Tech? Refurbishing Swap Meet Tailights

[Tman]

I thought I would show something simple we can all relate to. I was ready for this one, I shot these pics 3 weeks ago just to post em for tech week http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif. This was a fun Friday Evening job. I rate it a 1 sixpac duration!

I started with a scrungy pair of the lesser utilized 1940 Chevy Tailights. Ratty pigtails and worn reflectors all for the price of $5!

Bear with me, I have 9 pics to post.

The beginning.

[Tman]

Here is the parts you can find at your local parts house, I use Carquest, they have a picture book for us dummies to match old socket parts.

[Tman]

Next, bead blast the buckets and remove the broken mounting studs, they tap out.

[Tman]

I turned down some bolts on the lathe to replace the studs. You can see the jamnuts to hold the bolt in the lathe so as not to bung up the threads.

[Tman]

See how the turned down studs fit the recess really nice? I welded them from the inside.

[Tman]

Weld and grind down the spotwelds

[Tman]

The back of the buckets get painted flat black.........its what was on the shelf! Mask the inside of the socket off, I stuffed them with papertowl. You will electrical gremlins if you dont!

Now, the clincher. paint the inside of the bucket WHITE! One of the magazines did a test on different paint colors a few years back white worked best. I have tried it on several cars/trailors, they were right!

[Tman]

Insert new socket parts, carefull I broke one here!

[Tman]

Insert new bulbs and you are done! Look at the reflection of the flash in the freshly painted light at the left vs the lead photo in my first post!? Notice the brightness????

[Tman]

Overall, I think I spent less than $10 to have a safer car. These lights are going in my Touring soon.

[cadlights]

That is an awesome tech post. I've done the same thing
many times but never thought to post it. I'm going to try the white though as I've always used silver but white seems to make more sense.

[34Fordtk]

Nice!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[a/fxcomet]

Did you polish the glass?

[Rocky]

I dunno why the 40 chevy light isn't used more often....until I went looking for a pair. Can't find a pair here.
Those will look great in the lower panel of your tub,,,

[59BuickWagon]

Good job Trent!

Dennis

[Chopped50Ford]

Nicely done. Interesting to see the simple "tech" pages come out, especially for the "NEW" rodders to learn.

Thank you!!!

[Tman]

Didnt touch the glass, the white makes that much difference.

And Rocky, the lights are mounted 2/3rds the way up each rear 1/4

[Skate Fink]

.........for old, plastic lenses.........check out a craft store and pick up a rattle can of red, transparent "stained glass" paint. Clean the lense and hit it with a couple light coats of this stuff and they loo brand new!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Tman]

The CarQuest Wire and Cable guide Carries these ID #s Form #CQWB-99 OR Weatherly Index:502,544 if you dont have a Carquest handy.

[ESnacky6]

Tman...

the white paint looks really good, but just to let you know,
I've used the spray 'chrome' color (not 'silver') and
I think it works the best..!! Just like a 'new car' reflector...
but I'll bet over the white, it would be even better..!!!

Good tech... Thanks..!! -Snacks.....

[Broman]

Hey cool, a dummy proof tech, that gets you points from me anyways. I learned something to boot - I wouldn't have guessed that the paint color would affect things so much. Thanks...

[Tman]

I cant find the article that refers to paint colors. But I believe that the white works better do to more Titanium Dioxide in the mix ie: more reflectability.

[Digger_Dave]

[ QUOTE ]
I cant find the article that refers to paint colors. But I believe that the white works better do to more Titanium Dioxide in the mix ie: more reflectability.

[/ QUOTE ]

Did an experiment with the same tail light socket painted various colors inside.

I set the repo tail light assembly on a temporary bracket with a very sensitive light meter set about three feet away from the tail light. (assembled with lens in place) With all of the shop lights OFF, I took measurements after changing the inside bucket colors.
First measurement was with the original BLACK that the new assembly came with.
Then repainted it SILVER. Then spray can CHROME. And finally BRIGHT WHITE.

BLACK was the base line.
SILVER resulted in a 20 % improvement
CHROME resulted in a 20 % improvement.
WHITE resulted in a 60 % improvement.

WHITE from my experience is THE BEST!

A word of caution, LED replacement bulbs used with the STOCK lenses REDUCED the BRIGHTNESS. (stock or original early lenses were not designed to work with LED's)

[TomH]

Thanks Tman and Dave, I have been using sliver for years, but that's going to change.

[Tman]

Cant beat a scientific test! Thanks Dave!

[Zeke]

Very cool stuff guys thanks. Time to make some plans one the studegaswagon's taillights

[Digger_Dave]

Another tip I would like to add...

Sometimes the bulb sockets get badly corroded. New replacement sockets are also avaiable. (NAPA, CARQUEST, etc.)

