Does anyone know how to install GT 500 Rear Brake lights?

kbelusa

New Member
Apr 15, 2006
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Toronto, Canada
I have purchase the below components from branda. The red Light bezel, Aluminum frame, light buckets and the fiber glass Back Panel have all been assembled. Basically I have the lights installed in the panel, ready for installation into the car. What I cannot figure out is.....

1) How the panel, if supported by rivets is going to hold the lights up?
2) What I am suppose to do with the taillight box housings? i.e. how is it installed?
3) Where does the gasket go?

ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED!

Tailight Panel: http://www.cobranda.com/19shtapa1.html
1967 Shelby Taillight Frames http://www.cobranda.com/19shtafr.html
1967 Shelby Taillight Box Housings http://www.cobranda.com/19shtaboxho.html
1967 Shelby Taillight Lense http://www.cobranda.com/19shtale.html
1967 Shelby Taillight Frames http://www.cobranda.com/19shtafr.html
 
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Heres a couple pics to hopefully give you an idea of what you're up against.

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You can see how much you need to cut out to get everything to fit. Start from the outside of the original taillight openings, and cut towards the gas filler until the boxes fit. Once your buckets fit the opening (and are level!), set the buckets in place and make some studs from 1/4-20 all-thread that go into the aluminum frames, and stick through the boxes. You then just bolt on your assembled panel and taillight assembly, using nuts and washers behind the boxes to hold everything in place. I should warn you, my Branda panel wasn't even close to fitting right, and it took some surgery to make it fit. Notice how my boxes fit: the top goes inside the trunk, while the bottom lip is outside. If I left both lips outside, the 'glass panel was held away from the body and stuck out like a sore thumb. If you need any specific pics or advice, let me know, I'd be glad to help.
 

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Perfect.
Is taht plate welded in anywhere? How is it attached to the car?
If I understand you correctly, the Screws from teh "bezel ring" go through the "buckets and attach to the Backer panel in your photo?
Is there a gasket anywhere?
 
My wife has my camera right now, but I'll take some pics of the back of the assembled panel and post them up so you can see how that mess fits together. It's fairly simply once you see it, but basically you assemble the light buckets and lenses through the 'glass panel from behind, then hold them to the panel with studs screwed into the aluminum frames. Then the whole assembly goes through the bolt holes in the taillight boxes. There's no need to weld the boxes in, once you screw the nuts on the studs, the whole thing is VERY stout. Also, originals were not welded, but were sealed with seam sealer. As far as gaskets, I think the gaskets go between the lenses and the Cougar housings/reflectors. The 'glass panel does need seam sealer and screws or pop rivets to hold it snug and weather-tite.
 
I took these pics a while ago for someone else building a clone. Hopefully you can see how the assembly works.

SV400100.jpg


SV400101.jpg


Heres how it works. See the little studs that have nuts on them, which are holding the taillight bucket on? Those thread into the aluminum frames, going through the 'glass panel, through the taillight lens, through the buckets, and the nuts hold them together. The bigger studs are 1/4-20 all thread, which screw into the rear of the Cougar buckets, then go through the taillight boxes (look for the holes in the boxes in the previous pics) and nuts and washers whold the whole taillight panel assembly to the body. In the other pic you can see what it looks like from the outside, and you may also be able to see that I had to cut off the upper lip of my 'glass panel, then bolt the panel on, then re-glass the lip on. I had to do that in order to get the panle to sit low enought for the gas cap opening to line up. Hope these help, if not, don't be afraid to say so.
Jim
 

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Hi Zookeeper

I still don’t get it.
I understand how you get the light bezels, Aluminum ring and the fiberglass panel to attach. Mine looks exactly like yours does in the first set of pictures, hole in the taillight panel and all.
I just can't figure out:

1) how the burgundy buckets in your first picture support the lights. If the bottom end hangs out of the opening in the tail light panel and the other stays inside the trunk how does the fiberglass assembly (in your pic #3) stay in the car? I could understand it if both the top and bottom of the burgundy bucket stayed in the trunk and in effect sandwiched the rear tailing light panel between the burgundy bucket and fiberglass assembly.

