Hi,
Can anyone here tell me how the rear lights on the Series 2 work? I mean, how does the rubber seal go between the lamp cluster (chrome part) and the housing (shell)? I have reproduction parts of both they they do not fit together at all. There is a slight raised ledge around the edge of the seal but it doesn‘t match either the cluster or the shell. Looking at pictures on the internet it looks as if the seal is not visible from the rear so it must remain behind the cluster. All very strange…
Chris, in Germany
Chris
I replaced a bulb in my series 2 recently. The lens was well sealed (no moisture) by the rubber gasket. The lens matched perfectly to the housing.
I believe mine are original, however, having owned my '70 e-type for 30 years.
I cleaned and polished the lens (and the housing). Cleaned and reused the rubber seal. All went together easily, sealing all around.
Aftermarket parts…well, what can I say?
There is a groove at the edge of the rubber gasket where the ledge on the edge of the lamp cluster (right Word?) goes in, I think.
The rubber gasket is quite a bit larger than the cluster but I can temporarily keep it in place with double sided tape.
Although I couldn‘t find any pictures on the internet where the rubber can be seen around the chrome, I think this is how it should be
The holes in the cluster don‘t line up with the mounting pods in the shell, so this is where the local machine shop will have to show their magic
This is how it would look if the mountings pods are used as they are
I prefer the housing shell to be more centered
With Wingnut2‘s car being original, I‘m wondering if he could confirm this basic setup.
Chris, in Germany
Hi Chris, I have a 1970 S2 OTS that that I am rebuilding from a “kit” of parts from my PO who was in MI USA. I have just this week been fitting the rear lights to the tub after a paint job. Your rear light is not the same as mine…in my case the the 2 lamps are beside each other and yours are one above the other, although the shape of the light seems to be the same or similar. Both outer and inner seals are made from a light grey stiff foam that fits in a groove all the way around the fitting. At the back the seal snugs up to the metal lip on the mounting box, and at the front the red plastic face rests on the foam rubber seal. My fittings seem to be identical to the diagram on SNG B’s web site. Hope this helps, John M Holmes, ON, Canada.
I spent the last 2 days doing this exact job. Unfortunately I had already installed the gas tank so I had to lengthen the wires on the left side. I don’t think you use the big black rubber seal, at least I could not. You can use some small foam weatherstrip on the back side and the foam seal the usuals sell on the lens side. For the side by side lamp style they also used a donut foam seal around each bulb holder on the inside of the metal housing. I had to elongate the holes in the metal housing to get them to be level. From experience I know if I had not made them level it would bug me every time I looked at the car.
Hi Bill, The black rubber seals are used on all the light fittings that sit onto a painted surface. The rear lights that fit onto a box using grey foam rubber strip seals, made from the same spongy grey ones beneath the lenses.
@John_M_Holmes
That‘s very interesting. AFAIK they (the rubber gaskets) would only be used on a Series 3, then?
Can someone here post a picture showing what the other seals look like?
I have no idea how this started but the usuals have been selling that big rubber gasket for the SII tail light forever. It is for the S3 only (and the Lotus Elan). The SII used a square rubber/foam strip gasket that fit into the groove around the back of the lamp and the ‘pan’ seated against the gasket. There were two different tail lamps used; first the Lucas 807 with the lamps stacked, and then in mid '70 the Lucas 871 with the lamps in line. They each used a different lens. The 807 also had a foam gasket that fit around the two lamps and the 871 had a round gasket around each lamp socket.
Lucas:807 showing the gaskets:
Lucas 871 showing only the gaskets around the lamp sockets:
Richard Liggitt
Thank you to Richard L for explaining the S 2 rear lights situation.My lights are the latter type. I was able to cut the lamp stem gaskets from some foam rubber. In the photo I see a grommet on the wires from the left light side unit. I wonder where that fits? I had a couple floating around in the storage bags !!?
Probably where the wires exit the body work?
