1950 DeSoto Vent Window Rubbers

[Guest Irv D]

Does anyone know of a reliable source for the rear vent window rubber seals for a 1950 DeSoto 4 door?

I ordered the rubbers for the vent wing windows (both front and rear) from Andy Bernbaum. The front ones fit perfectly. However, the rear ones are not manufactured correctly: the strike plate "cut-out" is in the wrong location and the "slices" on the back side of the rubber (where it makes the sharp bend) are lacking.

I returned the rear rubbers to Bernbaum and ordered a pair from Steele Rubber. The good news is that the strik plate "cut-out" is in the correct location and the "slices" are on the backside of the rubber in the correct location. The bad news is that the rubber on the outside part of the window is not wide enough and is not moulded correctly, so that it does not form a nice weathertight fit to the outside of the door - all the way around the vent window. Additionally, even though the "slices" are present on the backside of the rubber, it bunches up horribly resulting in a huge gap on the inside of the window.

Bernbaum and Steele Rubber are the only sources that I know of that have these remanufactured rubbers.

I have included a picture of the driver side rear vent window (outside- showing gap around the rubber) and one showing the bunching/gap on (inside near the sharp bend). These are the ones I purchased from Steel Rubber.

I would be most grateful if anyone could provide me with any additional sources.

Thanks..........Irv D

[JACK M]

Metro Molded parts maybe ?

[jpage]

Chances are thet Steele is the only manufacturer for those parts. If you were to get them from another supplier they would most likely be repackaged. Not all distributors make all the rubber parts they sell. Steel is noted for making most of the molded specialty parts. Sometimes the parts need a bit more tweeking to fit correctly and many times need a serious adjustment. Just be sure of what you are doing before making any cuts or adjustments! Many times that's all we have to pick from and you have to make due! Trouble is with these parts ,it's very hard to come up with an excellent master pattern. Rubber shrinks over the years so it's hard to get accurate measurements! Also because a part is listed under certain years and models,doesn't neccessarily mean it will fit everthing that falls in that catagory. It's kind of a generalization,a manufacturer could never practically make every part for every car made. Not enough usage on certain parts so they try to cover only popular parts! It's a bottom line thing!

[Guest Irv D]

The ones from Steele Rubber are definitely different than the ones from Andy Bernbaum - and the ones from Bernbaum actually were a MUCH BETTER fit (at half the price than the ones from Steele) - the only problem with the ones from Bernbaum was that the "cut-out" for the strike plate is 3/8" too far forward from the end of the rubber seal, where it butts up to the division bar. I think you are correct, though, in that I am going to have to make it do for my car.

I have made both companies (Bernbaum and Steele) aware of the defects /mis-manufucturing of their parts and both have shown a sincere interest in correcting them.

thanks for your interest and reply to my post

Irv D

[jpage]

Irv, Is the rubber profile the same in front and behind the strike plate recess? If so ,you may be able to very carefully cut sections fore and aft and resplice them together to reposition the recess. We have had to do that before and while it can take some concentration it's not impossible! A good super glue made for rubber works well in splicing parts as long as they are made from real rubber and not silicone!

[Guest Irv D]

Hmmmmm - never gave that a thought......it might work. I am still researching other sources to see if I can find ones that are correct and do not need any modifications. If all else fails, I will probably end up buying another set from Andy Bernbaum and use your suggested splicing method.(by the way, he is no longer the owner of Bernbaum Auto Parts - gent by the name of Chris Paquin is the new owner and I have had extensive conversations with him regarding the problem with the rear vent window rubber seals).....Thanks for your advice.

Irv D