Tail lights

Im considering putting the newer type tailights on from the 86-90 caprices, one important question i have though is do i need to get the WHOLE peice with the side lights too (the black arrow is pointing to this peice) or just the whole strip (blue arrows) http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a367/pctvman/re.jpg

It looks like it's all one piece.
http://i17.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/bc/68/50fa_3.JPG

By the way... if you do switch over, wanna sell the old ones?

ok so i do need both peices, yeah i was wondering what to do with the old ones, ill let you know when i get the new ones on when this weather gets better here, ill probably be heading over to the salvage yard tommorow

Cool, yeah let me know, depending on how far away you are, I'm really interested in your old tail lights. They're in great shape, and I'm sort of a Caprice parts collector. All of them around here are getting crushed as opposed to being partsed out in yards, so I'm thinking in the next few years parts liek that will become harder to come by and having an inventory would be great.

Mike: a while back when i had my 80 caprice i put my 86 beside the 80 and had a good look doing the tail light upgrade in my 80 and found that in 86 the trunk area looked like a retooling was used in the 86 to 90 b body as was used prior to to the 86 style. haveing said this it looked like a lot of fabrication to make the change over so i put the idea on the shelf. 463

You have to drill two holes in the trunk but that's the only modification needed.

yeah was studying the two pics of the one pete posted, and mine, i would need to get different bumber fillers too, im gonna see how much they are

Bumper filler's are cheap from bone yards. I got two sets (2 rear left and 2 rear right) for my '84 for only $10.

The 'bumper filler' is fiberglass on the =>1986 rear housing, it bolts to it as opposed to the bumper on earlier models. If you get the later assembly, it will more than likely have this already attached.

good to know

On the older models though ('80-ish to '85) the bumper filler is bolted with two nuts on threaded studs to the body, not the bumper. Theres also a metal plate behind the filler, using the same two nuts to keep the filler piece from being pushed in too far as the rest of it is just freely sitting there, I'm assuming to allow for body/chassis movement and flexing while the car is driving.

You're right, I was thinking about the front bumper.

i actually have the metal peice on the filler still, does the trick, keeps it from being pushed in

NM, I totally blew that - the piece you are talking about is on the side of the car, between the bumper and the body, correct? There are actually three studs and nuts plus that metal piece, not two. These are urethane and tend to fall apart after so long. I've replaced mine twice now.

not to get off topic, but what years were the internal antenna on the windsheild? my 88 caprice diddnt have that. you'd think that something like that would come in the later years, personally i like the antenna in the windsheild like i have, gives the car a cleaner look.

not to get off topic, but what years were the internal antenna on the windsheild? my 88 caprice diddnt have that. you'd think that something like that would come in the later years, personally i like the antenna in the windsheild like i have, gives the car a cleaner look.

It was an option on all year cars from the late 60's on. The in-the-windshield antenna does not perform as well as the external on-the-fender antenna does.

I agree that it gives the car a cleaner look, but when I have a 5' long steel whip antenna on the deck lid (Wilson 5000 CB antenna), I can't use that as an excuse to ditch the fender antenna - especially when the fender antenna works better. This car used to have the windshield antenna but I went with the fender antenna when one was on a replacement fender I got. When the windshield needed to be replaced due to a rock, I opted not to get one with the internal antenna.

I diddnt know the fender antennas worked better, being as how i get all the stations here good

I always assumed a fender antenna was better than a windshield antenna, but I have the windshield antenna in my '84 Caprice and notice absolutely no reception difference as compared to my '85 Caprice I used to have which had the fender antenna, even with the hard to get stations. Since the two wires in the windshield go up and across the top I think that what it lacks in thickness in comparason to the fender antenna it makes up in width. I like the "clean" look as well, but actually don't have a preference from one over the other. I also sort of like how it's more of an uncommon thing to have nowadays.

I know what you mean, my caprice is pretty modernized for its age, it came with power windows, locks and a trip odometer, but i added all the extra goodies that newer cars have these days, remote keyless entry with alarm and cut off switch, power trunk release (the remote can also release the trunk) and a cd player.

My I did that all too. Only my car didn't come with power locks or windows... I put all that in lol. What a job too! Seemed to take forever.

I could imagine, i even have a third brake light in the rear window, since these years diddnt have one

I don't know why, but I don't like the third brake light on boxy's... at least not on the pre '86 models. Call me crazy, but I like the "old school" or "classic car" look, and you almost never see a classic car with a third brake light y'know.

yeah i noticed that, wonder why, was it just not thought of at the time?

The third brake light was mandated in the USA beginning with the 1986 model year.

How come? And my '89 pickup truck didn't come with one. There isn't even provisions for one. Was that law only for cars?

Heres the taillights i got soon to be put on, they're in pretty good shape and i just painted and mached the color today (the color looks darker in the pic then they actually are) http://a785.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/103/l_dc8171f7fa725f252bcd5ed8d1b46db8.jpg

How come? And my '89 pickup truck didn't come with one. There isn't even provisions for one. Was that law only for cars?

Cars only and you can thank Elizabeth Dole for the 3rd brake light. :rolleyes:

trucks newer than 1991 have them.
cars newer than 1986 have them

What is supposed to be the purpose of the third brake light? Now that I think of it, my 1992 Chevy Silverado 2500 that I bought for parts didn't have the third brakelight either. No provisions or anything, just like my '89 GMC. Maybe it was manufactured in 1991.

well it reduces rear end colisions.
if its night time, or someones headlights are on, it can be mistaken for brakes, or the other way around.
with a third brake light that only comes on with the brakes, it is easier to tell when the brakes are on.
safety basically

Makes sense to me! I still don't like it on the pre-'86 boxy's, but thats just my :2cents:.

The finished product, came out nice, i mached the color good too: http://a557.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/97/l_554f3afccefe5522afe2bebeacb88624.jpg all and all i think i'm gonna keep the front end the same though, i wanna keep the car as original as i can

looks good

It really does look good... now, about the old set of lights :naughty:.