svo tail lights

[rogelioifmradio]

Hi.. my svo tail lights have seen better times.. i found a distribuitor that handles the 1986 non svo mustang tail lights.. are this the same the svo uses? obviously the svo has 6 black stripes on each one but besides the stripes is there any other diference? in color for example? i look at my svos and they seem to be darker.. am i right or is this only an ilusion the stripes make?

[Travis T]

The stripes are the only difference.

[FoxChassis]

The stripes are also painted on with a jig at the factory.

[escogt]

Hi.. my svo tail lights have seen better times.. i found a distribuitor that handles the 1986 non svo mustang tail lights.. are this the same the svo uses? obviously the svo has 6 black stripes on each one but besides the stripes is there any other diference? in color for example? i look at my svos and they seem to be darker.. am i right or is this only an ilusion the stripes make?

Black stripes were only on '84's... '85 & '86's had grey along with the '93 Cobra.

[KevinK]

There were some repro SVO still lights out there with pin stripe tape stripes. Also the painted ones have a void over the side reflector.

[FoxChassis]

1983-84 taillight trim is black
1985-86 (and 1993 Cobra) taillight trim is dark charcoal

The taillight trim basically matches most of the rest of the trim on the outside of the car.

[BrianM]

LMR has the repops in black or charcoal. As said above the charcoal is correct for your 86.

http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/...o-For-93-Cobra

[rogelioifmradio]

Are you sure they arent smoked? I al talking about the plastic not the stripes or trim ..
They kinda look smoked to me..
Anyway .. This are the one i found on México .
I can put the stripes with decals dont you think?

[FoxChassis]

People that stripe their non-Cobra/SVO taillights almost always use tape. I don't know that I've ever heard of anybody painting them.

The lenses are not "smoked" from the factory. They're the same lenses regardless if they're SVO or non-SVO, except the SVO lenses are striped.

[escogt]

I used 3m striping tape when I did mine. Came out great IMO.

[82GTforME]

I used 3m striping tape when I did mine. Came out great IMO.

That does look great! I am planning on repainting and polishing mine to refresh them.

[Travis T]

If yours on your car look smoked, maybe a previous owner tinted them. They were not smoked from the factory.

[bluemax]

There were some repro SVO still lights out there with pin stripe tape stripes. Also the painted ones have a void over the side reflector.

This is correct. I was visiting with Daniel Carpenter, years ago, when he had just finished the first sample of the lenses. It was done on the original Ford tooling and compared to an NOS piece it looked great. The big question was how to cost effectively do the stripes (both black and grey). He has the original Ford drawings for the stripe layout, they even show the "void" on the side deflector. With such a small demand it was going to have to be done by hand. Initially he worked with a guy who was actually "legally" blind to mask them off and paint them. If I remember correctly he was charging $60 per lense for this. Anyway, the tape stripes ended up being the best solution, then let the buyer decide if they want to mask off and paint. It is really not that difficult.

[wraithracing]

People that stripe their non-Cobra/SVO taillights almost always use tape. I don't know that I've ever heard of anybody painting them.

I have always painted my stripes on when I did them. I did the same for any SVO's that I "restored"/repainted too. For my personal vehicles I also clear coated the stripes as it protected them and made the tail lights look brand new. But this was also back when the tail light lens were not reproduced and the Factory Ford ones were cost prohibitive.

The 3M striping tape works fine too, but I always preferred the paint myself.

Trey

[rogelioifmradio]

i beg your pardon.. what is "the void"?
i mean... what part of the tail light lenses is..

[FoxChassis]

The center paint stripe stops on the side of the lens, where the side marker light shines through, while the stripe above and below it continue to the edge of the lens.

[tulsa]

The center paint stripe stops on the side of the lens, where the side marker light shines through, while the stripe above and below it continue to the edge of the lens.

just wow never knew that..i just thought it had worn off there ...

[82GTforME]

That does look great! I am planning on repainting and polishing mine to refresh them.

I have always painted my stripes on when I did them. I did the same for any SVO's that I "restored"/repainted too. For my personal vehicles I also clear coated the stripes as it protected them and made the tail lights look brand new. But this was also back when the tail light lens were not reproduced and the Factory Ford ones were cost prohibitive.

