Technical 1955 Ford F-100 tail light set up

Pictures of rear tail light bracket and bolts , Want to add a set to my truck, Here is my bolts do not go all the way thru-- Thanks

 

Is there a question their somewhere?

 

Are you asking for pics of stock?

 

I think you are asking about your lack of holes on the backside of the stake pockets for the stock brackets to bolt onto?

Someone welded them up. You will need to take the tailgate hinge off and drill through from the tailgate hinge side forward, using the tailgate hinge holes as a guide.

WARNING…… the person that welded them up may have not been a great welder and the backside (inside the pocket) of the holes might have big globs of weld mounds and wire stubs making it difficult drill straight holes and a flat mounting surface on the inside for the nuts.

SUGGESTION….. split the difference of the hinge holes and lower the taillight bracket an inch or so avoiding the possible ugly inside welds. The taillights would look better lower anyway and by splitting the difference halfway won’t be that noticeable.

You may have to make a shorty drill bit just long enough to get through the metal and drill from the fender side with a small drill or cordless impact with a short drill bit. With a good center punch mark you could slowly drill at a slight angle if necessary with a 1/8 drill bit making a small pilot hole then sneaking up to the 1/4, again, slowly at a slight angle.

 

Wow, Jim is the man for figuring that out. Good job.

 

Thanks Jim

I thought the question was very clear but CONFUSED some. Thanks for understanding and letting me know the 2 bolts go straight thru the pocket, all I had to know.. So the bolts in the kit from mid- fifty will be the correct length.

 

Yes, they are straight through.

However, another word of warning.

If you go straight through with the bolts the stake pocket is not strong enough to support the hinges and the taillights like that. The pockets will squeeze together and you will never get the bolts tight enough to hold everything.

I believe the stock pockets had kind of a nutsert threaded base welded in the pockets to accommodate the bolts coming through from the outside.

I have had success with either using short bolts with nuts on the inside of the pockets
Or
Using all thread to make a “long stud” but backing up with nuts on each side on the inside thus preventing the pocket from squishing down.
Or
Fabricating a thick tube spacer to be on the inside of the pocket with the bolts going through the tubing to prevent the squishing.

Be aware if there is welding globs, the old nutserts and other ugliness inside the pocket, it will interfere with this process.

 

Another thought is you could put the taillight brackets on directly Behind the hinge brackets and just use longer bolts.
It might look good BUT it might not

 

For a cleaner look, use short bolts with the nuts inside the stake pocket. It should be easy, ***uming the bottom of the stake pocket is open.

 

Most questions end with one of these?

 

IF you end up with 'weld gobs' inside, the way to remove them is with an electric drill (3/8"-1/2", 'stout)
And a swirl-bit (1/2"-3/4") porting type, grind it nice and smooth inside, then, as stated, cut and use some 3/8" common pipe for the long bolts to go thru inside the pockets, not to crush.
I did that on my '55 F100, now my Ford Shields show nicely, and license plate hangs on the left, lighted by the lower lamp in left shield.. Whew!