That shouldn't matter at all. The originals lasted decades. My originals are still on the truck and look better than your new ones.
I've see this before with front end kits from Kanter. The rubber disintegrates whether it sees use in the elements or not. A friend restoring a '57 Cadillac had his rubber parts end up like yours while his car was on blocks in the garage undergoing restoration.
Where did you get your brake cable boot from?
1950 Chevrolet 3100 (Ol' Roy)
1939 Packard Standard Eight Coupe (The Phantom) | 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (The Bismarck) | 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 coupe |1966 Ford Mustang (Little Red) | 1969 Pontiac GTO (The Dishpit) I 1979 Ford F-100 | 1976 Ford F-150 (Big Red) | 1995 Ford F-150 (Newt)
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