Well, Aaron and I are getting close to taking his "Dartster" to the paint shop. In a few weeks, we will start replacing all of the seals and weatherstripping on the entire car. I started hunting them down months ago, but the prices vary so much I haven't settled on where to get them from.

Has anyone recently done a complete replacement like this, who has tracked down the best values? I even started an Excel spreadsheet to analyze different combinations of sources. I'll post the information later, in case I overlooked a great deal you know of somewhere.

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There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity.
Ignorance is not knowing any better.
Stupidity is knowing, yet doing it anyway.

I am about to do that same thing, but I have little idea where the best place to order from for a decent price. I don't want to go with something cheap that I have to replace next season, but I also dont need the highest grade either. Would you post or email me the spreadsheet? Did you decide on anything?

What have others gone with?

thanks, the mrs

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anything worth doing is worth re-doing, again and again and again...........

There are not many companies that manufacture repro seals and weatherstripping. You will find that most places carry the exact same items and yes, the prices vary considerably.

The first place I look is: www.restorationspecialties.com Their prices are usually the cheapest and their service has always been great.

If you know what you need by dimension and not part number, you can get some great deals from JC Whitney. I almost always use them for cat's whiskers

If those sources don't have it, I go to Laysons for A-body parts. They have the most complete selection, but their prices are among the highest. They were the only ones who had all the convertible seals I needed for my '64. I also try to support them because they have made a real effort to bring products to market that were ignored by other suppliers.

I avoid the generic parts suppliers since most don't fit properly.

The seats on my '63 do not have any special "hot molding", so I had a good upholstery shop make them for me. I think this is the best option if your seats are not "hot pressed".

For my '64 Barrcuda, the seats are hot pressed, so I got a full set of seat covers and door panels from Legendary Interiors (www.legendaryautointeriors.com). Only certain years and models are available, so you just have to call and ask.

For rubber parts, try Steele Rubber (www.steelerubber.com) or Harden's (800-633-4690).

Layson's Restorations has a lot of stuff too (www.laysons.com).

If you post what you find here, I will put the info into the Parts Database (or you can enter it yourself if you are brave).

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Chuck Rivers, Webmaster