A Nice Dodge Taillight Solution

[Jocko_51_B3B]

Someone (I apologize for not being able to give credit.) on one of the threads recommended GROTE as a good make of taillight so I bought one for each side of my B3B. The driver side light has the clear license plate window and the passenger side does not. These are nice lights and I couldn't be more pleased. They are well built, appear to be waterproof, and both come with a bulb and a two wire pigtail. The pigtail runs through a waterproof grommet. The mounting studs fit the holes in my reproduction license plate holders perfectly. Best of all, they look good and cost about 1/5 the cost of the licensed reproductions. The only two things I'm going to change is replace the 12V bulb with a 6V and then (maybe) stencil the word "Dodge" on the plastic lens.

https://www.grote.com/products/50882-4-steel-two-stud-mount-stoptailturn-lamp-red/   (with license plate window)

https://www.grote.com/products/50892-4-steel-two-stud-mount-stoptailturn-lamp-red/   (without license plate window)

 

Edited November 15, 2018 by Jocko_51_B3B

[Eneto-55]

re: Grote:

I looked at some of their other products, and saw their # 62021 backup light.  How do you find the prices for these lights?

[FlashBuddy]

Check Amazon and the like.

https://www.amazon.com/Grote-50882-Two-Stud-License-Window/dp/B000NDM9YE/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1542339277&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=50882&dpPl=1&dpID=51O35fYL2hL&ref=plSrch

[ggdad1951]

15 hours ago, Jocko_51_B3B said:

Someone (I apologize for not being able to give credit.) on one of the threads recommended GROTE as a good make of taillight so I bought one for each side of my B3B. The driver side light has the clear license plate window and the passenger side does not. These are nice lights and I couldn't be more pleased. They are well built, appear to be waterproof, and both come with a bulb and a two wire pigtail. The pigtail runs through a waterproof grommet. The mounting studs fit the holes in my reproduction license plate holders perfectly. Best of all, they look good and cost about 1/5 the cost of the licensed reproductions. The only two things I'm going to change is replace the 12V bulb with a 6V and then (maybe) stencil the word "Dodge" on the plastic lens.

https://www.grote.com/products/50882-4-steel-two-stud-mount-stoptailturn-lamp-red/   (with license plate window)

https://www.grote.com/products/50892-4-steel-two-stud-mount-stoptailturn-lamp-red/   (without license plate window)

 

 

watch your wires...looks to be a potential for wearing/rubbing and shorting out.

[Jocko_51_B3B]

You bring up a good point. The good news is that the wires have some room. They aren't pinched. I'm going to add one or two layers of heat shrink tubing right where the wires pass through the hole. Hopefully, that will prevent a short.

Edited November 16, 2018 by Jocko_51_B3B

[JBNeal]

maybe that hole can be customized by opening up a little bit with a rotary rasp for more wire clearance then touching up or repainting black or bed color...

[Merle Coggins]

When I first built my truck I used some Peterson trailer tail lights that I picked up at my local Farm & Fleet store for around $6 each. The both had the license plate illumination lens in them. I blacked out the one on the right side. They looked very similar to your Grote lights. They looked good and served the purpose for several years. I finally took the plunge and purchased the reproduction tail lights from DCM Classics. I wasn't all that pleased with the design of the lamp socket. It seemed a bit cheap and didn't seal out the elements well. After a little modification I mounted them and have been using them since. Now I have a more 'vintage' look with the "DODGE" script on the lenses.

Edited November 16, 2018 by Merle Coggins

[Young Ed]

2 hours ago, Jocko_51_B3B said:

You bring up a good point. The good news is that the wires have some room. They aren't pinched. I'm going to add one or two layers of heat shrink tubing right where the wires pass through the hole. Hopefully, that will prevent a short.

I bet you could also find a rubber grommet at the hardware store to cover that metal edge

[kencombs]

1 hour ago, Young Ed said:

I bet you could also find a rubber grommet at the hardware store to cover that metal edge

 

Or, look in the Help parts section at your local parts store. 

