Old seam sealer advice

[Rustic76]

My '84 HJ47 is in super good, original shape. The paint looks great but some
of the OEM seam sealer along the cowl is cracking, and falling off. I'm worried about moisture intrusion into these areas and was curious how others have dealt with this. It's in too good of shape to strip the panels and redo.

Do I touch up the seams with a clear seam sealer and call it good?

Or has anyone taped off, resealed, and painted only the new seam?

 

[PAToyota]

I’d be inclined to clean out the existing seam sealer and reapply. You mention stripping panels and painting the new seam - is the paint failing as well or just the seam sealer?

 

[Rustic76]

The paint is in great shape. I would like to fix it without having to repaint any panels.

 

[PAToyota]

If the paint is fine, then I’d just clean out the seam sealer and reapply.

 

[tls3601]

What are you guys using for seam sealer? I have the same issue

 

[Rustic76]

I was going to use one of the 3m varieties at a local auto body supply. I will probably end up using a thin bead of clear where the old has cracked. Appearance wise, it won't look perfect but the moisture intrusion is the main concern.

 

[PAToyota]

Any of the major brands should be fine - 3M, SEM, Evercoat, USC, etc. Any sealant is a maintenance item - it isn’t going to last forever.

I’d clean out the existing rather than apply anything over top of it. If it is cracking, it is also pulling away from the surface underneath. You’re liable to have other avenues for moisture to get in. It’s the hidden damage that is the biggest problem because by the time you see it you’ve got a much bigger problem. TLS has less of an issue with that kind of thing in Arizona, where it is dry. Rustic and I have the issue of nearly constant moisture of some kind.