Early Rear Light Setup

[Chris Martino]

If there are any owners who want a template & instructions for the early rear light setup for the Mk I that I have converted my car to based on the original, please let me know and I'll take a tracing for you and send all my build info including light type needed, materials etc.

Specific details once I know how many want this info-

Cheers


Chris

[Chuck]

Chris:

Every time I see pics of you car I marvel at how good it looks - such a faithful reporduction of the original.

[Jim c]

Chris

I dont mind your rear lamps what is the history on them.
Did they run in a certain year.
I thought the MK1 only had the combined turn/brake lamp.

Jim

[Andy]

Chris,

Your twin light setup superceded the earliest ones i intend to trial fit.

[Chris Martino]

Thanks Chuck, it's nice to get positive feedback after all of the work, glad you like it!

I think my lights are the second generation type, I'm not sure what year they went to the single combined light used on most, if not all of the replicas offered today. Also, I don't know how many or when the license plate recess was introduced, for the road cars I assume so that was also done to complete the rear changes.

Those lights look great Charlie, do you know what were they used in?


Chris

[Big-Foot]

Man - that looks awfully close to a (((GULP))) 64 Chevrolet Impala tail light lens...

[ijvpet]

Beautiful job Chris. Once that motor goes in, she will be one amazing car.

[40 Bud]

I don't know which specific cars had the twin tailight setup. However back in the late eighties when I first saw 1009 in an unrestored state it definitely had this double light setup. At that time the car was painted in what looked to be guardsman blue with white stripes and a tan interior and was awaiting some tender loving care.

[allanfeldman]

As you may or not know I am a keen Anorak on forties in the sense that I like to find out about details. I obviously do not know everything about the Ford GT's. As I do not have access to every picture book etc and I was not there at the time. But I have found out that the Gulf flared tail and single Simca rear lights on a forty first seemed to turn up on the Ford France car P1020 at the 1967 Le Mans. So therefore it would seem logical that in the season of 1966 and prior to this the twin taillights would be on all of the Forties. As for Bigfoot being surprised that the taillights might be from a 1964 Chevrolet Impala it would not suprise me as they grabbed the most needed item at the time. I thought that the MKII tail lights were from a Chevrolet Corsair??
Regards Allan

[Chris Martino]

I guess it depends on how time period correct you want the car to replicate. Like I said, you'll need to address the license plate recess also - my car is based on P1010. Maybe a time lineage of rear changes to the lights/rear clamshell with respect to photos'/info would clarify for those thinking of making the modifications?

Experts?


Chris

[Andy]

Allan,

The picture of the lights i posted, were as fitted originally to the MK1 prototypes, circa '65.
I believe they then fitted the seperate dual Lucas lights as Chris posted.
I've no idea what car my lights were originally fitted to. These came off an old rear clip.

[Mike Drew]

Somewhere on this forum there's a specific reference for the original quad taillights which were used on all the GT40s for the first couple of years. I think they are fairly generic Lucas items, and are probably easily available if you know where to look. Starting in 1967 the later dual taillights were used; some early cars were modified with later bodywork (and thus the later lights) while others retained their original setups

Note that the Mk II cars used quad taillights which were completely different from the Mk 1 versions.

Personally I love the early look!

[Big-Foot]

Originally Posted by allanfeldman

As for Bigfoot being surprised that the taillights might be from a 1964 Chevrolet Impala it would not suprise me as they grabbed the most needed item at the time. I thought that the MKII tail lights were from a Chevrolet Corsair??
Regards Allan

BINGO - Well sort of... I don't know why my image link isn't working above but I found numerous pictures of the rear of the Chevrolet Corvair that show these tail lights....

[Chris Martino]

Hi Guys,

Lucas L691 Indicator Lamp & Lucas L691 Stop/Tail Lamp are what I used and are correct. Purchased them from AES but I presume you could find them elsewhere.


Chris