Installing Taillight Housings

[Mark Ascher]

I'm looking for anyone with experience installing the taillight housings and center medallion. I have the housings in, but I am definitely going to have issues with the getting the center medallion in without possibly breaking one of the ears off, most likely at the top.

I used new gaskets from Metro, who makes them. I used 3M black super weatherstrip adhesive on the housings, and glued the gaskets in place, making sure they tuck in at the outside edges. Over the course of 3-4 days I have been slowly tightening the housing nuts, as the gasket compresses quite a bit.

The housing on the left side fits pretty good, even all the way around. The right housing does not fit very well. I almost have contact with the body at the curved portion. The edge of the housing at the quarter has a gap I can't close up. The center where the medallion goes also hangs out slightly more than the right housing. There is going to be a noticable gap from the medallion to the housings on the round sections.

Brian Stone and John Egle have given me advice on how to put these in, and I've followed it faithfully. If anyone else has any insight, please let us all know!

Thanks!

Mark

[Mark Ascher]

I had a couple of old center medallions that I decided to use for a test fit. The casting of the inside (closest to the center of the body) part of the right housing does not fit the body line exactly. So tightening a test emblem left a gap on the right housing, a tight fit against the left. I put a washer on the inside of the left medallion stud, between the medallion and the body. That centered the emblem nicely when tightened down. I used some 3M strip caulk on the back of the medallion where it fits against the body, installed the nuts and c a r e f u l l y tightened it up - but not too tight. Looks great.

Mark

[gs spoken here]

Is there a difference between the Metro tail light gaskets and the one's Car's sells. I was just wondering I need to order a few things from Car's and if they are the same I would order them and save the shipping, thanks Bill

[Chris]

I started out with keeping my tail lights half tightened down and lined the medallion up where I wanted it.  I went back and slowly tightened the tail lights coming back to the medallion every couple tail light bolts.  When the tail lights were completely tightened down, I then tightend down the medallion being very careful to not distort the tabs or break them.  I think the key thing to remember is to not tighten down the medallion too much like you instinct tells you too.

Chris

[Mark Ascher]

Bill,

CARS probably buys from Metro. Metro is the only manufacturer of that part that I know of.

Mark