[R68GTO]

I am working on installing my bumper equipped with repro taillight housings and have 2 issues.
The first issue is with the housings themselves. I had everything back together, put the bumper on the car and spent a lot of time getting it aligned just right. I then went to install the lenses and those stupid @#$@#$%#$ lens screw nuts just pushed off the housings with almost no pressure! Had to take the whole assembly back off
Of the 8 nuts, 6 pushed off before I could get much past the point of the screw. The other 2 came off with minimal pressure. Next move was JB weld to glue them suckers back on. Did that yesterday and let sit overnight....no dice, them little bastards came right off again. Looks like the jb weld did not "bite" into the plastic housing. What should be my next step? Jump off the ledge?
The second issue is related to the wiring. I can apply 12v to each of the socket spades and get the proper lights to light up. Same drill on the car side...hit brakes, reverse lights, and turn signals and get 12V reading at the sockets in the trunk. But when I plug in the trunk sockets to the bumper sockets I cannot get the driver side to light up with the brakes on. Turn signals and reverse light is fine. What should I look for or test on this one?
Sorry for the long rant, just anxious to get this project behind me. I will be on the ledge with a beer in hand anxiously awaiting knowledge from the experts that may have already survived this type of experience

[R68GTO]

Well, after 66 views of my post and no replies I figured I'm on my own on this one. I took the housing back out of the bumper and removed the lens nuts. Took the hollow pegs on the housing and roughed up the exterior with a hacksaw blade to hopefully give another application of JB weld to hold. Took the nuts and drilled out the hole so that my screws don't have to mushroom the metal so much yet keep the hole small enough so the screws hold. Re-applied the JB and put them back on. I then took my smallest drill bit and cross-drilled holes thru both side of the nuts and the plastic pegs. Then took some thin wire and ran it thru all 4 sections to effectively pin the nuts to the housings. For a truly questionable hack job I think it will actually work! Will finish the job tomorrow night and go to work on my wiring issue.

[gtohurstjudge]

your electrical problem can only be at the turn signal switch. Try jiggling the
turn signal lever a little back and forth with the brake on and see if the brake light
will work. The brake light is killed by the turn signal switch on either the right or left side
depending on which way the lever is flipped. this enables the bright filament on that side
to flash and not stay on all the time. when the switch contacts wear down, you will typically
lose a brake light on one side but the turn signal on that side will still work. Check this out and report your findings.
As for your tail light housings....join the club! Obviously made by the same people who made the front park lamp
housings for the 69 GTO....total Taiwanese crap!

[R68GTO]

I spent a little time working on the wiring issue prior to reading gtohurstjudge's post. With the brake pedal depressed and no other functions active (key in off position), I get a little over 12V at the taillight plug on the passenger side and a little over 11V on the driver side. I can take a jumper wire from the passenger side socket spade and hook into the driver side brake light spade and the driver side lights up. Is that 1v difference enough to prevent the driver side from lighting up? What would cause that voltage difference?

[gtohurstjudge]

The 1 volt drop isn't going to keep the light from coming on. Sounds like
you have a grounding problem on that socket.....probably the socket itself is bad. Are you
sure that it isn't the taillight filament that is blinking on your left turn signal?

[David Jones]

I had an electrical gremlin similar to what you described after I refurbed the reflectors in my housings. Turned out to be the ground on the driver side wasn't doing it's job. I made a jumper and grounded that side to a screw in the trunk lock area and problem solved.

[R68GTO]

I nominate GTOHURSTJUDGE as "PY Forum Member of the Day"!

As soon as I slightly lifted the turn signal lever, the brake light came on
Thanks GHJ!

your electrical problem can only be at the turn signal switch. Try jiggling the
turn signal lever a little back and forth with the brake on and see if the brake light
will work. The brake light is killed by the turn signal switch on either the right or left side
depending on which way the lever is flipped. this enables the bright filament on that side
to flash and not stay on all the time. when the switch contacts wear down, you will typically
lose a brake light on one side but the turn signal on that side will still work. Check this out and report your findings.

[gtohurstjudge]

I'd like to bask in the glory, but since I've worked on cars all day long for a living since 1975, If I didn't know things like this I would be mentally challenged. I'm
glad I could help out....As forum member of the day do I get a crown or anything? LOL!

[R68GTO]

Thanks again!

[Half-Inch Stud]

Yeap ; JB Weld sticks to original weathered housings. Dunno of repop hsgs.

Yeap; running ground wires on the 68 tail housings is wise & you can use the 69-70 plastic connectors to carry the extra wire (i think)