***TECH - Early Ford Pickup Taillight Stands and License Plate Mount

I went round and round in my mind with what to do for tail lights and stands for my RPU. It seemed like the clean and easy way would be to use '37 Ford taillights and run the wires through the stand. But I didn't really want to use the '37 lights, as it seems they get a little over used.

I had some 34-46 Ford p/u lights and original forged brackets that I wanted to use...I just couldn't figure out what to do with the wires.

My brother had cut some 32 passenger car tail light stands off to mount 37 lights on top, something like this...



I got the left over tops and started thinking. After a few mock-ups...I came up with this. It kinda looks like a '32 passnger stand...just much different proportions.

I took some 1/2" tubing, packed it with sand and bent the ends around an old pulley. Made up some base plates that I beat a curve into to match the curve of the lower bead in the bedside...



Welded the 1/2" tubing to the '32 tops...



I jigged them up so they would come out as a matched pair...



I lucked out, in that this style of 2-wire connector just slips though the 1/2" tubing...



...which makes assembly/disassembly much easier.

I machined some SS carriage bolts to look like rivets and bolted them to the bed. I did put in a 1"x1"x1/8" angle iron backer...that also bolts to the bottom flange of the bedside. That really helped to stiffen things up.



I am happy with the way they turned out, as I think they have a factory look to them. I've even been asked if they are stock 32 pickup pieces...



Since it is a truck, I figured it should ahve a trailer hitch. I tucked that up into the rear bed crossmember like this...



I then made up a license plate mount welded to a piece of 2" tubing that would slide into the receiver and hide it all...







So here's the somewhat finished tail end...





Hopefully some of you will find an idea or two here that you can use in our build

Neal

 

My favorite kinda thinking... make what you have look like it was meant to be. Awesome.

 

I aleays get excited when I see a post from Neal, never disappointed!

 

Good idea with the tail lights. I might steal that one.

 

one of my all time favorite pickups love the details

 

killer

 

Great Post.. Two great ideas to use some day...Thanks for the Post

 

great ideas !

 

That's trick. Both items.

 

Excellent taillight mount idea, looks great.

 

Great job!!

 

You do such great work!!! Kudos man!!!

 

Thanks guys. Now the next decision will be whether to paint the taillights and stands black or body color (green)?

I want to keep a commercial feel about the truck with lots of black parts...but I'm on the fence on this one.

Neal

 

I like those stands a lot. Paint the taillights and stands the same color as the suspension, whichever that is. A commercial would have the iron parts and misc bracketry painted one color (probably black), and the sheetmetal another.

How bout you roll a bead around the under edge of the license mount to match the bead on the bed and tailgate? Too much?

 

Very nice.

 

Very nice work!

 

I can't wait to see this sucker in green paint...and taillights in black.

 

Ya did good !!! I like everything you done,the lic bracket is very cool and strong.First rate ride you have,2 thumbs up from Ga.....................YG

 

Yup, taillight brackets black.

Ford would do small parts by dipping and then hanging to dry.

So black would be universal for anything small that would be used on any color car or truck.

Even fenders were dipped and dripped. T's and A's anyway

 

niffty fabrication clean and simple ,

 

what a great looking truck

 

Neal, This post is just too MUCH ! Really like the tail lights. The brackets would seem to be an original part. This one will keep them scratching their heads !

Neal just rocks on !

 

That truck gets better every time I see it. Nice job.

 

nice

 

I really like the way you did both the tailignts and the license plate mount. I might just use some of those ideas to create the stands for my '40.

 

Neal, Your truck keeps getting better and better!

 

Fantastic post!! I was looking for something like this to use on my Essex once I get a new box built for it.

 

Continually amazing, Neal. Nice!

 

Nice work and nice truck. We both can't have green and black '32 rpu's Neal (J/K), but if it turns out that we do we'll call yours the nice one.