I know its been discussed before - but seems there is a bit of an update.
I've never been happy with the aftermarket door rubbers available and have been seeking original design rubbers for what seems like forever.
Recently I came across Italian Auto Parts Inc advertising new rubber - made from the original tooling and I was very excited! I got David to send a photo of the rubber profile and when it arrived I was disappointed that the profile looks different to what is on my 1988 car.
I have purchased rubber products from IAP before for my 308 and have been thrilled with the quality and attention to detail in getting repro parts that are "just right" which leads me to think that the design of the rubber may have changed over the years - and this reproduction is probably accurate for a different year's seals?
I took some photos to illustrate the point:
IAP's "NNS" rubber:
This is where I see the differences. The red arrow indicates the seal to the body that is missing. The Blue arrow indicates the small seal on the INSIDE. To me, the part of the seal that actually does all of the work looks to be in a completely different place and different "shape" (kinda concave rather than forming a flat, slightly convex sealing surface)?
I know to some this will seem like being overly picky. But my car never leaks - so what Bertone put there in 1988 seems to be a very effective design. I'm starting to suspect that this is because they "honed" the shape over the development years of the car's production. I don't really want to go backwards. IAP's seals are quite expensive - but if they were the exact shape of what I have I would be MORE than happy to shell out the coin (including for a spare set!).
Any thoughts?
I've never been happy with the aftermarket door rubbers available and have been seeking original design rubbers for what seems like forever.
Recently I came across Italian Auto Parts Inc advertising new rubber - made from the original tooling and I was very excited! I got David to send a photo of the rubber profile and when it arrived I was disappointed that the profile looks different to what is on my 1988 car.
I have purchased rubber products from IAP before for my 308 and have been thrilled with the quality and attention to detail in getting repro parts that are "just right" which leads me to think that the design of the rubber may have changed over the years - and this reproduction is probably accurate for a different year's seals?
I took some photos to illustrate the point:
IAP's "NNS" rubber:
This is where I see the differences. The red arrow indicates the seal to the body that is missing. The Blue arrow indicates the small seal on the INSIDE. To me, the part of the seal that actually does all of the work looks to be in a completely different place and different "shape" (kinda concave rather than forming a flat, slightly convex sealing surface)?
I know to some this will seem like being overly picky. But my car never leaks - so what Bertone put there in 1988 seems to be a very effective design. I'm starting to suspect that this is because they "honed" the shape over the development years of the car's production. I don't really want to go backwards. IAP's seals are quite expensive - but if they were the exact shape of what I have I would be MORE than happy to shell out the coin (including for a spare set!).
Any thoughts?
Last edited:
