by Tedd Lister (Teddl) » 31 Mar 2002 15:58
Steve,
The foam gaskets are to keep out water. The contacts are likely by the connectors inside the trunk, at least that is how my 74' is. If I remember correctly, the backup lights have only one purple wire, thus the lens body has to be grounded for current path back to the battery. A test light or better yet volt/ohmmeter will be your best friend in finding these problems. The electricals to rear of the car are on one harness, including your gas gauge. They likely pulled that out to do your trunk and when put back it hurried it. Might also check the press in connectors themselves, they can get oxidized, wire brush them and the hole they go in as well. My Barracuda had that problem, easy fix.
Anytime you take a car completely apart, you run the chance of these types of problems. After some period, you should get the bugs worked out and life gets better. It is really best to solve frustating problems when you have plenty of time, so relax and do it right (I screw things up when in a hurry). Best of luck.
Tedd