Tailight Ideas for my 63 Riviera

I plan on doing the body and paint on my Riviera, and was thinking of shaving the tailights. The bezels are pitted really bad, and the NOS set I found on Ebay the seller wanted almost a G note for them!

Anyone have any ideas for me? I would like the car to look mid to late 60's, but LED strips are not out of the question...

 

Fill'em and get a '65 bumper

 

If you shave them it'll probaly look weird with all that area below the trunk. but I could see some really cool lense mounted in the bumper below the tail lights. In the rear shot it looks like there alread is a thin lense mounted in it below the tail light. That might be an option?

 

hmmmm not a bad idea

 

yeah the '65 rear bumper is much more sexy if you ask me.

 

That's the obvious/best answer, if ya just gotta make changes for change sake, but save the bumper and lights and when you get a '65 put the '63's in it....

#1 Just leave it be.
Each year of Rivi is uncommon and "done" enough as is.

#2 Other possibility is someting like a '67 GTO light, with the louvers over it.

 

The bumper is mint, and it would be a waste to scrap it...

 

I'm in the same boat. I think I'm going to shave the lights, and convert the back up lights to my taillights. Sort of like what Sal Vega did on his '63.

 

I saw this Riviera at Billetproof in Antioch, CA last year, and I couldn't figure out where the tail-lights were on it. Maybe in that gap under the trunk lid? Or maybe there were some white LEDs in the backup lights that lit up red when they were turned on? It was a real nice and smooth car with really nice body work and subtle little custom details.

 

This may sound crazy, but what about some Merc taillights in the rear of the quarterpanels.

 

Looks like a '65 bumper would require a '65 tail panel swap to work. Obviously you'd sell the mint '63 bumper on eBay or someplace, not scrap it.

But was it me, I'd make the taillights match the headlights - fill the holes and replace them with two simple round lights on each side. Maybe tunnel them a bit for more of a custom look. Say, '60 Pontiac lights - Catalina, not Bonneville.

 

These look pretty good.

I've been looking for tail light ideas for my '64 too, so I'm interested to see what others come up with.

 

That's exactly what someone (Rikster) suggested to me, and I think it's a great idea. Since the '63/'64 have the exposed dual headlights, match it up with some dual tail lights.

 

Lincoln mkIII?

 

I like this

 

While we're on it. Who makes those tailight grilles? And who makes the matching ones for the grille and headlights that hide the '65 headlamps and replaces the clamshells?

 

i'm building a 64 and i'm putting on a 65 rear bumper,however it's not as easy as it sounds, the rear taillight panel is totaly different, so the 65 does not just go right on----0z

 

i got to close to a mailbox and ripped the bumper of going down the road on my 65. its got some twist to it, and a little road rash, but i think the body shop still has it. ur welcome to it if u pay the shipping im in ohio or you can call a company called rancho riviera in texas. good people at rancho.

 

Just a thought with this one. Could someone photochop the lower portion body color to make it look a thin bumper with a roll pan ?? I think that would look pretty slick. It would sorta match the front one then.

Todd

 

Is there enough room between the deck and bumper to possibly fit in 66 gto tail lights? They might look kind of slick being of the louvered design and all. You might even think of using just half of them to get them to fit. Just a thought, Mike.

 

how about mid year corvette light cut in the bumper.

 

Nevermind the damn tail lights did ya ever get the tranny fiasco settled Adamo ????

 

Could you paint out the lower part of the bumper and install some slim lights under the chromed parts? Might work out, but I´m not too sure about it.

 

your car is way to nice to alter, unless you go totally custom with the whole car, I'd leave it alone. The rear of that car is sinister looking as is. Whenever I walk up to mine I feel like I'm walking up to some mobster from the 60's ride.

As for the pitted chrome, blast it and paint it black. Maybe blackout the lenses.

Don't turn it into a Chevy, Olds, or Pontiac or Cadillac buy altering the rear look. Just buy another car the Rivi looks fk'ing awesome.

 

Well I would sell those mint bumpers and get another 63/64 bumper that needs chromed and cut a slit in the apex of the bumper (right below the existing lights) for a long 12-14" or so LED and fit it in there. That is no different than putting a third brake light in in the sheet metal under the back window. I have seen it and it looks great. No changing to a 65 bumper or adding in mark III lights! I love the 64 without the tail lights and that silver car pictured earlier may have had the same thing. hard to see, but thats the idea. They make LED kits for mounting them and the clear plastic lens...all you need to do is get a cutoff wheel and make a slit on each side. Then for safety, I would put another LED third brake light inside the car in the rear window the whole way across the top (high mount) like a newer Olds Auroras. Good luck

Edit! I know I have seen this in Hot Rod magazine so I looked it up. Its a '64 but the photo is pretty crappy, but I have the issue in my archives stacked about a mile high. I can go look for it and scan a better picture.

 

I'm diggin the 67/68 firebird tails on it...

 

I like the split bumper look on it too. matches the thin bumper in the front.

 

As stock as that car is and as perfect as the bumper is, just take the stock taillight housings and do whatever it takes to get them smooth as a baby's butt and body colour. Use the original lenses or even better find some from a 64. Car will look fine and most people won't even realize it's been modified.

 

Who makes these grilles? or the ones that replace the headlight clamshells on the '65s?