75 280Z door seal

[zclocks]

Does anyone have a good supplier for 280z door seals. The one I need is the one that crimps on body around the door opening.

I've heard Kia Sportage is very  close to the OEM Datsun seal, but don't know the year of sportage.

Thanks...Ron

[S30Driver]

If you are referring to aftermarket seals :

https://zcardepot.com/collections/door/products/door-rubber-seal-weatherstrip-240z-260z-280z

For the Kia seal   ...  93-2002 Kia Sportage   P/N  0K01858760B

[jonathanrussell]

I use the Vintage Rubber door seals and they have worked great for me. No slamming doors.

http://vintagerubber.com/datsun-nissan/

 

[zclocks]

Thanks for the input . I will investigate and let you know what I find. 

Ron

[EuroDat]

 

 

There is a thread about the Kia sportage seals. I have them on my 280Z for a couple of years now. Very happy with them and only $12.50 each from KIA in South Korea.

See post 134 and 135 for my comments.

[zclocks]

I finally figured out how to fix my door seal problem and thought I would pass on what I found.

My problem was that my passenger door seal works perfectly , but my driver side you had to use both hands to shut the door . These seals were put on years ago and should have taken a set by now . From my research and talking to several  rubber suppliers  I was shocked to find that many Z car owners  are experiencing the same problem I have.

I looked at the fender alignment, hinge alignment, and door panel trying to discover what the heck was the wrong. Most of the door on the driver side sealed correctly , but from the door sill to the top of the door on the latch side was really interfering with the door . What had happened was the rubber seal was bunching up between the door and the body. The normal gap for the seal was 1/4 inch when compressed , but my door seal was 1/2 inch when compressed.  See photos of what I'm talking about . The seal should have been designed to  normally push down under the door . Instead the seal I had was normally facing up and being compressed between the door/panel and the seal attach point.

This could have been just this seal or a seal that was from a different supplier. What I was told was that there are only 2 rubber suppliers that make door seals  for Zcars. I can't verify this but who knows.

I couldn't find the Aki door seal as mentioned in the previous text  and if ordered it would cost over $100. So looking on Amazon I found a wealth of door seal possibilities. The seal I ordered from Amazon is near perfect , seals the door to the body,  and  looks  good.  I think time will tell if the seal takes a set and remains sealed.

One thing  I did find was that a seal should only be compressed 25% of its original diameter to make a good seal. Any more than that and the seal will deform / compress  and not seal properly.

One other piece of note worthy advice is those who have a Zcar shop do ANY work for you should make 2 appearances per week  at the shop unannounced to check the progress on your car.  I trusted the guy that owned the shop I used and have regretted it to this day. I can't believe one shop could make the number errors that were made on my car if they tried that hard. This was only one the 47 other problems I have had to correct.  And this was a shop chosen by Nissan for the  vintage Zcar rebuild program.

Hope this helps someone who is having the same problem.

 

Ron

 

Edited April 26, 2019 by zclocks
flipped photo for clarity

[Zed Head]

I flipped your picture to match.  The Kia Sportage seals work very well.  They even have a 90 degree bend for the corner.

[zclocks]

Thanks Zed. I was toooo lazy to flip the photo.. Actually, to make the  corner I cut the seal at a 45 degree angle and glued it in place with shoe goo!

Ron

[zclocks]

Ok I corrected it. 

Thanks again....Ron

[zspert]

There are 2 primary sources for reproduction Z car rubber and they are Vintage Rubber and Banzai Motorworks. Vintage rubber door seals are head and shoulders above the Pacific rim stuff that requires a heavy hand to close doors and deck lid.