window seal woes ascona 1900 wagon

[stevyz]

isint here a universal weatherstrip available for reasonable price made in the usa? anyone ever use a product like this on their opel? they seem to sell every style of window rubber,,im looking for all rubber seals without the plastic bead (like i use on all my vw restorations) cal look any ideas? i found suppliers jcwhitney/ also metro Metro Moulded Parts Inc. Automotive Weatherstrip and Rubber Parts anyone who has done this out there?

[stevyz]

i just cant justify that expense.... i also like the look of all rubber seal better i have had good luck with all rubber seals on my vws...interested to hear everyones input....

[neuropel]

You're encountering a problem that many Opel owners have. There is a place in Germany called Dr Manta that sells the rubber for your car (click the link). There are in fact, several companies in Germany that reproduce the part but I don't know of any US options. The biggest problem with ordering from Europe, as you can probably guess, is the shipping. Luckily, we have some members here who are fluent in German, from Germany, and are able and willing to help facilitate European orders. Late last year, we made a group buy to Dr Manta through the site here and had good success - so much so that a second group buy is now underway. Unfortunately, I believe you JUST missed the deadline for the second group buy, but in all likelihood there will be more. If you absolutely have to have it, you can go to the website and place your order. As an alternative, I'd try posting an ad here and see if it might be possible to find a decent used window rubber that would get you by. For more info, use the search function for the site and search for Dr Manta to find the relevant threads.

Todd

[stevyz]

this note is from john from usa opel..... i believe he is trying to help me but that is double my budget ,,,,,,Front window is $192.80. ????The rear is $182.50 ???and can fit in the same box and shipping fees are $29.80 frm Germany to here and then to you. So if you can pay me $405.10 with a credit card I can add you 2 gaskets to the order It should take 21-30 days for the order to get here via DHL.

my question is why not use a universal rubber the same shape? the cost is less than half and you can do both windows twice for half of that
my volkswagen beetle rubber looks like it would work nicley
im looking for a reasonable priced option and to eliminate the plastic strip my budget is 100 per window ... looking for somone who may have done this my local glass shop says should be no problem ...i would use factory style part if the cost was close to reasonable how much did u pay for yours ? any glass guys out there? comments? suggestions? does anyone have a cross section of the seal so i can match it up? please post photos

[LeftLaneGuy]

I once used a type 4 windshield rubber on a Kadett... Fit well. The Ascona is roughly the same size, it may work... I haven't gotten to that point with my wagon yet, but I will be trying the same thing. (I don't care much for the chrome strip either) I have another option I may try as well, If it works, I'll post pics and the process... (flush-mount like new cars)

[oldopelguy]

Originally Posted by LeftLaneGuy (flush-mount like new cars)

For that matter, really, there's nothing stopping anyone from using the modern urethane adhesive and just gluing the windows in exactly like on every other new car. Sure it's a lot more work when it needs to be replaced, but not any more than every other new car. Might want to add a new trim strip inside the front and back so the headliner isn't uder the adhesive anymore, but that's easy.

Last I checked a tube of adhesive was under $10 and the roll of finishing trim was something like $0.35 a foot.

[kwilford]

Originally Posted by oldopelguy For that matter, really, there's nothing stopping anyone from using the modern urethane adhesive and just gluing the windows in exactly like on every other new car. Sure it's a lot more work when it needs to be replaced, but not any more than every other new car. Might want to add a new trim strip inside the front and back so the headliner isn't under the adhesive anymore, but that's easy. Last I checked a tube of adhesive was under $10 and the roll of finishing trim was something like $0.35 a foot.

Steven,
This is something I have wondered about. Is it possible/practical to do just that: glue the windshield into the recess and then finish it off with a trim strip, just like all modern cars have their windshields installed? Has anybody tried this? Will the windshield be stressed by being firmly attached to the window frame and be prone to cracking? Does there need to be a "filler" installed first to make the glass flush with the sheet metal? And that is my number one reason to consider this, as the OEM gaskets stick up and isn't nicely flush with the sheet metal, and would look SO much better if flush.

[oldopelguy]

There would be 3 big concerns for me with just gluing it in, which are the reasons I haven't done it yet myself (though I am planning on giving it a whirl on the track-wagon):
-headliner currently wraps over the pinchweld
-body flex would be instantly translated to the glass, which might crack a hard to find widshield (though it would sure siffent the body)
-The glass does not have the black "primer" strip on it around the edge like most new widows to ensure proper adhesion. On a windshield you could probably just etch the glass, not sure on the safety glass rear and side widows.

There are actually 4 parts to the glued-in widshield i your modern car, though you only see the one:
-The first is the rubber trip that clips over the edge of the glass and gives it a smoth edge, and there are lots of options for universal replaements you can discuss with any local glass shop.
-The second is the liquid urethane glue that holds the widow in, it comes in what looks like a caulk tube and pretty much goes in the same way.
-The third is the roll of sticky sealing rope goo that they put on the pinchweld before the glass gets set in place to seal the glass up and keep the liquid goo from running all over the place while it sets-up. This comes on a roll between some wax paper.
-The last part you never see is a couple of little rubber blocks that set under the glass to keep it up and centered in teh hole while the glue sets up. Easiest way to get a couple of them is to just keep a couple of 1/2" chunks of the stock weatherstrip and cut them down to just what is between the glass and the pinchweld. If you want to see what they look like peel back the rubber over cover from any new car along the bottom and take a look, or swing by a glass shop (to buy the glue) and have them show you on whatever car they are working on.

I have a dozen Kadett windshields, so it's not much of a deal for me if I try it and one pops, same thing for hatch windows in the wagons because they won't "feel" any body movement as the car goes down the road. My Bradley GT used the same method for boding it's '63 Corvette widshield into the fiberglass frame and no one seemed to hae any trouble there, so I'm not too worried. Not sure I would do it in a GT if you couldn't find glass, except maybe to see if it would allow for the use of those mis-formed new windshields floating around out there.

[Anonymous D]

For all the hassle of replacing window rubber, most owners prefer rubber that is made to fit (and will look good once it's on the car).

The price problem is simply perspective, especially if you compare an Opel part to a similar application on a Toyota (which is typically, way higher - and let's not even get into BMW or Porsche!). An Opel is much more affordable to buy and drive (entry costs can be below $1000), but expecting niche-market replacement parts to not only be financed, engineered, and then stocked into inventory (yet be priced accordingly), is simply not realistic (from a return on investment perspective). That's why most parts providers dropped the Opel line years ago, because the attitude of many owners came across as not only cheap but whiny (let the flaming commence).

However, if "junk" parts are within the discussion (based on price alone), then another alternative is to find an Opel in a parts yard, and to remove the rubber by simply breaking the glass (or cutting away the surrounding metal, if you want the glass too). The difference in price is "earned" there, with time and labor.

[LeftLaneGuy]

Well, the other thing with sealing in the glass like new cars: The pinchweld isn't deep enough. The window will actually fall though the opening. I've considered welding-in a 'seat' for the glass, then using all the 'current' materials, shim the glass, set it, seal it, then add a trim strip on the exterior. The interior would be covered with pinch moulding, that you'd simply tuck the headliner under... By estimate, the whole process would be non-cost-effective versus buying the correct rubber. BUT would go far in 'updating' the looks of the car. This would go with the other 'little' things like the moulded-in bumpers, flush-type door handles, and modern style wheels... Of course, this is all just a drawing on paper, as my personal wagon is still stock-ish, and up on blocks waiting a front-end rebuild... May or may not be changed...

[stevyz]

you can buy the roll of very similar weatherstrip cut to fit and urathane the seam where the two ends meet.... thats what i heard glass installers do ....they sell many styles for diffrent pinch welds geez i just want to keep the water out but 200 per window is far too much ..as for gluing with urathane and chrome strips seems like bad idea to me ...but interested to see somone try it...i think im going to buy vw seals and try it..i will have to measure the total lenth of each window and find a vw seal clost to that lenth or slightly shorter .as for the look should look great with black seals if you use vw seals you can get them in white also...im going to compare window size to somthing vw the seal is very similar ... whole set for most vw modelsis around 40-80 dollars vs 400 sure would pay to find out

[officertyo]