I understand about the ¼ #20 threaded rod attaching into the burgundy buckets.

2) Did you have to cut the buckets on the right and left sides to make them follow the inside contours of the taillight panel?

BTW Extremely nice ride!!
 
Before I assembled mine for the first time, I though the exact same thing you did, that the steel inner boxes must go 100% inside to sandwich the whole mess together. I should start out by saying my boxes are not Branda parts. I bought them from a guy who sells on ebay. I think his userID is something like tandjr something or other, but I do know he frequently sells tailight boxes, Shelby hood pin brackets and headlight mounts. His stuff is top-quality. Anyway, after I got my boxes, I noticed they have two ends welded on where the originals I have seen don't. I suppose it's no big deal either way, but when I mounted them in the car with both lips inside, the angle was off. When I mounted them with both lips out, they interfered with the 'glass panel and the angle was still off. But when I mounted them with the bottom lip outside and the upper lip inside, it did two things: it positively located the taillights up and down, since they rest on the cuts I made, and the angle of the box part sticking into the trunk was right on. Even with only the upper lip being sandwiched, it is absolutely rock-solid once you bolt everything in place.
On your second question, the only modification I had to do was a bit of grinding on the taillight backs themselves to get them to fit into the steel buckets. Basically you set the lens on the Cougar taillight reflector housing (the part the bulbs fit into), then stuff them through from behind, then the frames hold them together. No, it doesn't look pretty when it's not mounted in the car, but once it's in place, you can't see any of it. BTW, I saw a real '67 Shelby apart a few months ago and I swear it looked like they made the cuts for the taillight boxes with an air chisel. I'm not exaggerating at all, they were horrible. A freind of mine used to own an early '67 GT350 in the '70's and he told me his tailight panel was cut out with a torch by Shelby's crew. Just think of that kinda stuff the next time you see a '67 Shelby roll across the auction block and some rich "collector" pay three prices for it! Anyway, hope this all helps, if not, let me know and I'll take some pics of what you need, and thanks for the kind words! I've been working on this thing since November 24, 2002 and it's within a few more weeks of seeing the light of day again!
 
I'll see if I can figure it all out. I may come back to you, if thats ok!

When you have completed her, post some video of her running. The sound is almost as important as the look. I'll bet she sounds mean!
Great work and I can't wait to see her finished.


Kev B


Before I assembled mine for the first time, I though the exact same thing you did, that the steel inner boxes must go 100% inside to sandwich the whole mess together. I should start out by saying my boxes are not Branda parts. I bought them from a guy who sells on ebay. I think his userID is something like tandjr something or other, but I do know he frequently sells tailight boxes, Shelby hood pin brackets and headlight mounts. His stuff is top-quality. Anyway, after I got my boxes, I noticed they have two ends welded on where the originals I have seen don't. I suppose it's no big deal either way, but when I mounted them in the car with both lips inside, the angle was off. When I mounted them with both lips out, they interfered with the 'glass panel and the angle was still off. But when I mounted them with the bottom lip outside and the upper lip inside, it did two things: it positively located the taillights up and down, since they rest on the cuts I made, and the angle of the box part sticking into the trunk was right on. Even with only the upper lip being sandwiched, it is absolutely rock-solid once you bolt everything in place.
On your second question, the only modification I had to do was a bit of grinding on the taillight backs themselves to get them to fit into the steel buckets. Basically you set the lens on the Cougar taillight reflector housing (the part the bulbs fit into), then stuff them through from behind, then the frames hold them together. No, it doesn't look pretty when it's not mounted in the car, but once it's in place, you can't see any of it. BTW, I saw a real '67 Shelby apart a few months ago and I swear it looked like they made the cuts for the taillight boxes with an air chisel. I'm not exaggerating at all, they were horrible. A freind of mine used to own an early '67 GT350 in the '70's and he told me his tailight panel was cut out with a torch by Shelby's crew. Just think of that kinda stuff the next time you see a '67 Shelby roll across the auction block and some rich "collector" pay three prices for it! Anyway, hope this all helps, if not, let me know and I'll take some pics of what you need, and thanks for the kind words! I've been working on this thing since November 24, 2002 and it's within a few more weeks of seeing the light of day again!