When our ‘48s and ‘49s were new there was a gasket between the perimeter of the front of the fog light or parking light assembly and the back of the opening in the fender where it mounts. This was the subject of a lively discussion on the CLC online Forum a couple of months ago. It seems the gaskets frequently become so worn with time that they not only disappear but have been largely lost to our collective memory. A well known Cadillac parts vendor even stated that he was unaware of the gasket. Bill Bickle wrote, “No one beyond a select few chapter members appear to know about this anomaly. Jeff Maltby appears to have a set but he is the only one.”
The Cadillac Master Parts List, the ultimate arbiter, shows that the gasket indeed exists. It’s the “Fog Lamp Opening Rubber Gasket, group number 10.0085, part number 145 4917 for ‘49s and 145 2989 for ‘48s. Prez Joe Cutler writes that “I’ve scraped off melted remnants of said gaskets from original fog light housings during my restorations. The gaskets prevent junk thrown up by the front wheels from ‘seeping’ through the gap between the housings and inside of the fender. I also believe they act as a ‘cushion’ to help eliminate squeaks and other objectionable noises that could otherwise occur.” Since the gaskets are not being reproduced, Joe adds that “What I use, that is inexpensive and effective, is a simple roll of foam weather-strip with one self-adhesive side, such as used around door openings in a home. I buy the largest size possible–I think it’s ¾ x ¾ of an inch (19 mm.). I’ve found it works quite well and no one will see it anyway once the fog light units are re-installed.”
1948 FOG LAMP 1949 FOG LAMP
Editor Art Gardner writes that to make this gasket “I used a flat, rectangular roll of foam rubber that I bought at Home Depot. I think it was about ½ an inch (12 mm.) thick by about ¾ of an inch wide. I may have doubled it on the ends of the housing, but I forget exactly. It worked pretty well. The seal is skinnier in the middle and fatter on the ends. I tried to find the real stuff, but no one makes or sells it. I bought wrong items twice. I also talked to Steele Rubber about it and never could understand why they wouldn’t make it. I guess they are hoping to develop some pent up demand and then make one big batch, so I finally gave up. Steele once told me that to make the seal, they needed an original to use as a pattern, but all of the originals I have seen have been disintegrated garbage and were not usable as a pattern. But Jeff Maltby’s gaskets look good enough to be used as a pattern, so maybe he could lend them one to allow them to make these parts for the first time.” Art reports that Steele supposedly is working on making this item using Jeff’s good set of gaskets as a pattern. Let’s hope so!
