"paper" gaskt on bezel faces of gauges

Saloons
1

I took apart my speedo face and the “cardboard” gaskets were fine as the entire unit was rebuilt about 10 years ago by Nisonger. The front uunit was snug as nothing was deteriorated.

I took apart the tach and the “cardboard” gaskets and there are two gaskets on both sides of the glass. I now know this because one gasket was flaking apart like loose paint chips.

The bad gasket was on the outside where moisture probably ruined it over all of these years.

I called Nisonger and we were on the same page, but they said I should be using rubber gaskets on both sides of the glass and they don’t use any special presses just hand pressure to re-assemble.

This sounds impossible as my paper gaskets were so thin that it would bear almost impossible to use two and then get everything back together. He did say they then bent the tabs over the gaskets so maybe they allow for a thicker area to work with. These little tabs look to be fragile and will probably break with too much fiddling.

They sell a complete instrument gasket set for about $17 plus shipping.

I am thinking of using black butyl rubber sealant in place of a gasket and then carefully cleaning any that gets on to the glass face.

This is NOT the gasket between the wood and the instrument back.

Thoughts??

Gerard

2

If you use butyl sealant—assuming we are talking about the same thing, once it has set, you will NEVER again get the bezel off.

I recommend using nothing that can act as a glue.

3

Wigs is wrong. You can use sealant and take it back apart again. You need a special tool, made by either Moulinex or Estwing.

I found small diameter rubber hose at an aquarium shop which was just the right size for the outer seal. It doesn’t really “seal”, it’s more to stop the glass rattling around. The stuff I found was fairly soft, and just large enough to fill the groove in the Bezel and stand a bit proud.

Come to think of it, I’m out - the pack I bought was enough to do about 4 cars.

4

Andrew, if he uses butyl, as mentioned, I see no way one could get the bezel off again: A lighter glue, like silicone, yes, butyl? It is as good as a weld.

5

Yes, that’s why you need a hammer or a food processor to disassemble…

EDIT: not to mention the hassle of cleaning the squeeze out off the glass and bezel.

6

Your idea of a small hose, or o-ring, is better.

I tried making new paper gaskets: could never find the correct thickness, or it would just scrunch up when turning the bezel on.

7

Hose is much better than (solid) O-ring… With a solid you need to get the dimension dead nuts, hoses squish a bit.

Any time I am in a store I have a sort of “That might come in handy” radar which picks up materials and tools in the oddest shops.

1 Like
8

Moi aussi!! That’s why my garage looks like it does…:disappointed:

9

I particularly like the afternoons spent looking for that bit of material I bought decades ago, knowing that I might find it useful one day.

I have an assortment of “bendwood” which I bought almost 20 years ago. I saw it in a carpentry shop while I was looking for veneer, and thought it was so cool that I just had to have some. Never used it, but one day…

1 Like
10

I am thinking of the black goo that one uses to attach the weatherstripping as a make shift gasket.

Might could be a bear to take off but I will leave that to the guy who has to do this again in 50 years

I ordered a bunch of the foot long green LED strips (really cheap with free shipping) which will prolly come in handy for floor lighting with the “interior” light switch. Pictures later!

Gerard

11

Same here but then forget where it is stored :frowning: