kustom taillight suggestions..nows the time to give your .02

[kustombuilder]

gotta do a little somethin in the taillight department on the ole 47 Chevy coupe. nothin too radical and preferably nothing newer than 55. i want it to look like Junior got mom and dad's ole Chevy, after they bought a new 55 Chev, and went to customizing and hot rodding it. i do not need another project so this one stays on the MILD side. i don't want to do anything i can't do in a weekend, or better yet over a couple after noons, after i'm out of work. i have other irons in the fire and this is the driver for the summer. i just plan to tinker with it here an there when i take a break from my other projects.

so, what are your thoughts on taillights? even if it uses post 55 parts lets here it anyway.


thank you

[kustombuilder]

another angle...

[Stevie G]

Any lights that would wrap around to compliment the bumper?
Those round lights in the Poncho post look good.

[Rocky]

I've seen a lot of those old chevy's with frenched original tailights and they look pretty good.... Orrrrrrrr, you could use the ones I use..
Now, this is gonna sound perverted but I got a pair of old VW snowflake tailights from the 50's that would be kickass, mounted sideways with a proper frenching job...I'll see if I have a photo of one...

[shoebox72]

53 Pontiac
49-50 Ford
49 Lincoln
49-50 Chevy.
I'm not sure how the curvature of the rear body is exactly but I was thinking you did'nt want to get into frenching them. I'm sure It'll look cool when you're done.

Billy

[kustombuilder]

i like that!!! kinda reminds me of a 50 Ford light, which i have been considering. HMMMM, PM me and let me know what it will take to get those off ya Rock!!

[kustombuilder]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not sure how the curvature of the rear body is exactly but I was thinking you did'nt want to get into frenching them. I'm sure It'll look cool when you're done.

Billy

[/ QUOTE ]


i'm not worried about frenchin em, thats not a big deal at all.

[Rocky]

I'm seriously thinking of using them on my poncho but I have a kickass pair of both 49 [flat lenses] and 50 chevy tailights with ungodly chrome bezels for sale..

[kustombuilder]

but I WANT EM!!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif!!! lets see pics of the others http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif...

[kustomkoupe]

depends on how fast you work...but how about cutting the whole side from a 49-51 ford and using that line down the side in your fender...would be just cut weld hammer and repaint...not more then a few hours if you can find a ford to cut the sections out of...just an idea that might look prety cool

zach

[Rocky]

It's too late tonight but tomorrow, I'll take a bezel out to the garage and check for proper contour for the 49-50 chevy light against my poncho rear body.....same as yours only mine doesn't have the raised part around the tailight...I'll click a photo of it for ya

[kustombuilder]

[ QUOTE ]
depends on how fast you work...but how about cutting the whole side from a 49-51 ford and using that line down the side in your fender...would be just cut weld hammer and repaint...not more then a few hours if you can find a ford to cut the sections out of...just an idea that might look prety cool

zach

[/ QUOTE ]


thats EXACTLY what was done on my 50 Chevy coupe, i liked it but i don't want to be "type cast" http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif...

[lownslow]

mike,
howz about shaving them and putting em in the bumper guards?.....i think think thats a much smoother appearance . and you could do that in a day ....

[hotrodladycrusr]

Big Olds has Poncho ones but I can't remember the year. They DO NOT have the flat backside to them. They are curved to the contour of the body perfectly.

[Rocky]

Denise.....yours are 48 Pontiac coupe, sedan or convertible. Mine are naturally the wrong ones....they're made to fit the 48 Poncho fast-back and are made different.

[Rocky]

Remember this?

[Rocky]

...

[hotrod54chevy]

..maybe some frenched teardrop ones?like maybe the kind with the devil face?
Creepy

[J Man]

'65 Impala. They are round so the match the overall look of the car and they are cut at an angle so they should mount up pretty nice.

