When I took mine apart (49 longbed so I had two of these set-ups), the seal was cork between the two steel rings. My replacement seal was rubber and I installed it between the two rings. No leakage and everything snugged up tight. I got my kit for my longbed from American Classic and everything in it worked well. Perhaps the kit you got came from some substandard manufacturer. Think I took some pics of the kit when the assembly was all apart on the workbench.

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Country Roads, West (By God) Virginia
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