Step-by-Step Installation

Step 1: Remove the Old Seals and Prepare the Plates

• Locate the metal retaining plates holding the damaged rubber gasket seal to the container door. Factory seals are held firmly in place by rivets and high-strength silicone.
  
• Position a heavy-duty chisel (such as a 5/8-inch chisel sharpened on a grinder) directly against each rivet head.
  
• Use a 2.5-pound or 3-pound sledgehammer to strike the chisel sharply and shear off the factory rivet heads. Work your way all the way down the door line.
  
• Pry the old, damaged rubber gasket seal and the metal retaining plates away from the door frame.
  
• Pro-Tip: Our replacement kits utilize your existing metal retaining plates to save you extensive measuring and layout time. Clean up the original retaining plates with a wire wheel brush to remove any rusted scaling or old adhesive before reuse.
  
• Use an angle grinder or drill to clean up the remaining sheared rivet bodies from the existing holes on both the door frame and the saved metal plates.
  

Step 2: Understand Your Seal Layout

• Before cutting your new rubber gaskets, map out your door configuration:
  
• Left-Hand Door: Features seal sections only along the top, bottom, and the hinged outer edge.
  
• Right-Hand Door: Features a continuous perimeter seal that runs completely around all four sides (top, bottom, inner edge, and outer hinged edge).
  
• Clean the channel surfaces to ensure all old silicone is removed before positioning the new rubber.
  

Step 3: Align and Drill for New Rivets

• Line up your new rubber gasket seal into the door channel.
  
• Overlay your original metal retaining plates back into position directly on top of the new rubber gasket.
  
• Align the original holes of the retaining plates with the factory holes on the container door.
  
• Use a power drill to push straight through the pre-existing holes, puncturing clean matching holes directly through the new rubber gasket material.
  

Step 4: Install the New Pop Rivets

• Prepare your heavy-duty rivet tool with 3/8-inch pop rivets (the optimal size required for standard container door depth).
  
• Installation Trick: The bottom edge of the door can have very tight ground clearance. If your heavy-duty rivet gun does not fit beneath the frame, use a floor jack under the container corner casting to safely lift the container side for tool clearance, or substitute the bottom rivets with standard bolts and locking nuts.
  
• Push a 3/8-inch rivet through the metal plate, through the rubber seal, and into the door frame hole.
  
• Compress the rivet gun completely until the mandrel snaps off. Repeat this process down the length of every plate until the entire gasket is mechanically locked down.
  

Step 5: Waterproof the Seams

• CRITICAL STEP: To ensure the new seals are completely waterproof and airtight, apply a thorough bead of exterior-grade silicone sealant along the entire outer edge where the metal retaining plates meet the new rubber gasket. Do not skip this step, or moisture will seep behind the plate.