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The rubber fills the gap between the splash pan and the bumper. It is actually a dust seal so that dirt does not curl up inside the bumper and deposit itself on the rear of the car. The rubber on the bottom of the taillights serves the same purpose. Any rubber strip that you attach to the splash pan should extend rearward enough to flex against the inside of the bumper.

I do not know how large the gap is that the seal fills. Because of tolerances I think the gap would be fairly big and not consistent. If I cannot get the specs on the original seal seal I guess I will mount the bumper and measure the gap. There are some flat rubber seals in the Steele catalogue that have a soft round bulb about 3/8 inch in diameter. The one that Steele lists for this seal on the Packard will never work in my opinion because it is too small.

Closeup of the staples

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Thanks for the recent photos. Now I begin to understand. The seal is an angle shaped rubber strip with the bulbed edge pointing upward on the car. The staples hold it in place on the top surface of the metal spash pan. The bulbed edge must contact the backside of the bumper and flex enough fore and aft to provide a seal against dust. I think I can get the part from Steele and will let them know what the incorrect information in their catalogue is.

I just drove my 1950 Packard to the paint shop this morning and will get it back in early February. The chrome is all at the shop and I will get it about the same time. Lots of work to do before the meet in Orange CA!