I had some time this week to make a few parts for my 1946 ford pickup. I found some 1932-42 ford truck and panel tail lights for cheap at the GCC swap-meet last saturday and couldn't wait to mount them. I wanted a downswept tail light bracket to go along with my new lights, but I couldn't find any in the aftermarket. Since I've been making parts from br*** before i figured I machine a couple and see how the worked out. My first attempt was flat, about .125 thick and had a bevel around the outside... The holes were to big and the holes were a little off on the back side of the tail light. I made the second batch yesterday and they turned out better. The fit was right on, the holes were of the appropriate size and I made them a little thicker .175, and put 2 levels of deboss in the center to lighten them up. While I was at it I made a license plate holder too. heres how they mounted up to my truck To make the bottom fit I bored out the hole to 3/8, I did this later because I wanted the ability to flip them to an upswept design, this would require a longer license plate holder.
very nice work - thanks for taking the time to do something different and tasteful (not always inclusive) and for sharing it with us. I like them...nice to see something besides chrome/paint. dj
Thanks for the kind words prop, the idea was to make them art deco, like the year of my truck. I have many br*** and copper accents on my truck, I figured I'd let them age a bit. Oh yeah, I bead blasted them for a satin look...
I made some tail light bezels to match the brackets, and switched out to br*** hardware. I plan on removing them all to do some subtle acid etching and smooth out the tool marks, maybe even polish the edges.
The Jalopy Journal
