Rain Gutter seam and drip rail reseal (1 Viewer)

[reddog90]

Here's how I did it. Old stuff was chipped out with a flathead screwdriver and mallet, then the rails were wire wheeled clean with a dremel. I treated them all with rust converter, then laid down 2 coats of epoxy primer. I used 3M self leveling seam sealer which has a work time of only 8 minutes and comes out nice and smooth. I topped that with another coat of epoxy primer, 2 coats of Toyota 8B4, then 2 coats of clear. None of this was complicated, it's just tedious work. I would run some of my tape lines slightly different next time, but overall I am pleased with the results. It's not body shop quality work but it's good enough for a driver truck and now I don't have a wet headliner.

Before

Surface rust above the driver door caught early enough.

Applicator tip doesn't fit inside most of the rail on the A pillars. I let gravity and a popsicle stick work the sealer down into the seam and it levels itself out.

Let excess sealer run out the bottom of the A pillars

Pull tape to get crisp lines in your sealer. I worked in about wingspan-lengths of the rails. Apply sealer with applicator tip aimed directly into the seam for a few feet. Smooth that out with a gloved finger, pull tape to get a clean line and then move your ladder over to start on the next section. You have to pull the tape while the sealer is still curing but before it is too hard. I wish I had taped the top outer lip of the drip rail though.

Tape and prime again.

Spray color and clear.

 

[onemanarmy]

Thanks. I've got my gutters cleaned and ready for paint/sealant. Curious if anyone had used just a normal seam sealant, however that may be a bit difficult for the tight A pillar areas.

Something like this...

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b40066967/

 

[MarkBC]

Thanks. I've got my gutters cleaned and ready for paint/sealant. Curious if anyone had used just a normal seam sealant, however that may be a bit difficult for the tight A pillar areas.

Something like this...

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b40066967/

I used regular auto caulking. It worked fine although it seems to have shrinked a little bit over the last year and some surface cracks started that haven't gone too deep. That may be due to the particular caulking I used.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I used flowable SEM (brand) seam sealer. No issues.

 

[onemanarmy]

I used flowable SEM (brand) seam sealer. No issues.

So SEM has 'seam sealer (39377)'....'high build self leveling seam sealer (39777)'....and 'self leveling seam sealer (39387)'

which one did you use?

I wish they didn't require a custom caulk gun. I don't need that $40 laying around for 15 years.

Thanks

 

[GLTHFJ60]

This for the gutters:

This for the vertical seams on the body:

 

[jaymar]

For those who've done this--how has it held up over time, and what kind of loads do you carry on the roof rack (if any)?

 

[Ian Crawford]

For those who've done this--how has it held up over time, and what kind of loads do you carry on the roof rack (if any)?

Still looks great! Yakima towers and crossbars for occasional canoe hauling.

 

[chbrow10]

For those who've done this--how has it held up over time, and what kind of loads do you carry on the roof rack (if any)?

Mine is holding up great. I don’t have anything on the roof.

 

[MarkBC]

Well I discovered today that my caulking isn't holding up. We had a few days of heat and it's falling apart. So now I need to do it properly with some self levelling sealer. And it's high priority to do it before it rains. Too bad it will cost about $300 for the 3M cartridge plus gun up here in Canada. Plus another $100 for the 08308 for the A pillar gutters... Nothing's cheap anymore. Does anyone nearby have a gun I can buy?

 

[MarkBC]

Here's how I did it. Old stuff was chipped out with a flathead screwdriver and mallet, then the rails were wire wheeled clean with a dremel. I treated them all with rust converter, then laid down 2 coats of epoxy primer. I used 3M self leveling seam sealer which has a work time of only 8 minutes and comes out nice and smooth. I topped that with another coat of epoxy primer, 2 coats of Toyota 8B4, then 2 coats of clear. None of this was complicated, it's just tedious work. I would run some of my tape lines slightly different next time, but overall I am pleased with the results. It's not body shop quality work but it's good enough for a driver truck and now I don't have a wet headliner

I finally ordered it in today. It will be $250 for both gun and cartridge...

@reddog90 was one cartridge more than enough? Did you have to be careful about not applying too much?

 

[jaymar]

I finally ordered it in today. It will be $250 for both gun and cartridge...

@reddog90 was one cartridge more than enough? Did you have to be careful about not applying too much?

Keep us posted and take many photos!

 

[reddog90]

I finally ordered it in today. It will be $250 for both gun and cartridge...

@reddog90 was one cartridge more than enough? Did you have to be careful about not applying too much?

I had 2 cartridges on hand and was not afraid to tap into the second, but didn't need to.

 

[LETSROLLEM]

I finally ordered it in today. It will be $250 for both gun and cartridge...

@reddog90 was one cartridge more than enough? Did you have to be careful about not applying too much?

I know this might be a little too late but i did this with my Tacoma and the front needle bearing job. There was a custom tool you needed to remove the original needle bearing that could be purchased through the business fabricating the new solid bushing. The tool was fairly pricey to try and justify for only using it once. Long story short, a few of us on the Tacoma forum “loaned” out the tool for the price of shipping, the owner ships it out and the person borrowing it either pays shipping to get it back to the owner or to the new “borrower”. It eventually makes its way back to the original owner. You get the idea, might be a way to get all these drip rails done without everyone having to spend $$$ for the custom cartridge gun. Just thought I’d share

 

[reddog90]

Yeah I borrowed the gun from a friend and gave him my leftover cartridge as a thank you. He works on other people's trucks and has future use for the gun and cartridge.

 

[MarkBC]

The last time I tried this job was 2 years ago (maybe more, time flies). I tried to rig up a regular caulking gun to do it, to save on the 3m gouging on the gun. It didn't work and the ratios werent right and it didn't set properly. I had to rip it all out and caulk it up. Now the caulking is failing so I'll just fork out to do it right this time. Like they say, this isnt a cheap hobby...

 

[jaymar]

The last time I tried this job was 2 years ago (maybe more, time flies). I tried to rig up a regular caulking gun to do it, to save on the 3m gouging on the gun. It didn't work and the ratios werent right and it didn't set properly. I had to rip it all out and caulk it up. Now the caulking is failing so I'll just fork out to do it right this time. Like they say, this isnt a cheap hobby...

Like they also say: Buy once, cry once...

 

[Seth S]

I need to paint my roof as nature has removed much of the paint almost to bare metal. Should I finish stripping the roof, clean and prep the gutters and then prime/paint the whole roof and gutters...then do the seam seal and repaint the sealer? or prime the gutters, seal them, then spray the whole roof as one?

 

[reddog90]

I'm no body shop guy but it seems like it would make more sense to prime the roof and gutters, seal the gutters, then paint the roof and gutters together.

 

[Seth S]

I'm no body shop guy but it seems like it would make more sense to prime the roof and gutters, seal the gutters, then paint the roof and gutters together.

makes sense. I'm not a body shop guy either .