As the title says, I'm looking for the felt/paper lens gaskets for Grote 5600 series fender marker signal lamps. They're thin and wispy things, so not easy to recycle the shriveled old ones. I've found replacement lens, and whole units, but not the gaskets only. Before I start cutting out my own, I figured I'd ask here. From what I've seen on Grote's sight, the units themselves are no longer being made. These are going towards my 53' Ford F-100. While I'm at it, I need to replace the gasket that goes between the assembly and the fender, and the pigtail wire, but those I can sort out from generic stuff.
The cool kids use a cricut and cut their own gaskets...let us know when you make the CAD file, so we can copy it. But you'll probably end up cutting them out of paper using hand tools, and they'll be flaky, and you'll decide that since you're never gonna drive the truck in bad weather, you don't really need the gaskets. I personally welded up the holes in the fenders on all the old trucks I had that came with those lights, and figured out how to make OEM turn signals work. Because the lollipop lights are so ugly! But they have a certain charm, I guess.
I had the same problem with my tail lights (different lenses). I put a some rtv were the gasket should go, and let it set up for a few days. Just make sure it is even and smooth.
Well, still no luck finding gaskets, so I got some material and cut some out. I used 1/16" felt (from McMaster Carr) as the old gaskets seemed to be more fiber than paper. The way the lens fit into the frame they're not directly exposed to the elements. I used one of the lens to trace the diameter and mark the holes and cut them out with a good pair of scissors and a leather hole punch. The truck these lamps are going on is an old work truck I'm restoring. At one point we considered leaving them off and wiring the grill park lamps for signals, but the truck seems incomplete without them both in appearance and practicality. They were pretty beat up and I considered replacing them, but all the ones I've found had chrome bezels while the old ones had an aluminized type plating. The back red lens were broken so I replaced them, and they had also had arrows painted into them, which I added to the new lens. Last piece is I need to add new pigtails and they'll be done.
Interesting that they're from 1978. Good job on the gaskets, looks like the extra effort you took to find the right material was worth it.
The Jalopy Journal