[Los_Control]

Simply opinions, and they are worth exactly what you paid for them.

 

I respect quality workmanship, that requires adequate thickness of metal and they need to be somewhat water tight, they do spend their lives outside.

 

Very first thing I noticed on Grotes lights you listed, the screw mounting pattern.

They are not old school normal, and if some idiot broke your tail light while in a Denny's parking lot, you would have to order one from Grote to fix it.

This style light has been around for decades, any decent manufacturer as Merle suggested above would work, and you could get a replacement lens if needed while out of town.

 

They look nice and glad you like them, they really not my cup of tea.

[Dodgeed]

Thx for posting "A nice Dodge tail light solution" as I wasn't aware of Grote, nor had I even thought about going to a local farm/tractor store, as Merle suggested, nor using Amazon, as FlashBuddy mentioned. I usually just go right to one of the usual vendors, and order on line. For example, I wanted to mount a passenger side tail light on my '51 pickup, and ordered, from Vintage Power Wagons, a tail light mounting bracket, bulb, and socket. I already had a tail light in a box, and just needed to mount it. I paid $48.25, including $15.75 for shipping and handling. 

 

Now that your post is "out there", I'm thinking I could have done better by going to a local farm/tractor store, or looking at Amazon. Dunno why I didn't think of that before. ?

[Jocko_51_B3B]

The Dodge Pilothouse part vendors are a good resource. I've dealt with all of them at one time or another (mainly DCM, Roberts, and VPW). But once in a while it isn't a bad thing to "think outside the box" even if it means sacrificing a bit of originality or to get a better price. Although VPW doesn't focus on Pilothouse trucks, their customer service is great. The other guys are good too. What I like about DCM is that they always post a photo of any part they sell online.

Edited November 17, 2018 by Jocko_51_B3B

[FlashBuddy]

Don't forget Tail Light King - Though I'm in negotiations with them currently over a recent order.

http://taillightking.com - One of those old school websites so popular with many vendors.

 

[pflaming]

I made a mount for two fixtures. Top is brake and turn, bottom is tail light and also brake light. The bottom light has a clear lens to light up the license plate. 

[Jocko_51_B3B]

I'm thinking about getting some old-fashioned stencil letters and using my left over silver spray paint to spray the word "Dodge" or "Job Rated" on the lenses of my Grote taillights. 99.9% of the public won't know the difference anyway and maybe they'll turn out half way decent. At least my lights will be water tight. If one gets broken, they're cheap to replace.

Edited January 11, 2019 by Jocko_51_B3B
grammar

[59bisquik]

20 hours ago, pflaming said:

I made a mount for two fixtures. Top is brake and turn, bottom is tail light and also brake light. The bottom light has a clear lens to light up the license plate. 

When I did mine, I didn’t want to get carried away with reinventing the wheel with wiring since everything was already working. I used the factory tail lights and added another socket and bulb inside so that I had all the functions and not extra light fixtures bolted on.

[pflaming]

In contrast to modern vehicals, the tail lights on the trucks are low. I wanted more brake light visibility and with four lights, I get noticed. Just personal preference.  

[Dodgeed]

8 hours ago, pflaming said:

In contrast to modern vehicals, the tail lights on the trucks are low. I wanted more brake light visibility and with four lights, I get noticed. Just personal preference.  

Yeah, those low mounted tail lights are a concern to me too. Fortunately for me, the previous owner had one of those clip on brake lite bars that can be mounted in the rear window; unfortunately, it wouldn't stay on as the suction cups wouldn't hold suction. So, I super glued it in place. Its not going anywhere, and works fine. I'll let the next owner decide how to get it off, if it bothers him (since I'll be gone from this world, as that's the only way this truck will be outta my life, it won't be for, hopefully, many many years).?

I also added another (low) brake lite on the passenger side, so, now I've got two low ones, one on each side, and the lite bar in the rear window, so, I'm pretty well lit!?