383MovingViolation
Well-Known Member
Where is the best place to get new door rubber seals for my '68 Roadrunner ? Thanks
If anyway possible, I would suggest using a set of originals. We have been involved in various aspects of manufacturing and selling various brands of weatherstripping for over 28 years and nothing beats the OEM pieces. As long as your originals do not have major tears or rips, they can possibly be cleaned up and reused. The rubber for the most part holds up very well for 50 years of service.
You can remove the door panels and take a pair of side cutters and cut the nylon clips that attaches the seal. Do this around the entire perimeter of the door. You may find that a previous owner has glued the seal in place in certain areas, but a razor blade can easily slice through the glue. Once removed, wash the seals with a good detergent and remove the remains of the old clips, they will simply fall out of lock end of the seal. Replace the nylon clips which can be purchased from a number of vendors. Coat with a good rubber treatment and your ready to install and saved yourself $50 and have a much better seal than any of the reproductions.
If your seals are torn and past saving and your going to replace them with a reproduction, then your pretty much going to have to use one of the three manufactures. The most popular brand being the Metro Brand, second would be the Steele Rubber and third would be the Soft Seal Brand.
Many people believe that Metro and Soft Seal is one in the same. They are two entirely different businesses and the Soft Seal Brand falls under the Trim Parts umbrella which falls under a even larger parent corporation of a variety of businesses. Metro markets its brand as "Soft Seal" which leads to the issue.
The problem with any of the weatherstripping is getting it to react consistently in the production process. An extra ounce of any one material, a difference in pressure or temperature can drastically affect the finished product. That is why one seal fits great when the second set is way too large or hard to allow the door to close without slamming it shut.
Just like burgers or soft drinks, everyone has a personal preference. The Metro piece is more pliable than the Soft Seal brand and conforms better to the doors but the bulb profile is slightly off. The Soft Seal piece is more correct in the profile of the seal, and is more like the OEM piece in the durometer reading of the rubber. The Steele piece is a nice piece and is a mix of the Metro and Soft Seal brand. One thing about Steele is that your looking at around $155 for a set of seals. The others are $65 to $95 depending upon which vendor that you decide to go with.
Hopes that this helps as we always get this question and there is no definite answer. If you should need more information or insight, just drop me a message.
If anyway possible, I would suggest using a set of originals. We have been involved in various aspects of manufacturing and selling various brands of weatherstripping for over 28 years and nothing beats the OEM pieces. As long as your originals do not have major tears or rips, they can possibly be cleaned up and reused. The rubber for the most part holds up very well for 50 years of service.
You can remove the door panels and take a pair of side cutters and cut the nylon clips that attaches the seal. Do this around the entire perimeter of the door. You may find that a previous owner has glued the seal in place in certain areas, but a razor blade can easily slice through the glue. Once removed, wash the seals with a good detergent and remove the remains of the old clips, they will simply fall out of lock end of the seal. Replace the nylon clips which can be purchased from a number of vendors. Coat with a good rubber treatment and your ready to install and saved yourself $50 and have a much better seal than any of the reproductions.
If your seals are torn and past saving and your going to replace them with a reproduction, then your pretty much going to have to use one of the three manufactures. The most popular brand being the Metro Brand, second would be the Steele Rubber and third would be the Soft Seal Brand.
Many people believe that Metro and Soft Seal is one in the same. They are two entirely different businesses and the Soft Seal Brand falls under the Trim Parts umbrella which falls under a even larger parent corporation of a variety of businesses. Metro markets its brand as "Soft Seal" which leads to the issue.
The problem with any of the weatherstripping is getting it to react consistently in the production process. An extra ounce of any one material, a difference in pressure or temperature can drastically affect the finished product. That is why one seal fits great when the second set is way too large or hard to allow the door to close without slamming it shut.
Just like burgers or soft drinks, everyone has a personal preference. The Metro piece is more pliable than the Soft Seal brand and conforms better to the doors but the bulb profile is slightly off. The Soft Seal piece is more correct in the profile of the seal, and is more like the OEM piece in the durometer reading of the rubber. The Steele piece is a nice piece and is a mix of the Metro and Soft Seal brand. One thing about Steele is that your looking at around $155 for a set of seals. The others are $65 to $95 depending upon which vendor that you decide to go with.
Hopes that this helps as we always get this question and there is no definite answer. If you should need more information or insight, just drop me a message.
If anyway possible, I would suggest using a set of originals. We have been involved in various aspects of manufacturing and selling various brands of weatherstripping for over 28 years and nothing beats the OEM pieces. As long as your originals do not have major tears or rips, they can possibly be cleaned up and reused. The rubber for the most part holds up very well for 50 years of service.
