Front and rear window seal width

[silver72S]

Hello guys.
I had my '72 911 coupe resprayed with the original color.
I also changed front and rear window seals.
But I think the balance between the chrome and the seal is different from the original, the width of the seal seems wider than the original. Do you think it is a little odd comparing to your 911? The width of the rear seal is 3.5mm(=1.38inches) and the front one is 3.2mm as you can see the pictures. Is this measurement too wide for the pre73 911? These wide seals are for the 930 and 964 bodies? Do we have to take pre73 seals for our cars? Where can we get them? What do you think?

Thank you
Takahiro

[John912]

Takahiro:

You have mm confused with cm. In any case, comparing new with old may have to do with rubber shrinking over time. The big problem with windshield seals is that some if not all aftermarket seals are not wide enough in the corners to span the opening, causing the seal lip to "fall through." Determining OEM seals is difficult because so many aftermarket are packaged as original and unless someone has a way to distinguish, you end up finding out during the install. On the last rear windshield I did I decided to measure the cross width of the seal uninstalled thinking that may be one way to tell the difference, and came up with 34-35 mm for one that ended up fitting perfectly. Not sure how this dimension relates to installed seal or to cross section of front seal. I've even ordered seals from a known supplier of OE, and although packaging looked right, the seal was not. If the seal fits, especially in the corners, it's fine. I always thought there was only one part number for rubber seals with metal trim inserts -- it's finding one that you can be sure will fit in advance of install is the real issue.

[Rick Cabell]

It's not just the seals, it's everything made for our cars these days. Nothing fits. The seals are for sure a little bigger in the out side lip flap. Overall, bulkier. And yes, the corners are hard to deal with. It can be done with time and patience. I don't know how many companies make seals. There is a lot of repackaging out there.