Body / Glass: Gasket between tail light housing and body - 1954 Commander - should there be one?

[northern]

On this '54 Commander, there is no gasket between the chrome tail light housing and the body. So I ordered the only part that I could find at the vendors for that. It turns out that the part is the gasket for between the tail light housing and the lens and not for between the housing and the body.

The chrome is very close to the painted body, and it seems that chipping of the paint could occur without a gasket and that water would also get in there. Did these cars originally have a gasket between the tail light housing and the body? Is anyone reproducing these? I checked with SI and studebakerparts.com and neither seems to have them. If one had a pattern, I suppose that one could make up gaskets out of rubber - maybe from rubber gasket material or from an old inner tube or something like that.

[55coupe]

I have never seen any gasket for that application. But like you I did not want to cause any paint damage so I just went to a Goodyear supplier in town. They had something that was about 3/16th by 1/8 u shape fit on the edge of light housing looks like some sort of rubber trim not stock but not out of place.

[5brown1]

I used the chrome door edging on mine - after a paint chip. It looks good. It did need a little trimming on the inside edge in a few spots.

[rockne10]

There was no gasket from the factory.

[SN-60]

I used black plastic welting between the tail light housings and the rear fenders of My '55 President Speedster...Not stock, but I think it gives the car a more 'finished' look as opposed to the chrome housing right up against the paint. I used welting around the rear skirts also. Welting is available in most any color at local upholstery shops.

[johnod]

I used black plastic welting between the tail light housings and the rear fenders of My '55 President Speedster...Not stock, but I think it gives the car a more 'finished' look as opposed to the chrome housing right up against the paint. I used welting around the rear skirts also. Welting is available in most any color at local upholstery shops.

Did you glue the welting to anything, or just fit it between the 2 surfaces?

[GEEMAC]

Hobby Lobby has rubber sheets in two thickness, one has a stickum on the thin one, sell for about one dollar a sheet, must be about 16x20. Iuse it a lot for small gaskets for both inside & outside tail lite housings. Mac

[johnod]

Seems U shaped stuff is readily available.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=u+channel+rubber&_nkwusc=u+channel+rubbuer&_rdc=1

[warrlaw1]

I did what Ed did and used the black welting. Also used it on the headlight bezels and around my parking light surrounds (chrome snout 55).

[SN-60]

Did you glue the welting to anything, or just fit it between the 2 surfaces?

'Welting' is probably the wrong term....what I used was 'U' shaped (like door edge guard but VERY pliable) and simply pushed on over the edge of the tail light housings.

[FlatheadGeo]

"'Welting' is probably the wrong term....what I used was 'U' shaped..." ...this sounds like a perfect solution. (I would try the 'u' shaped rubber, but I was never good at measurements <g>; just ask my wife how I hang pictures!!!)