PINTO CAR CLUB of AMERICA

Welcome to FordPinto.com, The home of the PCCA => General Help- Ask the Experts... => Topic started by: sedandelivery on March 30, 2012, 08:44:26 AM

Title: Pinto wagon tailights
Post by: sedandelivery on March 30, 2012, 08:44:26 AM

I found out yesterday there are two different kind of wagon tailights, some have the gray plastic on the inside where the sockets for the lights go into, and some have the white. I came across two mint tailights for my car with the gray. When I took mine off, I had the white. I found out the "white sockets" are too loose in the gray plastic holders, so I swapped them out. Just FYI. Thanks for all the info!

Title: Re: Pinto wagon tailights
Post by: dave1987 on March 30, 2012, 10:40:23 AM

Very interesting. I wonder what models it applies to...

Title: Re: Pinto wagon tailights
Post by: bbobcat75 on March 31, 2012, 11:45:32 AM

71-73 are pot metal in the back, 74 -80 plastic aka white!!the pot metal ones will last forever the platic are so easy to break!!!
 
 

Title: Re: Pinto wagon tailights
Post by: popbumper on March 31, 2012, 10:13:19 PM

Quote from: bbobcat75 on March 31, 2012, 11:45:32 AM

71-73 are pot metal in the back, 74 -80 plastic aka white!!the pot metal ones will last forever the platic are so easy to break!!!
 
 

71-73 wagon taillights are pot metal? No such thing as a 1971 Pinto wagon......

Chris

Title: Re: Pinto wagon tailights
Post by: dave1987 on March 31, 2012, 10:42:32 PM

The Pinto wagon premiered in 72 right? So pot metal tail light backing is a two year only thing? That's crazy! I would have thought they would have used it for at least a few years to gain some profit from the molds used to cast them, but maybe they used the same mold for the plastic ones?

I have never seen a plastic backed wagon tail light, as I have a '73 and the car I pulled my replacement ones from was a 73 as well.

Title: Re: Pinto wagon tailights
Post by: popbumper on March 31, 2012, 11:53:14 PM

My 76 wagon taillights are plastic backed; my '79 was also the same. Not sure about the "pot metal thing", I can't substantiate it, but the wagon debuted in '72.
Chris

Title: Re: Pinto wagon tailights
Post by: bbobcat75 on April 01, 2012, 01:09:15 PM

thanks for the correction chris, it was a 72-73 wagon item!!!
a lot of parts were made of pot metal, then with trying to get better gas mileage as well as cost of parts and production down, car compaines went to plastic, look were we are today plastic and rubber no more chrome metal trim all plastic, no more metal dash all plastic and rubber, it was just a sign of the times!!
 

 

Title: Re: Pinto wagon tailights
Post by: Pintopower on April 07, 2012, 01:10:06 PM

The plastic ones all start to burn up over the years. I added LED tail lamps to all of my cars (not just pinto's) but they are not the kinds with the LED's on the front face, they are a cluster of 48 micro LED's all over the illumination face. This makes the lights illuminate the entire area instead of just a dot in the center. I also added LED bulbs to the instrumentatio n of my cars, including the stock radios. ALL '74-'80 clusters will start to crumble around the bulb sockets with a standard 194 bulb. This eliminates it and makes the clusters much brighter. This is not a simple task as the cluster, wiper switch, shifter light, radio and ash tray lamps are all different. Plus, the main illumination lamps need the 25 LED cluster bulbs or you will see nothing.