Installing Wide Body Tail Lights...

[creekman]

For several reasons I've been trying to find used tail light bodies, but no luck... Mine had the mounting holes broken out, plus I had a chip out of the left side lens. So I finally bought a new set.

Maybe this isn't big news, but I think I've figured out why the wide body lights break out at the mounting tabs. I'm only addressing the 2nd version lights that mount

with vertical 5mm machine screws. If the steel mounting bracket isn't position properly underneath the mounting edge of the tail light then it's easy to tighten down

the screws taking up any gap between the top of the mounting bracket and the bottom side of the tail light mounting tabs. If the mounting bracket and the tail light overhang are not parallel with each other you'll torque the tail light housing and I'm sure in time that's what breaks out the plastic mounting tabs. Because the wide body

tail lights are wider they're more susceptible to breaking under torque and pressure. That also is probably the reason for the expansion cracks on the backup lens.

I think what you need to do is to bring the metal mounting bracket up to the lens, rather than tightening the lens screw to meet the metal bracket. Plus do not over tighten the

5mm mounting screws. Bottom line, be sure that the lens mounting tabs when at rest are touching the metal mounting bracket with no screw pressure.

Anyway that's my 2 cents on the subject.

Edited October 11, 2013 by creekman