Gasket assembly for oil pans and the like

Claim 1

A molded gasket assembly having an integrally formed pair of elastomeric side sections and pair of elastomeric end sections and a rail in and associated with each of said side sections, each said rail comprising an elongated rigid plastic member having a generally flat main body of a first thickness and a plurality of integrally formed, longitudinally spaced stops, each said stop defining a fastener opening through which a fastener is adapted to pass, said stops being of a height substantially greater than said first thickness, but less than the thickness of the associated side section, and a plurality of apertures formed in said rail through which elastomer projects to integrate said rail and the elastomer of the associated side section, and wherein each said rail further includes a plurality of spaced abutments integrally formed with said rail and positioned along the length of the rail, said abutments including projections extending from at least one surface of said rail between pairs of adjacent stops and being of a height substantially equal to the height of the stops for appropriately positioning the rail in said side section and to minimize deformation of the rail during molding.