Club 80-90 Forums

Hi All,
In need of a quick temporary fix!
Gearbox end cv boot has split and I wondered if anyone has successfully fitted a split/glue together type boot ?
Time is currently against me for stripping the whole driveshaft out and need a quick fix!
also enquired on FaceAche but no joy yet......
Cheers
Karlos

if you have the split type boot then just get on and bodge it, if you have to buy a cv boot then do the job properly, you don't need anyone to tell you the bodge will be great, it's just temporary, imho

I used a plastic shampoo bottle, to make a boot shaped cowl , slit down the side to slip over the boot. And around the shaft. Taped in place tightly and was fine for several weeks till I could fix it properly

Aidan wrote: ↑09 Jun 2026, 07:30 if you have the split type boot then just get on and bodge it, if you have to buy a cv boot then do the job properly, you don't need anyone to tell you the bodge will be great, it's just temporary, imho

True that! Its just a temporary to see out the next couple of weeks, just want to protect the joint before if ills with dirt and debris, after that will be pulling the complete shaft and probably renew both boots.
Your imho is spot on and could only be better if you had done such a bodge and had a part number 
Cheers

slowcoach wrote: ↑09 Jun 2026, 07:46 I used a plastic shampoo bottle, to make a boot shaped cowl , slit down the side to slip over the boot. And around the shaft. Taped in place tightly and was fine for several weeks till I could fix it properly

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

Thats what Im seeking right now! I do have a split boot and will make it work sufficiently for the next couple of weeks!
Cheers

KDBus wrote: ↑08 Jun 2026, 22:15
Gearbox end cv boot has split and I wondered if anyone has successfully fitted a split/glue together type boot ?
Time is currently against me for stripping the whole driveshaft out and need a quick fix!

I've glued one in the past to get through an MOT. It actually lasted until I got rid of the car quite a while after.

Clean the split with thinners really well and use super-glue.
 

In all the it takes you to to do a bodge like a split boot it will take probably 2-3 longer doing it properly.

If in a rush and for a temp fix before its done properly then a split boot is the only way. Hope it holds for your travels.

we Syncro owners have repaired split boots temporarily in the field (literally) using plastic bags and cable ties just to get through a weekend laning without having to swap a shaft even though we usually carry complete spare front and rear shafts in the group, as it is not always convenient to swap one over at the time/in that place

mioba wrote: ↑09 Jun 2026, 16:48 In all the it takes you to to do a bodge like a split boot it will take probably 2-3 longer doing it properly.

If in a rush and for a temp fix before its done properly then a split boot is the only way. Hope it holds for your travels.

Is it a 'bodge' if it's only a temporary fix?

The car failed it's MOT, it was a short split, I said to the tester "is it alright to glue it?" he replied "yeah, that's OK". It passed.

Superglue works really well on rubber, but, I didn't expect it to work. I kept an eye on it for a few days and then weeks until I was confident it was a fix to rely on.

It took all of about 10-15 minutes to jack the front up, clean the boot and glue.

My first car in 1978 was a Ford Prefect 100E, the rear gearbox mount failed on the way home from work where I was doing my apprenticeship as a mould toolmaker. Not being exactly flush with cash and gearbox mounts starting to get rare, I clamped it up in a vice overnight after gluing it with superglue. Didn't expect it to last, but it did. It worked.

bodge isn't always pejorative - it actually derives from a longstanding skilled green wood turning industry, that made chair legs, but left the end unfinished, so they could be turned down to perfectly round once dried, just before installation into the seat

it very much depends on the material whether superglue would work, both the boot material and the glue quality and the cleanliness and preparation - pulling a front driveshaft is much more work than pulling one of our rears

A temp fix is a temp fix. Something to get you from A to B before a final permanent fix.

Dont get me wrong, me personally I would always be looking at a supergllue fix to see if it is holding up. Exposed to oil on one side, extreme weather temps and wet.

I have never found superglue to be a superglue - too brittle. Guess it depends on the brand.

Horses for courses and each to their own.

It may seem to be a bit counter-intuitive, but superglue works really well with rubber. Perhaps it's the poor choice of application and use that taint's it's reputation for some people?

Superglue is recommended for joining o-ring cord, I can remember making non-standard seals as an apprentice working on injection moulds. Done correctly it worked perfectly. It wasn't done as a temporary fix or bodge, it was an engineering solution to a problem.
https://simplybearings.co.uk/shop/p1890 ... _info.html

'The best way to glue rubber together is with super glue '. Taken from the 3rd paragraph of: https://www.loctiteproducts.com/ideas/b ... ice.html#1