Skylark Tail Light Gaskets?

Hi all-

I'm getting a lot of water accumulating in one of my tail lights on my 70 Skylark (I'm betting a previous owner of the car swapped in a new light cover at some point). My question is: did these originally include some type of a gasket to keep water out? If not, might anyone here have a suggestion as to what the best way is to keep it out?

thanks in advance,
Matt

 

Yes they did.

 

Thanks for the quick reply. Is there a modern replacement for these?

thanks,
Matt

 

Yes and they are thin as tissue paper. At least the repo's I purchased. If your originals are decent, your better off. I paid the price for NOS after getting the reproduction ones.

DL

 

yea i could use a set as well...was wondering if anyone had suggestions and NOS I haven't seen around. If the repros are paper thin then i might be inclined to use somekind of sealer around it instead. Anyone have other thoughts on them as well?

 

I agree with the new ones been junk. Better than nothing however. You may want to try srip caulks as they can be molde in by hand. I found Some NOS as well that came in some NOS taillight housings but they are based on 72's which are a bit different than 70-71. I just trimmed them up with scissors and they fit fine. They are far superior to aftermarket.

 

Has the after market gaskets getting any better? If not anyone have a good set of used ones?

 

I just bought some from TPP for my 70 and they are still paper thin. I bought 2 sets and I'm going to try gluing them together to get double thickness, which even then will just be approaching OE thickness.

 

I went to Michael's craft supply and got thin foam sheets for about a buck a piece. (They have a thick and a thin size, in black.) The sheets are about 12x18. It's the same material as original and were used in other spots on the car. I also used it to replace the foam pad behind my fuse block. Works great. :laugh:

 

Remove the housing from the bumper. Scrub the housing clean. Paint with reflective paint. Tape off the gasket groove. Fill the groove with urethane sealer from Home Depot. Smooth the sealer with a trowel cut from an old credit card or some plastic strip. Let the sealer cure for a few days. Reassemble the unit into the bumper and you will have a perfectly sealed taillight assembly.

 

How do I keep the gasket on the light without it coming off?

 

Bought some in April from The Parts Place... total garbage. Could have made a comparable gasket out of a Frosted Flakes box.