On e-Bay a set of N.O.S. GS air cleaner seals sold for $112.00 plus shipping. :eek2: . This is nuts !!! This kind on thing is going to drive people to Chevrolet !!! :rant: AL.
Al, I hear you!! I lucked out with my NOS foam seals. They were one of the first purchases I made on eBay a couple years ago, still in the box.... That $62.00 is looking like a STEAL now!!! Best part is, they're for a small block (72) so in effect, I can carefully cut them in half and have TWO sets....:Brow: :Brow: :TU:
Brett, Cut them in half and have zilch... BBB requires the seals to be one inch shorter than 350" seals. Matt
:ball: :ball: To quote Johnny Carson, "I did NOT know that." Someone told me I could...thanks for clearing that up.....
i have a set of these that were being sold at the nationals a few years ago:Brow: they still have the $14 price sticker on them:shock: if i knew then what i know now i would have bought them all:rant:
The white boxes are the originals from the early 70's. when you open these boxes and take out the seal, it will most likely be stuck together . It may cause ther gray coating to peel off the foam. Even the later natural cardboard boxes may do the same. the only one I remember that was not boxed is the 72 left which is triangle shape. Bill
What's wrong with the ones from OPG for 19.95. What's the difference? I really don't understand the parts market. Am I a Gomer? None of my cars are so perfect to spend that kind of money on what's basically a rubber sponge.
Mike there is a thick covering around the OEM foam seals that helps them stay erect and not permanently deform.(Welp that's a virture) The aftermarket seals I have seen are like a sponge without this covering. The OEM covering gives them a different texture and color too. The shape is also different in that the OEMs have a corner that comes to a point at an acute angle. In other words they have their own special lokk and superior function in they are lees prone to deform from the hood seal's effects. Duane, Brad, and others chime in here if there is something I have misstated or left out.
Mike, In the Concours class we take a point off for the repro Air Cleaner Seals because they look so much different then the originals. I also don't know what the other classes do about them, they may take off points also. Other then that the repros fit and work just fine. If someone reproduced one that looked like the originals that would be fine, and no points would be deducted. Every car, whether it is a Buick or a Dodge, has a few parts that are hard to find and end up being expensive. This happens to be one of those parts. Duane PS. I just saw Jim's post while I was typing this. He is correct with all his statements. I also want to add this; we don't differentiate between different NOS air cleaner foams. Some of the originals had yellow foam, while later replacements used gray foam. The outside colors also changed slightly. Any and all NOS foams are acceptable. Duane
I have a set of NOS seals (in the box, not on the car), and I don't think the quality of the foam is good. IMHO - Year One has good quality foam seals. The ones from Cars Inc are similar to the NOS in construction. Save your $$ and go to Year One :TU:
Well, pardon me for stating the obvious. Something like these parts that are going to be worn out in a few years should be replacable with new quality parts. Very much like air cleaners. If OPG is selling faulty replacements I wonder what is going on in their heads. It can't cost more for a good part than a bad one. We're just talking about some foam rubber with some tape on the back to hold it together. I don't know about anyone else. The overflow tank seems silly but at at least it's plastic. This is even more rediculous.
I will try to post some pics of NOS tonight against new YO foams and illustrate my point. On some things like emblems I think NOS is a step dowm from the repros which are a fraction of the NOS cost.
Mike, The reproductions are all die cut, inside and outside, from a block of foam. Then some type of material is sprayed on the outside so they "appear" molded on the outside. The originals were molded into that outside shape, next they were cut off to the appropriate heights, and then the centers were die cut out of them. Now if someone made molded reproductions that looked like the originals that would be great. I also want to add this to my previous post. In Concours we do accept any and all varieties of NOS foams, however they need to be for the correct engine displacement. By this I mean that if you put a set of taller GS 350 foams on a 455, then that would also be wrong. You would need to cut them down to the correct height. Duane PS. In Concours most of the guys don't glue them on, they just sit them on for the show, and use repros for regular use. That way the NOS pieces don't get chewed up.
Brett, That last foam seal you posted about, that is selling on e-bay, looks like it's for a 72. Duane