[stevyz]

http://www.jcwhitney.com/-WINDOW-WEA...3813_10101.jcw


why cant i use one of these? i dont want to whine but keeping cost down while still having a acceptable result thats what im after ...or if someone knows where to get reasonably priced factory type part..havent heard any source for this .. 192.00 for rubber is just crazy !!!ive replaced rubber in about 30 vws im just used to getting parts available and reasonable ... the opels arent that rare....yet... so if i can find an alternative id bet there are alot of opel owners who would be interested ...i et i will come up with something that shocks the naysayers...:just brainstorming here i know im not the only one who is interested in alternatives

[stevyz]

wheres the pic?

[ghcoe]

I have bought rubber from Metro for my Studebaker. The quality was excellent. In fact I was going to see what they had once I got to the point of replacing the rubber on my Opel. If you can get a cross section, you could probably be able to match up something close. I think they are also very open to new rubber designs. If the Opel community inquired enough I bet they would make what we needed. They do a lot of low volume hard to get rubber for other cars that are rarer than Opels. George.

[stevyz]

Originally Posted by ghcoe I have bought rubber from Metro for my Studebaker. The quality was excellent. In fact I was going to see what they had once I got to the point of replacing the rubber on my Opel. If you can get a cross section, you could probably be able to match up something close. I think they are also very open to new rubber designs. If the Opel community inquired enough I bet they would make what we needed. They do a lot of low volume hard to get rubber for other cars that are rarer than Opels. George.

thats what im talking about saftey in numbers

[Aardvaark]

http://www.restorationspecialties.co...og%20ebook.pdf

These guys manufacture and stock several glass gaskets (see pp40) and will also produce small runs of new designs if warranted.

They have been a big help to those of us who own Thunderbirds and also other makes. I have found that if you print out the catalog pictures of the seals your interested in they are fairly close to full scale and can be used to determine what may work on cross applications. If you find something that works for your vehicle and is not yet listed in the catalog they would like to know so they can add the application to the description.

I'm with you guys who want to hold the line on costs if the item works even if the trim strip is lost. So what. Most of the time the plastic chrome blackens
fairly quickly anyway unless the car is kept out of the sun most of the time.

[stevyz]

my glass guy says 275 installed for front and rear rubber in my wagon im going to photograph his work and post it here

[ghcoe]

Originally Posted by ghcoe I have bought rubber from Metro for my Studebaker. The quality was excellent. In fact I was going to see what they had once I got to the point of replacing the rubber on my Opel. If you can get a cross section, you could probably be able to match up something close. I think they are also very open to new rubber designs. If the Opel community inquired enough I bet they would make what we needed. They do a lot of low volume hard to get rubber for other cars that are rarer than Opels. George.

I went ahead and sent Metro a email to see if they would be interested in supporting Opels in their line of rubber products. Figured it would not hurt. Who knows maybe they have never heard of a Opel. They make specialized rubber parts for cars that are rarer than Opel so why not? They did state that they may need examples to make copies off of. I am sure we could help them out there if needed. George.

[ghcoe]

Originally Posted by ghcoe I went ahead and sent Metro a email to see if they would be interested in supporting Opels in their line of rubber products. Figured it would not hurt. Who knows maybe they have never heard of a Opel. They make specialized rubber parts for cars that are rarer than Opel so why not? They did state that they may need examples to make copies off of. I am sure we could help them out there if needed. George.

I got a reply from metro so I though I would start another thread so it would have more exposure.

http://www.opelgt.com/forums/group-2...tml#post203901

[opeletti75]

are you looking for door seals too

[blancojp]

Originally Posted by stevyz my glass guy says 275 installed for front and rear rubber in my wagon im going to photograph his work and post it here

they are far less expensive at OGTS

[myopels]

Originally Posted by stevyz i just cant justify that expense.... i also like the look of all rubber seal better i have had good luck with all rubber seals on my vws...interested to hear everyones input....

Stevyz, I thought that Gil, at Opel GT source had a source making front and rear seals without the stupid plastic inserts for about 90 bucks or so. I have a set on the new GT that I bought from someone, and they are nice and clean and do not collect all the dirt and trash like the old ones.