OK Guys, Best Rubber/Seal Outfit for OUR Buicks????

[buick man]

Taking a survey on who really has the BEST overall rubber components for our Buicks. Hands Down.

Not interested in what you may Think could be or Ideas of what might be or Opinions on what you may of heard - Just the facts - Boys @ This is about what is Tried & True by non other than yours truly, that you have seen, smelled, tasted and/or installed yourself.

So Here It Is:

Hands Down WHO or Combination of WHO, has the Right Stuff for sealing doors, windows etc?

Judging Standards are as Follows:

Correctness as to

- Build Standards/OEM

- Fit

- Appearance

.... and last but not least,

- QUALITY!!!

Remember, Any Gomer can and does make it in China, SO not interested and this crap does not qualify.

So....Bring on the Contestants. :cool:

.....ps: Please hurry since i am about to buy and want to walk the straight and narrow.

[buick man]

So far I have come up with the following contenders:

Arnolds Classic Rubber - Metro Molded Parts, Inc. - Rubber the Right Way - Steele Rubber Products.

[buick5563]

Rubber the Right Way repackages Steele and for a while they had a good selection. Last time I needed something RTRW didn't have it.

I installed door weatherstrips on three cars last year for clients. I bought from RTRW once which is how I discovered they sold Steele. The second time i ordered from Bob's (also Steele). The third car was a Chevy and the person brought me the weatherstripping they had purchased from a Chevy place which sold Metro.

When I installed Metro door weatherstrip I had to pull several of the tabs out that didn't line up. The Metro product does seem to be softer.

The only negative experience I personally had was the Metro auxiliary "J" weatherstrip (leading edge of door) was a different type of rubber and seemed oily, thus making the glue not want to stick. After using lacquer thinner and sandpaper I got it to behave.

Edited March 3, 2012 by buick5563
Steele, not Sleele (see edit history)

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Since I have only used one brand, it is the only one I can comment on. Ordered mine fron CARS, but it is Steele. I had a problem with the windshield rubber, and Steele replaced it. No complaints.

I did notice that it is cheaper from one of the suppliers than direct from Steele.

Ben

[jpage]

You'll find that the antique rubber business is like any other:no one vendor makes all his own product. Steele is heavy in the moulded rubbers and has ,for the most part,excellent products. Other name vendors contribute other types of parts. Restoration Specialties makes a wide variety of bulk rubber seals,both OEM style and universal along with a number of specialized pieces made in house. They also hand make a large number of belt weatherstrips( window fuzzies) for distribution ,all in house and all rubber is mfg. in the USA. No one suppllier makes everything so it's best to check each one out. The problem with aftermarket rubber parts is that usually there is no original mfg. drawings to go by. Most parts are made from good NOS parts or from parts supplied by customers. Sadly,many of these samples are old and suffer from shrinkage and other damage so it makes it hard to copy. Some parts,though, are copied from good aftermarket pieces out of production and some mfgs. like AUVECO still make alot of old OEM replacement parts. It's also impossible to make parts for every vehicle made as the cost to sales ratio would render it unprofitable. I will say that all the major vendors do strive to provide the best products and services available ,not only for business sake but because they are car people too!

[Bhigdog]

Steele's quality, fit, and service is arguably the best. If it's a glue on type weather strip remember to always wash the strip in hot soapy water to remove any possible mold release agent. If you don't and there is any agent on the strip it will not bond well and will easily peel off whatever it is glued to. Don't ask how I know this..............Bob

[old-tank]

Steele and Metro are the only ones I have used. Steele makes good products and they have even made new products for me. The 2 places that I give Metro the edge is door/trunk rubber and windshield rubber. The door/trunk products from Metro are a little smaller and softer; the windshield rubber fits and looks better.

My cars have a mixture of the 2 suppliers...I have sent items back and even bought duplicates to compare.

Willie

[jackofalltrades70]

So, who would make the complete kit that "Kanter" offers for cars? Steele probably? Is it more economical to purchase the "kit" or without coming close to driving me completely insane looking up part #'s, does someone else out there have a kit available with all rubber components? $1700 + for my convertible and should include all rubber seals for the car including lip seals, hood and trunk, bumpers, etc. The list looked pretty extensive on their website, but how complete it is, is yet for me to determine. Matt

[buick man]

Wow! You guys are my bestest buddies.

