Door seals

[Dino]

What's the story on these nowadays? Still ill fitting or better? My original door seals are tough and have some damage, but I'll reuse them if need be.

[resq302]

I'm in the same boat since I'm about to restore my new car.  I was told they are a crap shoot and are still hit or miss.  If you have decent original ones I'd still use them.  I'm looking for a nice original set myself.

[b5blue]

Metro Supersoft? I thought they were the go to brand for door seals.

[303 Mopar]

Call Dave at Roseville Moparts and get Metro.  The rest are junk.   

[cdr]

Metro Supersoft? I thought they were the go to brand for door seals.

These have worked very well on my car.

[CDN72SE]

Metro Supersoft? I thought they were the go to brand for door seals.

These have worked very well on my car.

Ditto, bought the same for my car.

[resq302]

Found an excellent original pair.

Thanks for everyone's input.

[CRW-FK5]

What specifically are the issues with the repro seals?

[375instroke]

My car was "restored" when I got it by throwing the door seals in the trash, so I have no choice.  Go Metro, I hear?

[69bfan]

It all depends upon on how critical you are of the parts.  The first thing to know is that just because you get one set to work properly, it does not mean that the second set from the same manufacture will work in the same fashion.  Secondly, the bodies on these old cars are not all the same and the skills of those installing the seals can vary as well as it may be necessary to adjust the doors to the fenders and quarters.

The problem is that making rubber extrusions or anything else with rubber is very dependent on several factors.  Any slight variation impacts the final results.  Less than an ounce of a component difference, cooling temperature and time, the pressure in which the part was formed will impact the final product.  Granted, computer production has gave some uniformity to the process, but still it is a work in progress with every production run.

From my viewpoint in having been around the manufacturing and providing the product, then it is impossible to say that the product will demonstrate the same characteristics within the same product line.  Looking at the big three and basing the product on original door seals, I see the following traits.

The Metro seals are the softest and most pliable, but the profile is more "plump".  The Soff Seal brand is more correct in appearance but they also are firmer than the others in that the durometer reading is closer to the original door seals.  This is a problem in that many complain about having to slam the doors to close them.  The Steele brand can be hit or miss in both areas and for most people, they had rather not pay approximately 130% more for the seals.

Door seals and roof rail seals for the 68 to 70 B-Bodies is not as large of an issue as it is for some of the body styles.  You have to know the particular car in question as each body line has there own distinct issues.  For the 66 to 67 B-Bodies, 67 to 69 A-Body fastbacks and 71 to 74 B-Bodies, it is the roof rail seals.  The 62 to 65 B-Bodies windlace door seals is a real struggle as is the 73 to 76 A-Body door seals.

So hopefully that will give some of my personal insight based on my opinion.  But everyone will have their own personal likes and dislikes.  That is why when we put together a weatherstripping package for a customer, it may have Metro door seals, roof rail seals from Steele, quarter glass from Soff Seal, window felts from Top Cat and trunk seal from RSSI.

[CRW-FK5]

It all depends upon on how critical you are of the parts.  The first thing to know is that just because you get one set to work properly, it does not mean that the second set from the same manufacture will work in the same fashion.  Secondly, the bodies on these old cars are not all the same and the skills of those installing the seals can vary as well as it may be necessary to adjust the doors to the fenders and quarters.

The problem is that making rubber extrusions or anything else with rubber is very dependent on several factors.  Any slight variation impacts the final results.  Less than an ounce of a component difference, cooling temperature and time, the pressure in which the part was formed will impact the final product.  Granted, computer production has gave some uniformity to the process, but still it is a work in progress with every production run.

From my viewpoint in having been around the manufacturing and providing the product, then it is impossible to say that the product will demonstrate the same characteristics within the same product line.  Looking at the big three and basing the product on original door seals, I see the following traits.

The Metro seals are the softest and most pliable, but the profile is more "plump".  The Soff Seal brand is more correct in appearance but they also are firmer than the others in that the durometer reading is closer to the original door seals.  This is a problem in that many complain about having to slam the doors to close them.  The Steele brand can be hit or miss in both areas and for most people, they had rather not pay approximately 130% more for the seals.

Door seals and roof rail seals for the 68 to 70 B-Bodies is not as large of an issue as it is for some of the body styles.  You have to know the particular car in question as each body line has there own distinct issues.  For the 66 to 67 B-Bodies, 67 to 69 A-Body fastbacks and 71 to 74 B-Bodies, it is the roof rail seals.  The 62 to 65 B-Bodies windlace door seals is a real struggle as is the 73 to 76 A-Body door seals.

So hopefully that will give some of my personal insight based on my opinion.  But everyone will have their own personal likes and dislikes.  That is why when we put together a weatherstripping package for a customer, it may have Metro door seals, roof rail seals from Steele, quarter glass from Soff Seal, window felts from Top Cat and trunk seal from RSSI.

Thanks for posting this, 69bfan.  When I bought my '70 Charger I'm sure it had aftermarket seals but I don't know where they came from.  I do know that I have to slam the door (both driver and passenger sides) harder than I feel I should, as you mention above.  I also have a condition on the drivers side where the bottom of the door is pushing out significantly and I believe it may be coming from the seal (compression resistance), as I have already adjusted the door to the limits to try and get it to align properly without success.  From your comments above it sounds like maybe I need to replace the seals with the Metro brand versions.

[HeavyFuel]

What's the story on these nowadays? Still ill fitting or better? My original door seals are tough and have some damage, but I'll reuse them if need be.

Whoa, man....I thought you were past this point.  

We talked about seals back in 2013.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,97925.msg1148483.html#msg1148483

[Dino]

What's the story on these nowadays? Still ill fitting or better? My original door seals are tough and have some damage, but I'll reuse them if need be.

Whoa, man....I thought you were past this point.  

We talked about seals back in 2013.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,97925.msg1148483.html#msg1148483

Yeah well I had a few degrees to finish first!   

Took this pic a few minutes ago. First time out in years and 5 minutes later it's raining cats & dogs. No seals, no hood.   

[cdr]

Car looks AWESOME !!!!

[Dino]

Car looks AWESOME !!!!

Thanks!   

[jlatessa]

Nice! What wheels are those?

Thanks, Joe

[HeavyFuel]

Car looks AWESOME !!!!

For sure.

Looks like you're getting close.   Fuel Cap?

[Dino]

Fuel cap is in a box somewhere. The interior is pretty bare so long way to go. All the important bits have gone from green to black though!   

Sorry about the white haze on the left side, my camera lens is cracked.

[Dino]

Nice! What wheels are those?

Thanks, Joe

17" MB Old School wheels from Discount Tire