Tail light panel

[67 GT350]

Early car, not that early but later early, tail light panel has 4 bolts so it can attach to the Mustang tail light panel.Question is how does that go together? Are rivets used? Or does it just bolt on and the tail lights actually secure it to the Mustang tail light panel?

[Bob Gaines]

Early car, not that early but later early, tail light panel has 4 bolts so it can attach to the Mustang tail light panel. Question is how does that go together? Are rivets used? Or does it just bolt on and the tail lights actually secure it to the Mustang tail light panel?

Flat tail panel or contoured?

[JD]

I believe there are some threads on this on this forum,.  Search "tail Lights Panel" in the '67 section, not hard ;-)

https://www.saacforum.com/index.php?topic=21933.msg168007#msg168007

https://www.saacforum.com/index.php?topic=18230.msg145902#msg145902

https://www.saacforum.com/index.php?topic=21672.0

https://www.saacforum.com/index.php?topic=10883.msg92189#msg92189

https://www.saacforum.com/index.php?topic=5992.msg51662#msg51662

Have seem "early" flat panels on cars in the mid-1000's.

See attached, after SA workers hacked out big openings in the Ford tail light panel and the Shelby in-trunk sheet metal tail light brackets were riveted in-place the assembled tail light components (see image of assembled units at worker station) were added to the car and held by studs with nuts to the trunk brackets (this did most of the work of holding all the parts to the car) and the four studs embedded in stand-offs in the back of the Fiberglass panel were placed through the (sometimes swiss cheese) holes added by workers and since the area was swiss-cheese large washer were used so the 4 nuts had some surface to rest against.  Much variation from car-to-car, workers and day of the week.

Sealer - strip caulk was used (A LOT) to help try and seal the many openings to reduce the exhaust fumes that were sucked into the trunk and moved forward inside the car.

added images

[67 GT350]

I believe contoured? I does not go over the top of the Mustang tail light panel, it stays below, I took pictures but my computer and phone are getting a divorce as they do not communicate anymore??? (airdrop)

[Bob Gaines]

I believe contoured? I does not go over the top of the Mustang tail light panel, it stays below, I took pictures but my computer and phone are getting a divorce as they do not communicate anymore??? (airdrop)

The contoured and the flat panel are different from each other and consequently mount different. The contoured panel was initially designed to move the tail light components outward giving slightly more room for the full size spare tire. The contoured panels do not have the studs JD described that are used in the flat panels. Although most contoured panels have a lip that wraps over the top of the Mustang tail panel that is riveted in place some early versions of the contoured panel do not have the lip and are like the flat panel in that regard.

[JD]

Flat vs Raised - are terms used by some, the raised being the version that was made to accommodate the spare moving the Cougar tail light units rearward out of the trunk more to make room for the spare, as Bob has posted.

There were numerous versions of (most/all) the parts involved, getting the right ones together helps - but this and the headlights were two of the more poorly done and difficult areas to recreate if missing.

The top lip that goes up under the trunk lid and is riveted ,as Bob has stated, was a change that was made.

[67 GT350]

OK, I have the one in the added pictures.
Am I to understand that the inside panels, pop rivet from the inside? And the tail light panel, with the tail lights is attached to the tail light panel, then bolted from inside the trunk?

[67 GT350]

How do I restore these?

[JD]

I would try the dry ice method, find a person in your area that does that. 

There was a thread somewhere on this forum that linked to doing it.  I had an aluminum intake done,  very pleased with the results.

See link...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmFq_yqfAYU&t=21s

[JD]

OK, I have the one in the added pictures.
Am I to understand that the inside panels, pop rivet from the inside? YES

And the tail light panel, with the tail lights is attached to the Ford Mustang tail light panel, then bolted from inside the trunk - by the  6-per-side studs into the back of the Cougar units and through the Shelby in-trunk brackets and nutted on the back of the in-trunk bracket - that is what does the majority on the attaching those 12 studs and the in-trunk Shelby brackets.

The first image below is the studs and nut, the second image yellow circles is where those studs screw into the back of the Cougar light units.  Those do the heavy holding.

The red arrows pointing to the nuts in the second image in this reply are accessed by the large holes (Yellow arrows in the third image in the 2nd reply above), but if assembled as it the black and white image in reply #2 you don't need to.

This is a big layered mess of pieces ;-)

Did you take the lights out of your car - how did the come out??

Is this a different car than the red car with white stripes you've posted?

[JD]

Early flat panel, no upper lip, no visible trim fastener.

Below, later version raised panel with top upper lip that gets riveted and visible trim fastener.

[JD]

Shelby in-trunk bracket these are showing just SOME of the variations.

Note early version with 15 holes across the back vertical surface, 3 for light sockets, 6 for trim nut access, 6 for studs to hold the Cougar light unit to the Shelby trunk bracket.

And the later version with only 9 holes, missing the 6 for access of the holes for trim nuts.

[JD]

Open and closed ends,

and different depths - early shown with ruler at top...

[67 GT350]

OK, I am getting it, before the shop took it apart, the top drivers side fiberglass panel at the top was not close to the top of the tail light panel....The black panel that holds the tail lights is rivited in place??? I am asking. I will say that is the most rigged up gig I have ever seen......What are the purpose of the rivets? just to hold the panel in place?

[67 GT350]

To add...if I sand the tail light panel down and add chrome tape to it, I would think that the tail light would be nice and bright?