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Recommendation for Vent Window Rubber Seals


Stargrinder

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Hey folks.  I am trying to find a good set of rubber seals for my 1950 Dodge Coronet Coupe.  I ordered some from Steele Rubber unfortunately the fitting was not the best.  I could not get a good seal and when I was caught in the rain a few days ago they leaked.  The seals were actually 1/4" more narrow than the old crumbly ones that I removed from the vehicle.  I am looking at a couple other options:

 

Andy Bernbaum - http://store.oldmoparts.com/a-weatherstripping/front-vent-window-rubber/a-373/  (no image available on the site)

Rock Auto - https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/dodge,1950,coronet,3.8l+230cid+l6,1331806,body,vent+window+seal+/+weatherstrip,12489 

Mopar-Direct - https://www.ebay.com/itm/1949-1952-Dodge-Chrysler-and-DeSoto-Front-Vent-Window-Rubber-Seal/172228071971 

 

Does anyone have any recommendations?

 

Thanks in advance.  I am just trying to keep things dry if I ever get stuck in the rain.

 

Thanks

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I bought new vent window seals for our D24 from Andy Bernbaum.  This was several years ago and no issues yet, although our car is rarely out in the rain to fully test them.  Good fit. 

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I also think these 2 are the same.

 

Buying them off EBAY is cheaper (free ship) however because Bernbaums direct purchase has a minimum flat $24 or $25 shipping  (poor even short term memory) .  Ok if buying something heavier or many parts but two  rubber pieces?  I have purchased parts thru other Co.s just because of their shipping charge.

 

DJ

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19 minutes ago, DJ194950 said:

I also think these 2 are the same.

 

Buying them off EBAY is cheaper (free ship) however because Bernbaums direct purchase has a minimum flat $24 or $25 shipping  (poor even short term memory) .  Ok if buying something heavier or many parts but two  rubber pieces?  I have purchased parts thru other Co.s just because of their shipping charge.

 

DJ

 

I don't want to vendor bash....but that inflated shipping charge is just a back-handed way to jack up the price of the product. Sorta insults my intelligence.....I've bought quite a bit of stuff from Berbaum but only as a last resort.

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Steele Rubber stuff is made of cast iron, doesn't fit and very poor service...........I have always found AB's to be good as far as correct items sent, packed well and fairly priced, as for the shipping charge, well, to me 10000 miles away it is what it is..........my 2 cents, or 1.3 Oz cents worth.......andyd

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there is a difference in vender bashing and telling the truth.....in the field of rubber products I have come to find that certain items are better from one than say another and I mixed and matched rubber from three different suppliers on my bz cp.  Durometer of the rubber is as if not more important than fit sometimes....some  companies just have their rubber in X areas a way bit too hard and squish/cushion is not in play and the fit/service suffers.  Some items are flat out off the wall in price and some are just poorly made no matter the price.  What one may consider good fit for their purposes may not be as expected to the next builder.  As we all know many say close enough and accept the poor fit as received normal.   We have some of that going on now with another mod, another forum, and while x companies supply x product from same raw material supplier...their detail in the fit is often wide spread and as such difference in sharp clean install verse slop and shoddy eyesore.    The single most problem when encountering a poor fit is the company shaking their head saying they are not at fault and the catch all...no one else complains....however these companies usually do not have online feedback for some reason.....?  Then there are those that flat out lie even before the placing of the order that their product is true to original in all aspects and you receive generic junk that is not ever close.  They will not stand behind the product after the sale but in often telling this truth you get accused of bashing....so where is the safety net and middle ground?

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I’ve bought a lot of things from AB but unfortunately I had to send 2 sets back as they weren’t made properly (one of the sealing fins must have had mold issues as it was rough and tapered). I ended up with Steele. Not a perfect fit but better than I had - no air leaks and the car will probably never see rain ?

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Well, I'll be blunt and to the point..........I ordered a cowl vent rubber from Steele Rubber using the part number that Steele Rubber indicated in their paper catalog......what arrived was indeed in  a plastic bag with a sticker with that number but it didn't have the correct profile as indicated in the catalog, nor did it have the correct shape or length..........I am 10000 miles away and I rang them only to be told I didn't know what i was talking about, "we never make a mistake" and your Oz car maybe different........I told them that yes,  some things on the car are different BUT the cowl vent was the same as the USA built ones as IT was from the US..........no refund, exchange nor apology, we arn't wrong............so........once bitten, never forgotten nor forgiven.............and only in the past week or so someone else has also been screwed by this company as they mentioned in another post............Andy Douglas . 

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Hey all... I really appreciate the feedback and opinions.  I think I will order the parts from the Mopar-Direct ebay site and see how those work.  I am hopeful for a better fit than the Steele Rubber set.  I have no intentions of driving in the rain again but you know how mother nature can be at times.  A 30% chance of rain can become a monsoon.

 

Thanks again for the advice. 

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I've used Bernbaum a lot. Sometime eBay, sometimes by phone, sometimes directly on their web site. It appears that the shipping costs (USPS) are set by weight and distance. For small light items it's $13, bigger heavier items it's $19. I'm about a 2 - 3 hour drive from them, so it may be calculated by zone.

Pete

 

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I guess what kinda hacks me off is Bernbaum insisting on shipping a small, light part UPS for $14 when it could be dropped into a padded envelope and shipped priority mail for $3. That is why I consider their shipping fees on small parts to be a "profit tax", it would add up to a huge margin over the course of a month's shipments. No doubt a good business plan for them, but frustrating on our end.

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Unfortunately cheap shipping usually means no tracking, no insurance and no comeback for buyer or seller. I imagine sellers can get burnt by this too. Like Andydodge I am in Oz and my experience in shipping is you get what you pay for, even tho it hurts. I recently paid $US 75 shipping for a $US 75 detroit style uni joint repair kit in a small box, $225 in real $A, and it was poorly made rubbish. I eventually got back the item cost but no apology, no shipping refund and still no uni joint. All that from a seller I have used several times for big purchases with 100% success. Needless to say I wont order anything from them again. 

 

My preferred solution for poorly fitting rubber is ordinary black roofing silicone to fill the gaps. It is cheap and with a bit of care you cant detect where it was done, and it outlasts the rubber. I used it on my 38 Plymouth in 1980's when I was donated a roll of Chev rubber that almost fit. It and the rubber were still A1 when I removed the windshield in 2012 for total rebuild, and I will do the same again.

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25 minutes ago, westaus29 said:

Unfortunately cheap shipping usually means no tracking, no insurance and no comeback for buyer or seller. I imagine sellers can get burnt by this too. Like Andydodge I am in Oz and my experience in shipping is you get what you pay for, even tho it hurts.

 

My comments were not directed at international shipping. Fortunately here in the USA we have USPS which offers inexpensive shipping with tracking for small parts. I use it frequently with high percentage of reliable results. If it is good enough for a major aircraft supply vendor it should be good enough for a smaller vendor shipping old car bits and pieces.  ?

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