Metro & Steele & Restoration Specialties & Auveco ... so far.

Yes, it can be certifiably insane to track all these part numbers and compare everything by crapy drawings. It would be too nice I suppose, to see colored photos of each part number in color pdf catalogues or something of that nature.

I have been making a list for sometime and now it is time to get to it and buy.

I like the idea of the softer Metro gear since my original rubber is hard enough already. I also like what was said about S.Specialties and Auveco which I had no clue about. Thanks to those pointers.

So Buick5563, when you installed the Metro rubber the client supplied were you impressed overall with the product once you had mastered it and how did the rubber pieces look and fit?

From what I am getting here, one would what, order one piece of a particular part number from each of the vendors and then hold a comparative beauty contest which is what I will most likely do next week and report back.

So what piece on the car should I compare? The full door rubber or maybe the J rubber on the front inside of door or still yet, the glass door edging rubber? I would suppose the felt fuzz strips would most likely all look the same and build quality would be the same too?

[buick5563]

David,

I don't think you can go wrong with either company. I have been pleased with both. On Old-Tank's advice, I used all Steele products except for the windshield rubber when I restored my Special.

To Matt, I would not go the "kit" route mostly because Kanter is probably adding hundreds of dollars for the"convenience".

I have no experience with Auveco, but I have used Restoration Specialties for a Spartan Trailer I restored (Ok, street-rodded)

[old-tank]

So what piece on the car should I compare? The full door rubber or maybe the J rubber on the front inside of door or still yet, the glass door edging rubber? I would suppose the felt fuzz strips would most likely all look the same and build quality would be the same too?

If the 57 J-rubber is the same as 55 that is a piece that I had trouble with. First, the available products are not foam based like the original, rather just molded solid rubber. I bought a set, installed one side and all was fine; installed the other side and could not close the door! Tried a different vendor and that was thinner and fit.

Willie

[buick man]

Checked out S. Specialists and Auveco Web sites.

S.S. seems to have a nice complete site along with an online catalogue. It has somewhat of a chrysler and international truck fetish going on but does list bulk seals categorically for GM by cross section profiles with very general make year fitments. It seems to be stuck in the 70s along with some 60's apps and fewer 50 apps. Which does not mean your 50 or 40 or ? vehicle's rubber will not match something here, just don't expect it to be categorized - just for you! In our case it does have the 57 Buick main lower outer door rubber seals by the foot and is listed as such. Does not state if that also includes any OEM built ins such as profile edging or mounting clips. Has a great section on window tracks and seals. Almost exhaustive. In short, Just make sure you have your rubber seals, tracks, molding and edging in hand so you can refer to their profiles. Especially for window/glass related items.

Auveco appears to be hell bent on supplying alot of neat hard to find items including upholstery goods of all needs from foam padding to thread, vinyl and leather. This is backed by a great pdf catalogue. They also have a VERY expansive catalogue for GM fasteners, clips, headlight fasteners etc... Auveco Products - Automotive, Industrial and Specialty Fasteners or do a search. Did not find anything having to do with Automotive Rubber, Seals, etc and Auveco found in the same sentence though.

[buick man]

Since I have only used one brand, it is the only one I can comment on. Ordered mine fron CARS, but it is Steele. I had a problem with the windshield rubber, and Steele replaced it. No complaints.

I did notice that it is cheaper from one of the suppliers than direct from Steele.

Ben

This is a good point which we have also heard from time to time. This most likely indicates they have a good saturation of market share composed of resellers so when you order from XYZ you get a Steele product. Not to imply this is poor. There are a lot of advantages to this as well. So it appears to REallY know what is hip, you are gonna have to order and compare as one part will be great from Joe and yet still another rubber part is the BEST from Sam. Hopefully this rubber adventure and experience is not going to morph into yet another buickman safari ! :cool:

[buick5563]

They ARE fun safaris to read about, though.

