bitch to get back off, then that is the stuff I would be using on my rain gutters, and I have, over 5 years ago. It's still pliable, and my gutters don't leak either does the thru-hull fittings under water on any of my boats.
need some advice
any thoughts on how to apply any of these products?
I tried once and made a real mess of my gutters, the channels on the 'A' pillars are especially tight. I need to get back in there, clean everything out and redo it, but I'd appreciate any thoughts before I bodge it up again....
Thanks
zach
any thoughts on how to apply any of these products?
I tried once and made a real mess of my gutters, the channels on the 'A' pillars are especially tight. I need to get back in there, clean everything out and redo it, but I'd appreciate any thoughts before I bodge it up again....
Thanks
zach
by the way
I'll take some pictures of the 60 this weekend so I can introduce myself and my 60. great forum!
I'll take some pictures of the 60 this weekend so I can introduce myself and my 60. great forum!
To get the old out I started with a chisel then the wire wheel to clean it all up. Just make sure every thing is really dry. My right rail down the A pillar had some captured moisture and I had to redo that part. I used the 3M all around body sealer and will try to find the part number. Used a caulk gun and ran a bead all the way around then using a damp (gloved) finger just smoothed it out and "squished" it into the gutter/roof joint. Worked well. The hardest part was dealing with the little bit of rust starting at the rear above the left hatch hinge (where the two sections of the rail come together). Then got the color matched can of paint from CSK, masked and sprayed away. Used on tube of sealer and one small can of paint.
My vote is for 5200 fast cure this stuff is great . I used it when I built a aluminium shed and it was the only one on the block to survive hurricane wilma- tough stuff-;p One word of warning it will wind up in your hair on your dog on your wife ang on your pecker if you are not careful LOL.
fiberglass resin ....clean it out ..mix it up..... brush it in... protech any area that you don't want it ... you could always sand down what drips down worked for me .....
