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I never really paid attention to this detail before but I've noticed some early original tail lamp housings were painted white inside while others (later) were just the natural metal finish. Does anyone know when this change occurred?
Hi Greg,
As far as I know the original 68-72 tail-light housings all had a somewhat unusual white coating on their inner surfaces.
This 'paint' appears to be quite heavy bodied and had just a hint of iridescence to it.
There is some discussion as to whether the lens gasket was in place when the white coating was applied.
Another detail to be aware of is the fiber 'wick' that each housing had to help evaporate the moisture that might be trapped in the housing.
Regards,
Alan
The housings appear to have first had a galvanized coating on them.
The 'wicks' don't always seem to have been put in the 'right' place.
Hi Greg,
As far as I know the original 68-72 tail-light housings all had a somewhat unusual white coating on their inner surfaces.
This 'paint' appears to be quite heavy bodied and had just a hint of iridescence to it.
Thanks Alan, I hoped you'd chime in. Yes, the white paint is almost iridescent (when clean). The ones I've seen with the original coating appear to have been painted with the gasket installed, which does seem odd. You said 68-72, do you mean '73 was a stand alone then in the natural galvanized finish or did you just forget to include it? If you meant 68-72 then that answers my question. I see most of the reproduction housings are finished without the white paint.
Agree too, the wicks, while almost always missing, weren't always in the most efficient spot for function.
Thanks for the input. Greg
Hi Greg,
I left 73 out because I'm not sure about those used during the 73 model year.
I'd THINK that those housings too would have the white coating in them.
Regards,
Alan
Hi Lou,
I think the studs were long because the some of the studs had 2 nuts on them.... the ones that also had a ground connection from the rear lighting harness.
Regards,
Alan
Tail Light Housing White/Silver
