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Just bought a 1964 coupe....my first Corvette and I know very little about them at this point. My car has four red tail lights, and I see some other '64s that have two reds, and 2 white backup lights. Is my car incorrect or did some cars come with no white backup lights?
From: Putnam Valley, New York. Amateur Radio Operator K2NS
Tail lamps
Back then, backup lamps were an option. No backup lamps=4 red lenses. With backup lamps=2 red & 2 white lenses. I think backup lamps became standard with the 1967 model year.
Back then, backup lamps were an option. No backup lamps=4 red lenses. With backup lamps=2 red & 2 white lenses. Backup lamps became standard with the 1967 model year.
RON
I think you may have meant to type 1966. The Z01 option ended in 1965
Just bought a 1964 coupe....my first Corvette and I know very little about them at this point. My car has four red tail lights, and I see some other '64s that have two reds, and 2 white backup lights. Is my car incorrect or did some cars come with no white backup lights?
Welcome to CF, and Congrats on your first Corvette!
There's nothing wrong with your '64... the other '64s you have seen with 2/red 2/white have the T86 option.
Back up lights were options on 65 (2 red, 2 white), standard on 66 (2 red and 2 white) but in 67 they moved to above the license plate (2 rectangular) and went back to 4 red tail lights
Just bought a 1964 coupe....my first Corvette and I know very little about them at this point. My car has four red tail lights, and I see some other '64s that have two reds, and 2 white backup lights. Is my car incorrect or did some cars come with no white backup lights?
Welcome to the Corvette Forum, and to the '64 "Club" (there are some who believe the '64 is somehow less of a C2 than the others). Being a member of the '64 "Club", I dispute that thinking Enjoy your ride and drive it often
Welcome to the Corvette Forum, and to the '64 "Club" (there are some who believe the '64 is somehow less of a C2 than the others). Being a member of the '64 "Club", I dispute that thinking Enjoy your ride and drive it often
I wouldn't be envious of midyears with backup lights.
You'll want all four red tail lights working at full intensity when you're driving in traffic; believe me. My first upgrade was to put LED tail lights in all four housings...
From: Somewhere North of The 49th Parallel Ontario
Here's a picture of my 64 with backup lights. I'm glad I have them, especially when backing up at night. Wouldn't want to hit anything with them nice shiny chrome bumpers.
Last edited by VITIV Coupe; Aug 2, 2016 at 07:40 AM.
My 66 with just two red tail lights does give me a cause for worry with drivers use to looking for all the big lights of today's cars. Taking out the standard equipment back up lights on my 66 isn't a option for me but I wish there were more lights in the rear, thus I try not to drive at night. I don't remember it being a problem when I owned my 67 (67-72) with 4 red.
To Corvetted's comment about '64's being less of a C2....what is that about? Are '64's the dog of the C2 family, if so why? Would love a '63 split window, but dislike the vertical side vents on the '65 & '66. I know the '67 was considered the best C2. Enlightened me!
Gads - that again. There is nothing wrong with a '64 - best bargain going in midyears hands down. Its just a transitional year when the cars were morphing from the one-year-only '63 features to the less primitive '65 with disc brakes and other upgrades coming down the line and some denigrate it for that reason. They are fine cars.
My 66 with just two red tail lights does give me a cause for worry with drivers use to looking for all the big lights of today's cars. Taking out the standard equipment back up lights on my 66 isn't a option for me but I wish there were more lights in the rear, thus I try not to drive at night. I don't remember it being a problem when I owned my 67 (67-72) with 4 red.
Drivers are also used to high mounted stop lights and yellow turn signals, but I'm not adding those either.
I never thought about brighter tail lights either until I had a couple of idiots comes screeching up to my azz-end at stop lights over the span of a few months.
One of the interesting things about LED tail lights is they actually come on faster then 1157 incandescent bulbs.
At 60 MPH the LED tail lights come on approximately 18 feet before the 1157 bulb comes on.
Not a lot of distance, but every foot counts.
Love my 64
Tail Light Question
Enjoy your ride and drive it often 
