# Where to get hard to find seals **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [January 8, 2017, 11:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-to-get-hard-to-find-seals/98308 "2017-01-08T23:27:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bad\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/59ef9b/32.png) [@Bad\_goat](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Bad_goat)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 11:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-to-get-hard-to-find-seals/98308/1 "2017-01-08T23:27:58Z")
I’m looking for some seals for steering box on a 1988 samurai. I think one says NOK AE1463E. anyone know a good source for hard to find seals? Nothing at the local parts store or rock auto ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2017, 11:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-to-get-hard-to-find-seals/98308/2 "2017-01-08T23:33:20Z")
Measure the seal dimensions, and see if you can find a replacement here. > **[McMaster-Carr](https://www.mcmaster.com/#mechanical-seals/=15tt5ws)** > > McMaster-Carr is the complete source for everything in your plant. 98% of the products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day. Tester ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 12:33am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-to-get-hard-to-find-seals/98308/3 "2017-01-09T00:33:15Z")
Have you tried contacting Suzuki directly? These seals may be available, but only in another country, like Japan. You may need to have one mailed to you is all. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/59ef9b/32.png) [@Bad\_goat](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Bad_goat)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 12:46am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-to-get-hard-to-find-seals/98308/4 "2017-01-09T00:46:14Z")
> [@GeorgeSanJose](#): > > y in anoth It’s a thought. You need to find someone willing to ship here, or someone here that maintains an account with suzuki. If anyone has a good source I’d love to hear about it. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 1:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-to-get-hard-to-find-seals/98308/5 "2017-01-09T01:07:06Z")
A couple years back I needed an electronic gizmo to complete a project. That gizmo used to be available in the USA, no problem. So I had no concern about being able to find one when I needed it. But I discovered that over the years all that work using that gizmo by American electronics companies got outsourced, and not a single company inside the USA used it now. I called around to the insiders I know here in Silicon Valley and one of them said he’d run into this problem before, and gave me an email address to a company in Hong Kong. No problem, they had a zillion of 'em, and shipped that gizmo to me in return for my credit card number. 3 days later, it arrived in my mailbox. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/59ef9b/32.png) [@Bad\_goat](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Bad_goat)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 1:11am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-to-get-hard-to-find-seals/98308/6 "2017-01-09T01:11:56Z")
good idea. ill have to do some reading about sizing seals. ---
**Author:** ![Sloepoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sloepoke](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Sloepoke)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 5:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-to-get-hard-to-find-seals/98308/7 "2017-01-09T05:44:44Z")
[http://www.autopartoo.com/oem/nok/ae1463e.html](http://www.autopartoo.com/oem/nok/ae1463e.html) ---
**Author:** ![monkarl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@monkarl](https://community.cartalk.com/u/monkarl)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 10:01am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-to-get-hard-to-find-seals/98308/8 "2017-01-09T10:01:31Z")
Don’t forget to try carparts and samuraisalvage also. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 6:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-to-get-hard-to-find-seals/98308/9 "2017-01-09T18:16:20Z")
Would it be possible for you to cut your own seal from a sheet of gasket material? How about using something like RTV or “Right Stuff”? ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 7:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-to-get-hard-to-find-seals/98308/10 "2017-01-09T19:16:10Z")
NAPA likely has access to any size seal ever mass produced and they can identify it by its dimensions and the specifics of its fitment. Of course it’s necessary to find a clerk willing and able to dig out the paper catalog and do some work. One of the O’Reilly stores near me has the National seals catalogs and a ‘seasoned’ counterman who will dig up whatever someone needs. ---
**Author:** ![Propane\_Car](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/propane_car/32/6561_2.png) [@Propane\_Car](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Propane_Car)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2017, 7:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-to-get-hard-to-find-seals/98308/11 "2017-01-09T19:46:49Z")
> [@Rod\_Knox](#): > > urse it’s necessary to find a clerk willing and able to dig out the paper catalog and do some work. One of the O’Reilly stores near me has the National seals catalogs and a ‘seasoned’ counterman who will dig up whatever someone needs. Have you tried a seal company? There is a place locally to me [http://www.sealcompany.com/](http://www.sealcompany.com/) That just sells seals. They have had almost every old seal that I have ever needed for a small fraction of the price of a parts store.