[Bhigdog]

Much, if not most, repro rubber is close enough but not exact. Most works OK some not so much. If you go with a kit you are stuck with what you get. By buying separate pieces if you don't like what you get you usually can return it. Most vendors will also send you a few inch sample of strip material before you commit to buy..............Bob

[jpage]

The AUVECO company is an old aftermarket supplier that dates to the twenties and their products are only available through AUVECO dealers.They do specialize in specialty clips and fasteners but also have some rubber,mostly bulk universal and some older OEM type foam seals. Nothing specific or pre molded. Like I said before ,you'll not find an entire kit that is solely from one specific mfg.,most are made up from different brands because no one parts manufacturer makes parts for every vehicle. Many will cater to specific marques like Chevy or Chrysler but may have parts for other makes. Steele and Metro do alot of the preformed seals,that is door seals that have molded end caps and specialty parts like Qtr. window seals and vent divider bar seals. Resto. Specialties have alot of bulk OEM profile seals for older cars that do not have preformed door seals and they have some specialty grommets ,bumpers and the like and are capable in making specific small parts from samples. No company will never satisfy all customers(and I know from experience that some are really tough),you'll just have to trust the advice of others who bought products for the same type of vehicle and realize that there is only so much to choose from ,good or bad.

[Guest wildcat465]

I had heard that Steele and Metro carry some items made by each other in thier catalogs FWIW.

Since I drive past Metro to and from work every day, guess who I use. Saving shipping costs can be awesome, as Derek can attest to.

[Guest sconnors]

I've used Steele Rubber for my vent windows, doors, and trunk and they were great. The fit and customer service was awesome and even though they were a little bit more expensive everything is made in the U.S.A. and of high quality.

[BillMadden]

Mostly ditto to Scott''s reply. I did have a problem, at first, with the driver side door, but now it closes fine. The other problem was with one of a pair of taillight 'tubes' not being the right length. Had to stretch the hell out of it to reach, and they will no doubt fail in time. I have installed the vent window rubber sucessfully, which is the hardest one.

Bill

[buick man]

Hey Guys all great input. Ya gotta love it.

I went through Metro's site with my hand held mag glass. It appears they claim soft is better and their overall chemical mix and molding process produces an overall monolithic product rather than produce the competitors type of cell structured rubber with skins and a hard over all feel. They also claim this allows one to shut the doors easier without slamming them.

So Wildcat what has been your experience with using Metro products since they are in your neighborhood?

As mentioned, Steele products tend to be more foam like and Metro's then to be more solid but soft type. Wonder how each stands the test of time?

Yeah damn, it looks like a lock and load safari is on the horizon. I like the idea of ordering piece by piece so you can sent it back if not happy, but gosh sure would like to not have to play ping pong with the rubber pieces.

Kinda hoping someone had already been there, done that on this rubber madness.

Edited March 5, 2012 by buick man (see edit history)

[1957buickjim]

Well, in the finishing of Old Bessie, I used Steele rubber for the door weather stripping, and the fit was ok, but a couple of things that I had to contend with were:

a) The original used a molded in spring wire strip to fit in the pre-punched holes in the door. My car being a 2 door sedan, meant a little different to the many Riviera's out there. Steele uses small molded christmas tree clips, inserted into holes in the weatherstrip. I had to remove a number of them along the window frame to get the item to stay in place.

the molded corners on the weatherstrip were very good. Well mitered and solidly joined. They did line up on the frame corners and the clips did line up with the holes well, except the weatherstrip was about one section too long, and I had to cut it (on the bottom of the door) and then make a butt joint where the two met.

Softness was excellent (a nice 2A2 EPDM rubber), with good compression and rebound. I would figure for a hardtop (Since most 57's are hardtops) the length and christmas trees would not be an issue. In fact, it is an upgrade that is not noticed after installation. It also eliminates a problem with the original, that being the spring wire rusting inside the rubber, causing the weatherstrip to basically detach from the vehicle.

David, if you want some samples of some per foot material, let me know. In my real life, I represent a rubber manufacturer of extruded dense and sponge rubber products.

Anyway, the reason I used Steele is that they were the only ones with a weatherstrip for a 2 door sedan. Still, I am glad with the product and the fit.

Good Hunting Mr. Buick Man!

BTW - Restoration Supplies is my choice for the various clips needed for all of those dreaded sweepspear and trim items that are needed for attachment to the body!

[buick man]

Thanks Jim for your input. That's the kinda thing I like to hear around here. Hands-on, in your face. So do you feel lucky punk, sorta approach.

From everyones cheering sections, I have decided to heed the advice of my elders and order something from each of these outfits and hold a beauty contest.

Stay tuned!