Water Intrusion from Tail Light Seals

A very common issue with a 30+ year old car. Real easy repair anyone can do with basic tools at hand. What you will need is

1. Screwdriver

2. 8mm wrench or socket with a ratchet of your choice

First you need to do is buy the new Tail light seals online from Detroit Muscle. here’s some photos of the seals you will need. (For a Coupe)

Once you get the seals in the mail, pop the hatch open and pull out the screwdriver and remove all the screws and clips! Here’s a photo of where they will be on each side of the panel.

After removing the screws and screw clips. Grab the panel and pull upwards ⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️

Now set the panel aside …

Now you need to get access to all of the 8mm nuts on the the Tail Lights. So what you will need to do is start by removing more screws for the side panels. Do this for both sides ⬇️⬇️

Now you will have enough access to remove all 6 nuts for each side 👍 shown here ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Grab your ratchet or wrench and slowly loosen the nuts. Do not impact the nuts because you will snap the studs. It might be best to spray a rust penetrator before hand. Then start to disconnect the harness connected to the Tail Lights..

The Gaskets definitely have seen better days! Now time to remove the Gaskets and install the new ones. You do not need any sealant or special adhesive. just lay it on the tail light and reinstall.

And that’s it! Just Reinstall everything in the reverse order. 👍 Easy way to stop water from entering the trunk compartment.