RE : 1974 gtv door gasket

[Dave Pratt <dave@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Most of the discussion in this thread has involved installation techniques, 
but an important issue here is the actual gasket itself.  Fellow AONE 
member Endel Koppel and I have batted this around for several months, and 
contacted several people, including Matt Jones at Re-Originals.  His very 
informative reply is included below.

You can buy GTV door gaskets from lots of sources -- OK in Germany, 
Highwood in the UK, IAP and Re-Originals in the US, to name a few.  Pricing 
issues notwithstanding, my question is:

How different *are* they?  Have any of you been able to compare, say, the 
IAP and Re-Originals gaskets?

This door slamming has *got* to stop...

Dave Pratt
Dedham, MA



> Hi Dave! Happy New Year! Thanks for this chance to shed some light on the 
> door closing problem with the GTV's. The current rubber door gaskets being 
> imported into the United States are made in Taiwan, Italy and Mexico. 
> There are two prominent companies in Italy making them. One uses the 
> original style rubber and the other uses the softer rubber that was 
> specified for the aluminum-bodied GTA. The softness was needed so as not 
> to stress the aluminum. These are so nice, so well made and so well 
> fitting that they are the ones that always work on the steel-bodied cars 
> as well. Especially after a restoration; and here's why. Here in the 
> States the restorers and paint shops use quite a bit more primer and paint 
> than the Factory used originally. This seemingly miniscule amount of extra 
> paint, when effecting the space available for a gasket to be "squished" is 
> sufficient to have created this situation for all of us here. In fact 
> since discovering this 9 years ago, the current importer of this softer 
> style doesn't even offer the other. These softer gaskets cost currently 
> $105 each and are due to go up 10% sometime in the beginning of the Year 
> 2003. Many guys because of their initial cost buy a less costly style and 
> are "bitten" by the NO FIT syndrome. That's about all there is to it. The 
> exclusive importer for these softer gaskets is Re-Originals and their 
> Distributors like Jon Norman/Alfa Parts. Dave, I hope this helps a bit. 
> You're welcome to disperse this info if you feel it will help at all. As a 
> merchant, I don't feel I can do this in some of the venues open to us car 
> nuts. Ciao! Matt
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