Hello Everyone. I am considering removing my 65 Skylark tail lights to replace the center pot metal pieces from a parts light. Do I necessarily have to buy new gaskets or will sometimes the old ones be good. Perhaps some sealer on putting them back in? Any help on this would be appreciated. Thanks, John
Don't count on your original gaskets to be good. In my experience, in most cases they've already shrunk to the point of not sealing out dirt and water anymore and they're probably hard as a rock. Best to forget the sealer idea and just order new ones before you even get started.
I'm in the process of replacing the rear tail light gaskets on my 1965 Skylark, and have dropped the bulb sockets out of the light assemblies, and removed the hat-like nuts that attach the light assemblies to the body. I removed the 'U'-shaped brackets that hold the outer light assemblies. I removed the also-hat like nuts at the outboard ends of the tail light assemblies. Lastly, I removed the hat-like nuts at the inner ends of the light assemblies, the ones behind the center emblem. I considered purchasing and training a small monkey to remove those last, inner nuts, and wonder seriously how I'm going to get them back on again. I removed the metal box that the trunk striker goes into, which gave me the barest access to them. Do I guess correctly that they installed the tail lights prior to welding the inner brackets they attach to in place? And what comes next? I don't want to force anything. I gather I need to lever off or push out the center emblem. There are three fasteners protruding from the rear of the emblem. I guess they hold the emblems components together, and do not fasten it to the car. So so how does one remove the center badge without damaging it or the light assemblies it sits on? After that, I'm guessing those light assemblies will be lifted out, carefully prised out from the rear, then old gaskets removed, mating surfaces cleaned, new gaskets installed. Guessing dry, no extra goop on gaskets, but don't know. Any advice appreciated. The car is getting the area around the tail lights painted in about a month. If it makes sense for me to stop where I am and not proceed further at this moment, I'll put the sockets back in the assemblies and wait. I just started driving the car extensively and discovered a catastrophically-leaking trunk. Replaced the rear window seal and the trunk weatherstripping, now going after the tail light gaskets. So I'd like to do the gaskets now, vs. wait.
I learned a bunch of stuff this weekend, namely the three fasteners at the rear of the badge hold it to the body. Remove fasteners, remove badge, then you can remove the light assemblies. I also learned I didn't need to gymnastically remove the inner and outer shouldered nuts. They hold the central chrome strips over the lenses, rather than holding the assembly in place. Now I'm searching for the correct washers for the rear of the central emblem, and also for whatever black waterproofing stuff was on the back of the shouldered nuts. Guessing dum dum? Went to two auto parts stores and also Home Depot. None had gasket remover. One auto store employee, in his 50's, had never heard of gasket remover. p.s. None had dum dum. Home Depot had grey rope caulk, want black dum dum. And now will shop for it on line.
Got some good feedback here on the forum, namely that dum dum is 3M strip caulk, Permatex makes good gasket remover, and that it's good to go back and successively re-tighten the shouldered nuts holding the tail light assemblies to the car as the outer gaskets compress, prior to reinstalling the center emblem. If you don't do this, you risk bending or breaking the metal tab on the emblem. I removed the central chrome strips, removed the lenses, removed the inner gaskets, cleaned the gasket channels and light bay interiors, replaced the inner gaskets, and cleaned and waxed and reinstalled the lenses. Then I used 3M weatherstripping adhesive to put on the new outer gasket, after I'd cleaned out the old gasket. I'm tackling the driver's-side tail light assembly this weekend.
Poured hard rain yesterday. Went out to the parking lot, opened my trunk. Bone dry on the side I'd done the gaskets on, wet on the other. So satisfying! Finishing the job this weekend.
