Bargman 99 lights

[gwchitty]

I want to seal up potential leaks behind (and also into) my tail lights. I know that gaskets are used with the Bargman 99 lights on my '65 Caravel from reading other posts. The problem is, I think mine are missing so I have no idea what they originally looked like.

Do gasket rings fit over the base , between the lense and the skin? Is there a gasket between the base and the skin?

And can I remove and replace the tail light base and license plate lamp (screws?) without having acess to the inside of the skin or losingoarts inside?

Thanks,


Bill

[scottanlily]

Hello there Bill ,

My 60 trdwnd has the bargmann 99s, you can take the lense over to your local NAPA and see if they can come up with some gaskets that are used with other lenses .Grote and signal stat and other manafacturers make gaskets that could work possibly .On the bases ,use some sealer as
recommended here on the forums ,parbond or vulcum sealants and never
use any silicoln sealers ,crappy ,doesn't work when it should and very hard
to remove it . The Grote lenses on my IH Travelall are # 420 they may
have gaskets for that lense that could fit as its close in the diameter as the 99s.

Scott of scottanlily

[munimula]

new replica bargman 99 lens' with gasget can be had for $10.50 each + shipping here...

eBay Motors: Bargman 99 Pair of Lenses for Airstream Serro Scotty (item 120167548883 end time Oct-07-07 18:44:56 PDT)

i just picked up a pair and they are perfect replicas. the gasgets make a great seal.

--dave

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by gwchitty

I want to seal up potential leaks behind (and also into) my tail lights. I know that gaskets are used with the Bargman 99 lights on my '65 Caravel from reading other posts. The problem is, I think mine are missing so I have no idea what they originally looked like.

Do gasket rings fit over the base , between the lense and the skin? Is there a gasket between the base and the skin?

And can I remove and replace the tail light base and license plate lamp (screws?) without having acess to the inside of the skin or losingoarts inside? Thanks.
Bill

You can also replace the tail lights with permanently sealed school bus type or LED's which are also permanently sealed.

No leaks, and no rust.

License plate light assemblies are available from a very few dealers, who specialize in parts for the vintage trailers.

Andy

[gwchitty]

Thanks Guys,

Lots of great ideas here to consider!

[munimula]

Originally Posted by gwchitty

Thanks Guys,

Lots of great ideas here to consider!

glad to help. i'm in the middle of a '64 resto and seem to be looking for the best value in replacement parts all over the place.

getting the 7-way connections working this past weekend did cost me fifteen stitches over the eye.

i was setting my son up with a compass on the street side wheel and was explaining what to look for as i hunted for the brake wire in my 7-way cable - as none of the colors were matching up.

as i stood up from the wheel area i caught the nearby open window with my farhead. OUCH! it cost me five stiches on the inside and ten outside.

i got back from the hospital an hour and a half later and got all of the 7-way electric running properly. the bang to the head must have delivered some clarity to the puzzle.

i have now officially given serious blood to this project and will have a battle scar to boot.

--dave

[gwchitty]

Ouch! I've been there, too... maybe not with so many stitches but working with wrapped -up fingers, etc. I've got a long project ahead of me with my 65 AS, starting with the floor replacement. The PO was really creative when it came to making repairs and this makes it harder to figure out what things were originally supposed to look like. THere's so much good info on this site and while I'm hoping to get my AS back to a period appearance, I'm not oposed to upgrading for safety or convenience.

[gwchitty]

OK, now i see the gaskets in there. They're pushed up into the lense by the base and they seal against the inside lip of the base. You can see the gasket ring thru the lens. I can easily cut a nice replacement gasket out of closed cell EPDM. This gasket seals the bulb and socket but does nothing to keep water off the base edge or from going down between the base and the outer skin. So I'll add a thin gasket ring between the lens and the skin and I'll probably put a thin bead of sikaflex on the base to seal the skin joint.

[munimula]

Originally Posted by gwchitty

So I'll add a thin gasket ring between the lens and the skin and I'll probably put a thin bead of sikaflex on the base to seal the skin joint.

i'm no expert but i understand it is good to let all of the exterior the lights breathe a bit. if sealed tight condensation will build up inside the lens' and cause more rust to the housings.

[richinny]

i think the trick i saw posted here is to NOT seal the bottom to let it drain. i'm sure other will chime in.