When replacing the sockets, get the kind that have a GROUND TAB on the side. (there are types that "snap" into the existing tail lamp housing hole)

With new "tougher" paints and powder coatings it is sometime hard to get a GOOD GROUND at the socket. Using the replacement sockets WITH a GROUND tab (it's actually part of the socket) a ground wire can be attached and run to a good ground point.

This will insure brighter (or as bright as possible) lights and sometimes eliminate the "wierd" things that happens to tail lights.

I run grounds to EVERYTHING electrical, collect the grounds together, and run them to the ground post on the battery. Doing it this way saves having to scrape paint away from various normal ground points and stops the risk of rust or corrosion at these points.

[trey]

good tech post man! your touring is going to be bitchin when its done. i like seeing lesser used parts, ya know.

i had to make the lenses for my dodge. i used 49 ford taillights flipped 90 degrees, and made plastic lenses fo it. man, that was nerve racking! thanks for the post Trent.

trey

[Tman]

Dave, good point. I had to blast the sockets on my 54 after painting them due to bad contacts. For these lights, the sockets get no paint inside and the threads will get cleaned off before installation.

[Tman]

BTTT for the weekend crowd and for those that dont know how to set their preferences to show more that 15 posts per page http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Tman]

Update, they are in the car and are as bright as LEDs, I will try and snap a pic tonight.

[C9]

Good one Tman.

Your comment on Titanium Dioxide creating more reflectivity makes sense.
I've been using the 'chrome' spray paint which is an improvement, but after seeing the results of Digger Dave's scientific test I believe I'll be going for the white.
Oughta be a good - and short project for this winter.

Once I decide to either stay with the 39's or stick in the new Pontiac taillights.
My friends 29 roadster has the Pontiac taillights and a totally subjective test in daytime shade showed them to be brighter than than my 39 taillights.
Both cars running #1157's and 14 gage wire to the taillights.

I like Digger Dave's policy of using a ground wire.
Steel car or not, good grounds are paramount.... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[AHotRod]

Excellant Tech Tip!

BTTT for the Newbies and those that missed it !

Great Job T !

[Richard D]

Back to the top for the LED fags(just kidding! you fags are so sensitive!).

[Retro Jim]

Dave , thanks for the great tech tip ! I have a 49 & 50 Ford Shoebox and I am going to do the same to mine when I rebuild them . That white paint really made a huge difference and with the smaller lights , that is a big plus in the safety area ! I also have seen some take and make a new housing so you can install 2 bulbs to get that brighter light for people to see when you are stopping . That is if you have enough room to make 2 holes for the sockets .
Again , thanks for the great tech tip !

Retro Jim

[Tman]

Back to the top for the LED fags(just kidding! you fags are so sensitive!).

rabble rouser!

[sckracing]

Now how's that for kizmet (?), back in '04 when you (Tman) fessed up this tech, I had no interest in refurbing my rod's taillights, or even having working taillights (tailights in a drag car is a tattle tail tool)...

As of this Thursday I just finished setting some used chevron tails into my '39 Desoto, and now I'm going to go out to the shop to pull them back out and refurb them - the low mounting and smaller lens always triggered my "safety" bone. Great tip... 6 yrs removed

Thanx

[cactus1]

Back to the top for the LED fags(just kidding! you fags are so sensitive!).

Haha! Awesome!
Thanks for the tech for those of us that had no computer back then.:)

[48ford]

You can also get 25% brighter brake lights by replacing thr 1157 bulbs with 2357 bulbs .
They are the same brightness running but are 25% brighter on the braking side.
I cheap safety upgrade at A buck each
Russ

[dannybayo]

48,is there a replacement # for amber turn signal bulbs? Thanks,Dan

[Antny]

Great tech, I did this today on my 55.5 truck's front signals.

[dana barlow]

Handy stuff,just one thing i've done too,alum tin foil works great as a reflector:cool:

[56 ford custom]

So do you use gloss white? I bought krylon gloss white and bright touch grey primer before the white.

[56 ford custom]

So should I primer the whole thing grey then the inside gloss white then the back just black?

[56 ford custom]

Would somebody like to chime in? I am about to paint them.

[Evil Wicked Mean & Nasty]

Just paint them with whatever white you have. I did this to the lights on the back of my '55 F-100 this spring and used gloss white krylon over red rustolium primer just because that's what I had in the cabinet. I doubt it matters too much if the white is flat or gloss, white reflects 100% of the light that hits it and that's what you're after. Like Tman said, don't get paint inside the socket or you'll have grounding issues.

[56 ford custom]

Just paint them with whatever white you have. I did this to the lights on the back of my '55 F-100 this spring and used gloss white krylon over red rustolium primer just because that's what I had in the cabinet. I doubt it matters too much if the white is flat or gloss, white reflects 100% of the light that hits it and that's what you're after. Like Tman said, don't get paint inside the socket or you'll have grounding issues.

Sounds good, I already took the sockets anf pig tails off the buckets are bare now so Im just painting the whole thing now. Thanks

[Tman]

Gloss white is what I always use.