Topic: 67-68 tail light buckets

[Oz390]

Have just discovered I have two types. 

One "one piece" where the entire metal bucket is riveted together, the bucket and the outer flange as an assembly.  A second set is two pieces, the two parts are held by the screw at the right/left of the lens.  And the outer flange and screw are gold zinc dichromate on the two piece, where on the one piece they are just silver zinc.  The screws are different as well, different threads and slightly different heads.

Not sure which set came out of which car but have two Dec 67 San Jose cars, a March 68 San Jose and a May 68 Dearborn car.

Anyone know which style belongs with which plant/time period...??

[Oz390]

In looking further all the sets I have, except one, are the one piece style.  As I have one Dearborn car it seems to indicate:

a) Dearborn used the two piece in May 68 (or longer)

or

b) the two piece is a FoMoCo service replacement that may have been added later to one of the cars

No other 67/68 owners have noticed this part difference?

[Dudley]

I have not looked very closely to the details as you have described, I will include a picture of my may/june 68 SJ coupe.

[Oz390]

Thanks for checking.  That is the one piece, the little rasied boss for the screw is the difference.  On the two piece that boss is not there and the screw just punches thru the sheet metal.. would post a pic but the camera just crapped out...

[ruppstang]

Here are some take offs. I do not know where the cars were built so not much help.
Marty

[67gtasanjose]

II have seen this before, but I thought it was a 67 is this and 68 is the other one, but I was building a car fom spare parts pieces and wasn't thinking at all of  "as it was delivered to the original owner" sort of a thing. I am no help. Like Marty, though I have seen it, I didn't take notes on where and why.

[Oz390]

Thanks for the photos, that shows the two styles. 

I ran thru old pics of the cars and the two-piece were on the May 68 Dearborn X code car.  It showed no evidence of rear tail panel replacement but who knows if they may have been a service replacement for some reason in the past.

Anyone with a Dearborn '68 of a similar time frame got input on which style they have to see if it is consistent to cars of that plant/time period?

[Oz390]

So it appears that either is acceptable in concours judging...