Huh -- it never occured to me that the striker plate might be
adjustable. Shows how little I know about how these things are put
together.

Using a slip of paper to test the seal tightness I find that the sides
and top of the hatch seal very tightly, but the lower edge not so much.
So I've slid the plate all the way forward now to see if it reduces dust
ingress.

--
Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
1984 Westfalia, auto trans,
Bend, Ore.

On 09/23/2012 11:47 AM, Alistair Bell wrote:
> I got a little bit of same issue. Rear hatch just barely does a good job sealing. I can see that the hatch is not quite aligned perfectly and I have fiddled with lock striker plate and the 2 screw in stops on either side.
>
> That did get me an adequate seal (procedure in Bentley, funnily enough), but I need to work on the hinges to get  hatch perfect, but that needs a helper....
>
> alistair
>
>
>
>
>
> On 2012-09-23, at 10:57 AM, Rocket J Squirrel wrote:
>
>> A couple years ago, my van was struck by a parked 70s bay window VW bus
>> which had been struck by a passing car.
>>
>> <https://www.dropbox.com/s/oflgt0o802iffgq/IMG_1951.JPG>
>>
>> The body shop did a pretty good job replacing parts and getting things
>> to fit again, but the rear hatch doesn't seal as tightly as it used to
>> and I get a lot of dust coming in the back. The existing
>> weatherstrip/gasketing is in good shape, I guess the issue is that the
>> door no longer seals as tightly against the body as it used to.
>>
>> I'd like to figure out a way to improve the seal. Ideas?
>>
>> --
>> Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
>> 1984 Westfalia, auto trans,
>> Bend, Ore.
>