Cowl gaskets have been difficult to source for Austin-Healey Sprites. They are usually way too firm and end up pushing the bonnet proud at the cowl, which can ruin the clean lines of your Bugeye. We have also found the most of these gaskets are too wide to fit down into the trough in the body of the car.
We got tired of modifying poorly fitting gaskets and instead came up with a new alternative… this cowl gasket is spongy and fills the factory trough under the back flange of the nose. It is not exactly correct in profile but very close, and unless you are going for concours gold, this is an excellent alternative to the gasket you will find out there, which we generally remove and throw away when it comes into our shop on cars, because it usually does more harm than good.
This new gasket fits the body channel properly and will support that back edge of your nose quite nicely. We are using it on all our restorations, including on beautiful silver and red Morgan as shown here. Depending on the state of your trough, some glue may be required to hold the gasket in place.
Important note-make sure to carefully lift your bonnet the first time after you install this gasket to insure the back of the bonnet will not hit the cowl. Most bonnets and hinges have been damaged at some point in their life so make sure to confirm the back of your bonnet will not hit the cowl once your older gasket is removed.