Another "Authentic Restoration" part discrepancy

[anlauto]

@Jay Bee  This was just removed (just for you) from a 43K original mile, original owner 1970 Plymouth AAR with a SPD of  March 12 1970.


You can clearly make out the Chrysler part number on the backside and the overall shape is quite evident, and matches your reproduction part pretty close 

[Jay Bee]

This was just removed

Thanks for that and thanks everyone else for checking into this. This discrepancy or "little surprise" has really thrown me for a loop. Were they replaced in the the first 9 years before I owned the car? Were they replaced when the car was at a body shop getting painted in the early 80's and mid 90's? I'm even starting to second guess if I ever changed them before but I'm 99.999% I never did. Best guess, one of those shops put on them on, the vintage repo's that 1 Wild R/T mentioned.

There are numbers pressed into the rubber on the back that aren't anything like a Chrysler part number: 1089190     9215     A1       I also noticed that the stainless rib's ends on mine are crimped as if they were cut with a diagonal cutter, not like SYDWAZ's.

Once again, thanks everyone for solving my mystery.       

[anlauto]

What are your door ones like? do they match the quarters ?

[Jay Bee]

What are your door ones like? do they match the quarters ?

Yes. All four of the "outers" are the same.

[anlauto]

Definitely wrong....

[1 Wild R/T]

When I get home I'll try to get photos of the repos that are like yours..... 

[69BFan]

From what I am seeing, the picture of the felts on the left hand side of the picture are the reproductions that were available from the company that was supplying the majority of the market back in the early to mid 80s.  They were provided by "Repops" which is still in business, but mostly providing items like glove boxes, package trays, etc. and the cheaper rubber sweeps.

Around 1987, RSSI started doing the more correct felts for the GM and Ford applications.  I came to know them and through assistance of others, we have pretty much been able to duplicate all of the felts for the Mopars from the late 40s through the early 80s applications.  This is the "TopCat" brand of weatherstripping.

I believe that what you have is a reboxed piece as Repops has never licensed the window felts as factory licensed part.  I know that the TopCat felts have never been licensed as there is not a need to do it as no logos or featured on the product.  When Trim Parts purchased the FPAP brand and brought it in house, they labeled all of their Mopar reproduction parts under the "Official Restoration Part" as a marketing strategy.

Some of the channel that is used on the felts is an exact duplicate of the factory pieces.  Some of it has been discontinued and we have had to source an alternative which may have subtle differences.  If you look at the ends of the TopCat felts where they are cut and bent, you will see slight variations from the OEM pieces and the differences in some of the thickness of the body of the flocked rubber body.

After spending almost 30 years of manufacturing the felts, Dave and I have seen all configurations of felts that people believed to be original to their car.  Hope that this helps.

[1 Wild R/T]

The  "Repops" ones I remember from the 80's had a bare rubber wiper not the felt/frocked surface that originals/TopCat & the odd ball reproductions that are shaped wrong....

[69BFan]

You are correct in that the Repops brand was not flocked.  They basically worked on the principle of a rubber squeegee as used to remove water from a flat surface.  Far from correct, yet it is surprising how many of the restored cars that you will look at will have the Repop style of felts in place.

[GY3R/T]

   Bare rubber window sweeps tended to roll under the window when rolling down the window.
     And they squeaked.       

[1 Wild R/T]

plus they required more force which made power windows that much slower...

[Jay Bee]

Thanks again everyone. I'm convinced now that the first body shop in the 80's must have put the Repop brand on.