I have come across these tail lights a few times but I have no idea what car they originally came off of. Any help would be appreciated.
if it helps... i saw these off the car. they had a round base, probably 6 inches in diameter and a foot long. As it shows in the picture, it has one sharp protrusion and one round protrusion.
For the second time, no. Here's a picture of a 1960 Chrysler taillight that's out in my garage right now. Note no round protrustion. '60 DeSoto has basically the same chrome but is smaller, flatter, and has three chrome hash marks on the back of it - the inserts to which usually have long since fallen off. It has no round protrusion either. I can post a picture of one of those too if necessary, but I'll have to find it on my old computer, it's been a long time since I sold the pair of them I had. '61 Chryslers have a large concave lens that wraps around the bottom corner of the car, and a back-up light in the fin. It's not '61 DeSoto, either, here is a link to pictures of a '61 DeSoto. Usually taillights have the year and some kind of manufacturer ID somewhere on the lens - Ford lenses have a Ford logo, GM have the supplier name, Mopar have abbriviations for the car they go on (can be on the inside of them). Next time you see a set loose, see what is cast on them for markings, that will narrow it down fast. http://www.hubcapcafe.com/ocs/pages01/deso6101.htm
not being a horses *** or anything but maybe the 60 Desotos and Chryslers had different types of tail lights. just like the 56 Packards had different tail lights depending on the model you had, it might be the same for them. i have no idea as to what kind of lights those are maybe some kinda funky after market type like J.C. Whitney, Western Auto, ect..
johnnyboy said they were about a foot long! Pioneer maybe? That's my best guess, but last time I saw one up close was a good 9 or 10 years ago.
There's only one '60 Chrysler taillight, the only difference is the station wagon bezel bolts on from the outside, the others from the inside. The light the picture of is off a New Yorker; but I've sold lenses and taillights complete off both a Windsor and a Saratoga. DeSoto was the same deal, except there were no wagons and only two models in the lineup. The only Mopar that era that has taillight variarions are the '61 Dodges - the cheap models had a round-add on light because the original ones are hard to see, and the Polara has a big round lens in the side of the quarter. I thought '62 or '63 Mercury Meteor, too, but the '62 has a bullet like the big Mercs and the '63 I can't find a good close picture of the lens. They look smaller than the size the OP described, though. I went through my Motors Crash Book which covers 1960-63 plus has a '59 supplement in the back and I didn't see anything that matches this lens, other than the possible '63 Merc light. Went through some of my car books, too, to rule things out. I know I've seen that damned shape somewhere before, I just can't remember what it was on and I have a feeling when someone finally figures it out I'll be doing a good Homer Simpson impression "D'oh!!!"
Looks like I'm way late on replying to this but '63 Meteor is absolutely right. I'd thought about frenching them in my Meteor for a long time, may still. What kind of car were these on (in the first picture)? Do you have more pics of this car?
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