SVO Talilights

[sader123]

Has anyone actually looked at the taillights on your SVO? The pinstriping I knew was painted on but I have 3 stripes that actually stop as they wrap around to the side of the lens. Anyone else notice that?

Has anyone else re-painted these stripes??

[svobud]

I've seen a few that have been painted on by owners (using a regular Mustang lens). Matt in AL pointed his out this weekend to me that he had done on the 84 2A he's restoring. And yes, the one stripe stops as it turns around the ends .. at the side reflectors.

[Christina]

I too have a pair that I noticed doesn't wrap around all the way!!

[richsvo]

Yep, mine too!

Rich

[drewkeen]

so do real ones go all the way or not? I wonder if mine are real

[svobud]

Originally posted by drewkeen
so do real ones go all the way or not? I wonder if mine are real

does it really matter if they're real or not? All Ford did was take a standard tail light and paint stripes on it anyway. On a factory SVO (and 93 Cobra) tail light lens.. one stripe stops at the turn ... at the side reflector. If it's hard to understand what I'm explaining ... then I can go out in the garage tomorrow and take a pic of one to illustrate better.

[Pat_in_L.A.]

The center stripe of the lower three makes the curve and then stops at the side.

My 4 tail lights on 2 cars are like that and buddies in the area with 3 other SVO's have the same.

[drewkeen]

If it isnt too much trouble would you please take a pic for me Bud?

Originally posted by svobud
does it really matter if they're real or not? All Ford did was take a standard tail light and paint stripes on it anyway. On a factory SVO (and 93 Cobra) tail light lens.. one stripe stops at the turn ... at the side reflector. If it's hard to understand what I'm explaining ... then I can go out in the garage tomorrow and take a pic of one to illustrate better.

[svobud]

ok - here's the pic of the drive side light on my 4E car. The light was NOS when installed.

1. shows the 3 upper lines don't meet the edge.
2. shows the lower middle line stops at the side reflector.

[8T6 SVO]

SVO tail lights

The middle of the lower three stripes is 2-7/8" back from the end of the tail light. To save Bud some time, here's a picture.

8T6

[8T6 SVO]

Tail lights or?

If you guys want any other pictures, just ask! Bud or myself will run out to the garage and take pictures!

Seriously, It is nice to see a comparison in the tail lights. Mines a 1986 model and sports the original lenses. Hard to say how they put on these pin stripes at any one particular time, let alone any particular year. I'm sure you'd find these stripes in various ways with various colors (slight) too.

8T6

[drewkeen]

thats interesting to see, Bud's dont touch the edge o nthetop and 8T6's do. Thanks guys.

[DON86SVO]

The original lenses had a gap at the end of the pinstripe to get around the laws in some states requiring side marker lights. I have been told that is how you tell if an SVO has original taillights or 93 Cobra lights. I can't verify this but I've heard that the pin stripes on Cobra lenses go all the way to the end. That is why they had different part numbers. I believe this is a simular conscept to the numbers on the speedo stoping 85. By 1993 laws were changed to allow them to read 140.

[8T6 SVO]

pinstripes

Don, Your talking about the lower middle pinstripe, right?
8T6

[Pat_in_L.A.]

Pin stripes

Interesting, Don, what you had to say about the SVO vs. 93 cobra lights.

After this thread started, I noticed a tail light on my 84 has a small scratch, like an X-acto knife cut right at the end of the #2 lower stripe. As a mattor of fact, my wife came out and asked me what I was doing in my jammies with a flashlight in the driveway at 1 A.M. HAHA!

I guess the tail light got replaced once upon a time and the previous owner (I'll have to ask him. He's a buddy) scraped the excess off the newer replacement .