1955 4 dr Fireflite sedan rubber for both windshields

need a reminder on what year and model. Sorry!

Roger owns a 1955 sedan. As a fellow sedan owner, I think the rear window rubber channel may be difficult to find. Tim...any suggestions?

Mark

I'm so scatterbrained maybe I've already mentioned this...

We're working on a '55 sedan, and I talked with Steele Rubber because I believe that the extrusion for the '56 rear hardtop that they already sell is the same across the other models, it's just a different length depending on the body style.

So, we have a box ready to ship that includes a sample of the original rubber that will give Steele a cross section of the extrusion, plus we've created a paper template of the glass for them to know the circumference of the sedan glass.

Since we're a considerably long way off from being ready, my attention to this issue on our project went to a back burner.

I can get the package off to Steele tomorrow if it helps soon enough.

Wow, I'm replacing the headliner on my '55 Firedome Sedan and cut the rear window seal out because it was too dried up to safely remove the glass without risk of breaking it. I ordered the gasket from Andy Bernbaum as well thinking it was the correct one. Please keep us informed on what you find.
Steve

From my experience and from what is sounds like Lynn is also encountering, the rubber seals sold by Andy Bernbaum and Gary Goers (at least as of several years ago, for me...) are too bulky to properly fit the trim around the window.

On our 1st '56 Sportsman 2 door hardtop, I had Andy's seals for both the front and rear glass. We successfully installed the front glass, but did struggle to get the trim to fit nicely, which we eventually got to a point that we were satisfied.

On the rear, we did get the glass into the rubber and into the car OK, but there was absolutely no way the stainless trim was going to go around the window. ESPECIALLY the trim that went up and over the roofline which sits on top of the stainless that trims out the perimeter of the glass.

We have been very careful and fortunate to be able to save the front glass seal on the cars we've worked on lately. It seems like the molded corners are always the most brittle even if the rest of the original seal still has some softness to it.

For the rear hardtop glass, Steele makes an excellent reproduction. If you have the chrome trim inside the car, you have to trim off the rubber tail that the sedans/lower base models use. It's my hope that this part number can be modified in length to help us out on the 4 door models.

We've taken apart a '55 4 door sedan and now a '56 Seville 4 door hardtop, and also looked at a '55 Firedome sedan in a salvage yard, and notice that the interior of the rubber around the back glass actually has body color on it. Does this jive with everybody else's experience?

The lower body color on my 55 is Coronado Green. The rear window seal on the inside of the car was painted green. Although discolored, it appeared to a similar color to the color of the vinyl headliner and vinyl covering of my sunvisors. The rear package shelf was also painted a similar green color. I had the unexposed side of my sunvisor shot and matched with latex paint and painted my rear seal and new package shelf as well as the water staining around the rear window. It blended well. The judges at the convention questioned the green package shelf and thought maybe it should be black, but the original was green.

Thanks Tim for doing the leg work on the rear window seals. I didn't have the guts to try to replace mine although I realized at the convention that I do have water leaks around the rear window.

Mac

Tim,

My '55 Firedome Sedan is black with white top and sweep. Interior is the basic grey fabric with white and black trim. The headliner appears to be original and is grey. The inner rear window seal appears to be painted grey to match the headliner and blend in with the headliner above and to the sides of the rear window.

Like Mac, I too found out my car leaked following daily deluges at the Convention. Shortly after returning home, I removed the seats, mats and kick panels and aired things out and dried things up.

Mark

The inside rubber lip on my '55 Sedan was also a greyish color that sort of matched the headliner. My car is Rose & Black, so it didnt match body color at all.
Steve

Tim if you find a solution for the seals from Steele Rubber, let us know. Roger talked with them and they said they did not have it. I wish we had been smart enough to get a sample of the rubber when it was taken out of the car but we trusted the vendors information to find out it was not exactly right. We want to get the chrome put back around the windows but have to get the right seals. just keep us posted. if you get a parts number that will work for a 1955 4dr fireflite sedan, send it our way.

Let's see if this works....

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We might soon have a happy ending.

Steele called the other day and they are sending me a rear weatherstrip for a trial fit. It will have molded corners, and everything!

After we reinstall our glass and confirm the the weatherstrip works, they'll put a part number on it, research the interchangeability, and have it available for sale.

Now, on to the front.......

Ok! I have good news.... the rear weatherstrip that we got from Steele Rubber worked very well for the rear glass on our '55 Fireflite restoration.

Now; we need someone that still has their glass out to make an accurate paper template of the size of the rear glass and send it to Steele.

Any volunteers?

Tim -

Was Steele's rear window gasket identical to the factory gasket ? I see that they make one for 2dr HT. I'm wondering how close that one is (same one is used for 56 Desoto 2dr HT). Also, did you use Steele's front window gasket and if so, was that one identical to original ?

Ron

The extrusion that Steele already had in stock for several of the MOPAR rear windows seems to be the same throughout; I expect that only the lengths needed to be changed to properly make the rear window weatherstrip for the '55/56 Sedans. They even used a molded corner that they already had.

I was surprised that the Chrysler didn't use the same weatherstrip.

According to my understanding, the same front windshield weatherstrip is used for all body styles EXCEPT the convertible in '55/56. We used Steele's front weatherstrip for both the '55 and the '56 DeSotos currently in the shop, and I'm very pleased.