You can remove the door panels and take a pair of side cutters and cut the nylon clips that attaches the seal. Do this around the entire perimeter of the door. You may find that a previous owner has glued the seal in place in certain areas, but a razor blade can easily slice through the glue. Once removed, wash the seals with a good detergent and remove the remains of the old clips, they will simply fall out of lock end of the seal. Replace the nylon clips which can be purchased from a number of vendors. Coat with a good rubber treatment and your ready to install and saved yourself $50 and have a much better seal than any of the reproductions.
If your seals are torn and past saving and your going to replace them with a reproduction, then your pretty much going to have to use one of the three manufactures. The most popular brand being the Metro Brand, second would be the Steele Rubber and third would be the Soft Seal Brand.
Many people believe that Metro and Soft Seal is one in the same. They are two entirely different businesses and the Soft Seal Brand falls under the Trim Parts umbrella which falls under a even larger parent corporation of a variety of businesses. Metro markets its brand as "Soft Seal" which leads to the issue.
The problem with any of the weatherstripping is getting it to react consistently in the production process. An extra ounce of any one material, a difference in pressure or temperature can drastically affect the finished product. That is why one seal fits great when the second set is way too large or hard to allow the door to close without slamming it shut.
Just like burgers or soft drinks, everyone has a personal preference. The Metro piece is more pliable than the Soft Seal brand and conforms better to the doors but the bulb profile is slightly off. The Soft Seal piece is more correct in the profile of the seal, and is more like the OEM piece in the durometer reading of the rubber. The Steele piece is a nice piece and is a mix of the Metro and Soft Seal brand. One thing about Steele is that your looking at around $155 for a set of seals. The others are $65 to $95 depending upon which vendor that you decide to go with.
Hopes that this helps as we always get this question and there is no definite answer. If you should need more information or insight, just drop me a message.
This is good info to know. I've saved my old seals and they did clean up quite nicely. They had overspray on them from years ago, soaking in brake fluid took the paint off, then a good washing made them look clean.If anyway possible, I would suggest using a set of originals. We have been involved in various aspects of manufacturing and selling various brands of weatherstripping for over 28 years and nothing beats the OEM pieces. As long as your originals do not have major tears or rips, they can possibly be cleaned up and reused. The rubber for the most part holds up very well for 50 years of service.
You can remove the door panels and take a pair of side cutters and cut the nylon clips that attaches the seal. Do this around the entire perimeter of the door. You may find that a previous owner has glued the seal in place in certain areas, but a razor blade can easily slice through the glue. Once removed, wash the seals with a good detergent and remove the remains of the old clips, they will simply fall out of lock end of the seal. Replace the nylon clips which can be purchased from a number of vendors. Coat with a good rubber treatment and your ready to install and saved yourself $50 and have a much better seal than any of the reproductions.
If your seals are torn and past saving and your going to replace them with a reproduction, then your pretty much going to have to use one of the three manufactures. The most popular brand being the Metro Brand, second would be the Steele Rubber and third would be the Soft Seal Brand.
Many people believe that Metro and Soft Seal is one in the same. They are two entirely different businesses and the Soft Seal Brand falls under the Trim Parts umbrella which falls under a even larger parent corporation of a variety of businesses. Metro markets its brand as "Soft Seal" which leads to the issue.
The problem with any of the weatherstripping is getting it to react consistently in the production process. An extra ounce of any one material, a difference in pressure or temperature can drastically affect the finished product. That is why one seal fits great when the second set is way too large or hard to allow the door to close without slamming it shut.
Just like burgers or soft drinks, everyone has a personal preference. The Metro piece is more pliable than the Soft Seal brand and conforms better to the doors but the bulb profile is slightly off. The Soft Seal piece is more correct in the profile of the seal, and is more like the OEM piece in the durometer reading of the rubber. The Steele piece is a nice piece and is a mix of the Metro and Soft Seal brand. One thing about Steele is that your looking at around $155 for a set of seals. The others are $65 to $95 depending upon which vendor that you decide to go with.
Hopes that this helps as we always get this question and there is no definite answer. If you should need more information or insight, just drop me a message.
I tried to PM you but all I get is a forum error and I can't get past that.We are a stocking distributor for Metro and all of the other brands of weatherstripping. Just drop me a private message and we can take care of your needs.
383MovingViolation, I just tried to send you a Private Message and your inbox is full. That may be the issue that your not able to send or receive private messages. You will need to go to your inbox and delete or move some of your previous messages.