BEST REPO WEATHERSTRIP?

[Tommy_Mathison]

i need to put new weather strip on my 69 z28 and with the prices of NOS i decided to go repo. who makes the best stuff in terms on looking correct and correct fit? thanks!

[Rat_Pack]

Right now A&M Soffseal has the best on the market for door and roofrail weatherstrip. They improved the "crush" areas at the front of the door and A-pillar of both pieces over the junk they used to sell and they now fit & work great. The roofrail cross-section is still a little narrower than original but it seals up just fine if the door & 1/4 windows are properly adjusted. Metro has the best trunk weatherstrip for the money. It is very close in size to the original stuff and is hollow in the center which allows it to collapse when the decklid is shut. You can still buy the trunk w/s from GM but it is very pricey compared to the Metro item. Year One sells the Metro trunk weatherstrip under part #RU3. They currently sell Metro door and roofrail w/s but I do not recommend it as it does not fit at the ends in the crush areas. They can special order the Soffseal w/s for you but I would check with the other vendors or contact A&M Soffseal directly first...............RatPack.................

[FESTIVAL78]

If somethings been updated I'd like to know when because I just put door weatherstrips on a 67 Camaro Coupe that I bought from Ricks (Soffseal) and I have to smash into the car like it's a football tackling dummy to get the door to shut all the way. It is getting better day by day but compared to the NOS ones I have to compare them to ,they look WAY FAT..Will anyone ever make the skinned weatherstrip like GM did or are we forever stuck with this foam stuff (for lack of a better word)? my 2 cents

[Rat_Pack]

I am restoring a 67 right now for a customer and I had the Metro door and roofrail weatherstrip and it was junk. It was "fat" like you say at the ends and I had to slam the door so hard that it almost broke the glass. I had Year One order a set from SoffSeal and they are correctly molded on the ends with the correct contours and mounting holes in the correct locations. SoffSeals have not been that way for years ago as they learned the hard way. Now granted the doors do not shut as easily as using NOS stuff but you cannot beat the price. Also I asked Gary Anderson about this years ago and he said that the foam they use has a lot of air inside it and until it is used enough the doors will be harder to close but they do seal up tight.

As for them making it the "correct" way, it will not happen due to tooling costs plus the fact it does not last that long. I had asked Gary this once a few years back and he said that they had done a study on the effects that the environment has on weatherstripping and found that theirs will actually outlast most OEM or NOS items.

Another thing on the Metro roofrail weatherstrip is that the molded end is made of a very hard rubber. Whereas the SoffSeal piece is made from a softer rubber and is hollow in the center to allow water to drain down through it. This piece being hollow allows the doors to close tightly without slamming.

I have attached a picture of the Metro stuff I have here for the 67. This is the passenger side door weatherstrip and has never been installed. On the drivers side (not shown) I had to make the opening for the rear of the door glass larger so it would not stick to the window when it was rolled up and down. Also I had to trim the the end at the front of the door to get it fit under the lip of the door skin properly.................RatPack................

I would attach a picture of the SoffSeal but it is already on the car.....................

[FESTIVAL78]

Very insightful THANKS...I would gladly put lesser quality weatherstrip on my car every 5 years that looked NOS..and the manufacturer could profit from me many times over..pose that to your friend!