The 3M striping tape works fine too, but I always preferred the paint myself.

Trey

Here is a brief thread post on SVOCOP that gave me more info on how to paint them: http://www.svocop.com/forum/showthre...ll=1#post20212

The center paint stripe stops on the side of the lens, where the side marker light shines through, while the stripe above and below it continue to the edge of the lens.

Wow, the things you learn. I'm with Tulsa, I would have thought it was MIA or rubbed off. It was the same with the fog light covers not having the white on them. They need an idiosyncrasy book for cars!

I know there is a NOS passenger side tail light on eBay, but it is a little expensive and shipping rates suck. It is only one though, if I was to buy, I would try to get a pair.

[wraithracing]

Painting the tail light lenses is not too difficult. The masking is the major PIA. I completely wash and clean the lenses then I either color sand with 400-600 grit depending on the condition of the parts. Otherwise I scuff everything up with a gray scotchbrite pad. I wash and clean again and allow to dry completely. Then I use 3M fine line masking to mask off the actual stripes just as if I were pinstripping the lenses. Then I mask off the rest of the red lens area with 3M Green masking tape leaving only the gray/black areas unmasked. Then I remove the fine line masking tape to reveal the red parts of the lens that will get painted stripes. Make sure all the masking tape is well seated and smooth, tack rag off the lenses and prepare to spray. I then spray a couple of coats of adhesion promoter allow to flash as needed. Then I spray the actual color coat, either the black or gray depending on year model. Allow everything to flash off, then I remove the masking completely, lightly tack rag again and then spray 2-3 coats of clear over the entire lens. Allow to dry and reinstall.

If the lenses are in great shape and do not need to be "restored" due to sun damage, scratches, fading, etc. then you can omit the sanding/scuffing of the entire lens and only scuff up the stripe areas after removing the fine line tape. Then spray your color coat or color coat/clear, unmask, and allow to dry before install.

Trey

[kurant502]

Just to let everyone know. When I read the review for the late model restoration tail lights that Brian posted it showed a picture of them and they did not have the "void" on the side of them.

[Ken P]

I'll be back with a better pic tomorrow.

[82GTforME]

Just to let everyone know. When I read the review for the late model restoration tail lights that Brian posted it showed a picture of them and they did not have the "void" on the side of them.

Good eye. You are correct. I have a new set of replacement lenses I bought in the spring from LMR that haven't made it on the car yet (apparently I didn't inspect them too closely either) and they do NOT have the void AND they are tape not paint (I just double checked). Easy to create the void by peeling off a little tape i guess but I honestly expected paint on and correct!

[svono50]

I am surprised Ken never came back with a pic?? This is a 'different' view of the 'void' as I took this showing my LED bulb brightness for the side marker light and is also shows the stripe pattern. This has always been a debate amongst us SVO folks, but the general consensus is this is one of the identifiers of factory original lenses, since most folks who either refurbish or convert lenses used to always miss this detail.

[Mustangdanimal]

Here is a brief thread post on SVOCOP that gave me more info on how to paint them: http://www.svocop.com/forum/showthre...ll=1#post20212



Wow, the things you learn. I'm with Tulsa, I would have thought it was MIA or rubbed off. It was the same with the fog light covers not having the white on them. They need an idiosyncrasy book for cars!

I know there is a NOS passenger side tail light on eBay, but it is a little expensive and shipping rates suck. It is only one though, if I was to buy, I would try to get a pair.

I've been talking to Matt at NPD. He's their resident Fox expert and the guy who put their Fox catalog together. The most complete Fox parts catalog out there. Tons of NOS parts that other vendors don't have access to.

Since Daniel Carpenter uses the original Ford tool, and the same mix of plastics, with the same part number and Ford script on the lens, I doubt anyone could distinguish between an original lens and a Carpenter produced lens. If you paint the stripes with the correct grey metallic paint, it's going to be nearly impossible to distinguish between the two. We're not talking off shore parts here. Carpenter has many of the SVO original tools, but since the market is so small, especially for the later cars, it's cost prohibitive to manufacture headlights, inner marker lights outer lenses, etc. About $10,000 to produce an initial run of parts. Not enough cars or demand unfortunately.