roadsterwerx door seals, opinions?

[auggiemize]

$44 to my door, enough to do two doors; good deal or not? Anyone have experience with these? Thanks, Dave V. in NC

[mraitch]

price (incl shipping) is certainly good. I know they are good vendors, just depends upon the profile of the stripping.

[bobd]

http://www.datsunparts.com/1420

This worked well for me, might be the same stuff

[bakerjf]

If it’s the same stuff Dean sells, the semi-hard backing does not permit the aluminum trim parts to fit correctly; in fact they will not go back on without some modification. Also, the soft rubber part is not as large as the original; I’m not sure it even makes a complete seal all the way around the door.

The genuine piece is larger, provides a better seal, is made from the correct foam-rubber composition (Dean’s are rubber), and allows you to reinstall your your trim pieces without modification. It’s also much more expensive.

Comes down to if you care/want/can afford it to look and work like Datsun intended, or not.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2552910565

[auggiemize]

If aftermarket parts are as good, or better, and less money, then great...but usually "if it's almost right, its wrong", works best for me. Since I have limited knowledge, it'd be nice to know the problem is me, not the part, as I learn my way around trying to put this puppy back together properly. Appreciate everyone's patience as I transition from ignorant to my usual just plain stupid. thanks, Dave V. in NC

[greydog]

I used. Dean's door seals on my 68.
I followed the suggestion of spreading the griping channel slightly . I found a metal putty knife useful in getting the clamp channel over the interior vinyl.
I did need to open the aluminum trim a little but it is not noticeable.
I put some vasaline on the drivers side seal and closed the door. From the contact smear, I think the seal is in full contact. After all, its a roadster, is there really that much concern about sealing the door perfectly?
Much easier and cleaner than the glue on factory seals on the 69. Since our cars are not show worthy, the grip style strips seem fine to me.
Dan

[bakerjf]

Here is what the factory stuff looks like on my car.

68E6DD11-3DE6-4152-AFF1-A5235B596033.png

[auggiemize]

That looks PDG, with great subtlety. Another 40-50 pictures like this, and I might get my puzzle figured out. With this pic, I just figured out what that small piece of black vinyl is in my interior parts box (brake handle boot..) Not a lot of references around here. Thanks, Dave V. in NC

[bakerjf]

That looks PDG, with great subtlety. Another 40-50 pictures like this, and I might get my puzzle figured out. With this pic, I just figured out what that small piece of black vinyl is in my interior parts box (brake handle boot..) Not a lot of references around here. Thanks, Dave V. in NC

Haha - I’ve been there too! I immediately stripped my car completely down after I purchased it, and spent the next couple of years going to Solvang and JCCS taking tons of pictures of other owners’ cars figuring out how it was all supposed to go back together during its restoration.

[bobd]

So $200.00 vs $42.00? I'm with greydog 150% and there were no traumatic installation issues with the aftermarket stuff.

[sports imports]

The two main issues with the original Nissan weather strip that we have found are:

1. very tricky glue installation as gluable section wants to glue itself shut and once on, its not coming off
2. The latest Nissan product is very thick and creates tension that makes it very hard to close the door and once closed doors are opened, they pop out. Over a long time, they do compress. The original version was hollow and the latest version is solid.

The advantage of the aftermarket door seals:
1. we pre fit them as they are easy to install with no glue as they are press on ( we have a set just for door fitment during bodywork)
2. the aluminum trim will fit with minor mods to widen install lip

Ross
sports imports

[sports imports]

I have just checked the original one owner car in the shop, a 1969 2000, with original door weather strip still in place. It is much smaller than the Nissan product available now and is glued in on the inside edge only. You learn something new every day (when you have an unmolested car in the shop). It is solid foam but much smaller in size.

Ross

[bakerjf]

IIRC, I believe the cheap press-on weatherstripping is even smaller than the 50 year-old compressed weatherstripping shown above. Again, when I had it installed on my car I doubted it even performed its job in creating an effective seal around the door. It utilizes a small hollow rubber bulb, the originals (and replacements) use a solid rubber-foam composite. For that reason, and that I show my car in Concour-level shows, the cheap stuff had to go.

For what it is worth, I haven’t experienced “door-popping” or any other issues closing my doors. I’m an amateur restorer and didn’t experience any difficulty with glueing it to the car, or having it stay put.

[C.Costine]

If it’s the same stuff Dean sells, the semi-hard backing does not permit the aluminum trim parts to fit correctly; in fact they will not go back on without some modification. Also, the soft rubber part is not as large as the original; I’m not sure it even makes a complete seal all the way around the door.

The genuine piece is larger, provides a better seal, is made from the correct foam-rubber composition (Dean’s are rubber), and allows you to reinstall your your trim pieces without modification. It’s also much more expensive.

Comes down to if you care/want/can afford it to look and work like Datsun intended, or not.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2552910565

I have a '68 parts car that was on the road for only 9 years so it never got a chance to get the door weather strip replaced. I pulled a piece of it out and cut the end cleanly with shears. I can see that the $90.00 strip from zcardepot is exactly the same.

[bakerjf]

For some people the cheap stuff will meet their needs, for others it simple won’t. I’ve had both sets on my car and I was dissatisfied with the aftermarket product in appearance, utility, and originality. Is it cheaper, yes. Is it easier to install, yes...and no. No glueing involved, but you get the joy of tweaking and bending up all your nice aluminum trim because it won’t fit back over it otherwise. Personally, I thought that part of the aftermarket installation was much more “tricky” than glueing the OEM trim into place. I’m not saying OEM is the way to go for everyone, but people should at least understand the differences/facts to make an informed choice.