[riverboatman]

I recently purchased some SoftSeal 4153 seals in a four pack for use on my '65 Nova. The package came in and the gaskets appeared to have turned from white to beige. I was not satisfied thinking they had been sitting on the shelf to long as the photo in the ad showed them as being white. I ordered another set from another source and when they came in they are also beige but not as much. In the photo you can see where the gasket along the bottom is white and then changes to beige. On the inside of the gasket it is also white but the flat side that would be sealing to the leans is beige.

So here I am. I started to just paint them white but then thought that they probably wouldn't seal if I did that.

Using these gasket with the clear backup light lens makes them look terrible with the beige gasket underneath. I googled quite a few website that sell this gasket and now they are showing them as being beige and not white.

Does anyone know another manufacturer of these gaskets that are white?

 

[6T4LONGROOF]

I wonder if they could be dyed back white with something like RIT fabric dye

 

[snolan]

Gasket

First they dont look bad ?

If you dont like the white try a Black sharpie should work great

 

[riverboatman]

No, I really like the white but found that a dark color like you suggested would be better. I went digging through some of my boxes and actually found a two pack with the exact same part number and made by the same company but the gaskets were grey. I put them on and you can't even see them. Also, the beige ones were actually a little small like they had shrunken up some. I tried to stretch them out some but they would not stretch out any at all. The grey ones would stretch out and cover the edge of the lens. I have no idea when I bought those grey ones but it had to have been many years ago. Oh well, I got my problem solved for now. I'll give the magic marker a try to see how they look with the lens on the bezel. If anyone knows were I can buy some white or grey ones, I'll need them for my spare bezels I'll be putting in storage just in case they are needed at some later date.

 

[fltinstructor]

Why not try some white shoe polish with a sponge applicator tip. It should soak into the material enough to whiten it but still leave it pliable to seal.

Nice bezel. Did you polish it?

 

[riverboatman]

I might sacrifice a seal and experiment with dye and polish. The beige is not acceptable to me as it makes the bezel look like it is dirty inside. (See photo) I've included a photo of both the beige and the dark grey gaskets as a comparison. This only applies to the back-up light lens as they are clear and the gasket can be seen. No problem with the brake light lens.

It appears to me these seals were originally white but have turned beige due to age. I've noticed a lot of the retailers have changed their photos to reflect the beige seals now so most likely if you order them you'll get what they have just like I did. To me it looks like a defective product but that's just my opinion.

The bezels are a product of GTL Polishing. George does great work and he is my go to guy for restoring molding. The photos do not reflect the true quality as the camera makes it appear there are blemishes where there really are none. My finger print smudges. I'm very pleased with them.

 

[riverboatman]

I sprayed all my gaskets with "Fake Chrome Paint". You can't hardly see them under the backup lens and they are almost invisible between the brake light bezel and the red lens. Much better than that dirty beige look. I wonder why SoftSeal quit making them in grey. That was the perfect color.