[Fat Hack]

Just get MORE stockers and turn 'em sideways!!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[48_HEMI]

Fat hack
might be on to something, except for the three part looks like a mustang
but the one would probably look clean and simple. Imagine a 41 chev with 41 chev tail lights http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

maybe just drop them a few inches and french them look stock but modified

[DIRTYT]

ill trade ya. for the stock glass ones on my 50. they even have blue dots oooooooooo!!

[Fat Hack]

Ha Ha...yeah, I was thinkin' "Mustang" as well! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

ONE just looks kinda lonely, though!....

[Fat Hack]

TWO might work...

[Slag Kustom]

the glass lens's from a 1953-1957 vw look great frenched in i used 1 in a harley fender if i can find it i will post a pic. If you get the fender mount you can just flip it over and weld it to the body and have it done in less then 4 hours

[RockyMtnPits]

Tombstones.

[Nads]

Remember when everything had either Mustang or Firebird tailights on them? Ah, those were the days.

[Slide]

Just make sure you are changing it to make it look BETTER. If you are changing it just to make it look DIFFERENT, then it's usually not worth the effort!

...but then I have always had an affection for those stock Chevy taillights anyways... (Mooneyes sells frenching buckets for them, which would cut down on your down time.)

How bout 58 Impala lights, frenched only to the depth of the bezel?

[Shoeboxer]

[ QUOTE ]
I've seen a lot of those old chevy's with frenched original tailights and they look pretty good.... Orrrrrrrr, you could use the ones I use..
Now, this is gonna sound perverted but I got a pair of old VW snowflake tailights from the 50's that would be kickass, mounted sideways with a proper frenching job...I'll see if I have a photo of one...

[/ QUOTE ]

If nothing else, those tail lights will catch a fair price in the VW market. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

-Taylor

[DrJ]

[ QUOTE ]
Just make sure you are changing it to make it look BETTER. If you are changing it just to make it look DIFFERENT, then it's usually not worth the effort!


[/ QUOTE ]

What he said.
It's easy to get into that change for change sake trouble.
Especially when you already have a tail light that some customizers switch TO!
(That Chevy tail light is/was a popular custom item on hotrods especially Deuces.)

I'd #1 leave them alone.
#2, roll the rear pan and lower the stock light and surround it with a "hotrod style" nerf bar that also surrounded the license plate.
#3 lower the stock lights about half the distance to the bumper and shorten the bumper brackets to bring the bumper closer to the body and use a '40 Olds bumper on it.
#4 put some lights in the bumper guards, or switch to bumper guards that have lights in them, AND put a third brake light in the back window because no one's going to see the tail lights in the bumper but it's your ass....
#5 I would not put a shoebox style wind split on it. The Artist at Large has a copyright on it http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[RPW]

VW or Vega... never!
Go for a traditional custom treatment, lenses in the bumperguards. The best way would be to find 46 Ford rearguards to cut up and make plexi/lucite inserts (use the old Chev tail lights as they are while working on it, if its a daily driver) http://www.ckos.org/Temporary/taill.jpg

[Donzie]

I agree with frenching the stock lights, maybe even running them vertical.

[cleatus]

RPW nailed it.

Fat Hack - we're going to take your Photoshop away if you ever again put musclecar lights in a fat fender custom.

[00 MACK]

RPW nailed it!! Did anyone mention Moulded 1/4 inch rod around 49/50 mercs or for a real cool sleazeball look has anyone ever seen the old Brooklyn custom called the Fabian Continental W/ extended quarters and sideways moulded 54 Chevy lights wedged between the kit and the inside of the quarters!! Man you can tell what part of the country Im from!! What more would you expect from a guy who owns a Frank Maratta car?

[kustombuilder]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Just make sure you are changing it to make it look BETTER. If you are changing it just to make it look DIFFERENT, then it's usually not worth the effort!


[/ QUOTE ]

What he said.
It's easy to get into that change for change sake trouble.
Especially when you already have a tail light that some customizers switch TO!
(That Chevy tail light is/was a popular custom item on hotrods especially Deuces.)



[/ QUOTE ]


yer preachin to the chior ladies. i'm changin em cause i HATE the damn things. the only thing on the care i realy DISLIKE.