[Formulabruce]

After talking to GONICGM who lives near me, I learned that there were plastic front parking lense assemblys that were NOT amber! They are clear. He has one and Ive seen them on ebay once. I would like input on application. Maybe the first plastic valences got clear housings, then the switch to amber??
I am all ears ( or eyes )

[Norwood]

1970's are clear

[Formulabruce]

Originally Posted by Norwood

1970's are clear

clear plastic? all plastic housing??

[bird72]

my 72 with metal valance came with clear lenses. I am desperately searching for a set. I would appreciate anyone with a 71 telling me what kind of back their lenses have. The 70 plug style or the 72/73 style back, quick release socket style....

Anyone have extra lenses, I would even buy 73 orange for temporary........

[Norwood]

Clear lense. The housing is metal. The lenses are repoped
PY dosen't stock so here is an Ames #

AMES FB376L 1970-72 Parking Lamp Lenses (APE)............. 45.00/pr.
Comments: High pressure die-cast. Quality is
very good to excellent.
FB377 1969-72 Parking Lamp Lens Gaskets (APE) .. 6.00/pr.

[GonicGM]

71 had metal housing. My 72 also had metal housing, can't say if all original, 2nd week December 71 production.

[Jim Rotella]

The '72 clear parking lamp assembly and the late '72 and '73 amber assembly are the same except for the color of the lenses. Sometime after Jan 1, 1972, the color change took place, but many owners of later '72 cars have reported that their cars came with clear lenses. They both used the plastic housings and the lenses were glued to the housings.

The metal housing was used in '70 and '71 only. For some reason, part houses such as Ames, have continued to incorrectly list the '70-'71 lenses for '72 also. I got burned by this years ago. They are not designed to work with the plastic housings and the metal housing for which they were made, was never used in 1972.

There doesn't appear to be any connection between the metal and plastic valances and the clear and amber lenses. It is believed that all '72 and '73 Firebird were produced with plastic valances anyway, although this has never really been confirmed. It wouldn't surprise me if some of those cars slipped out of the factory with metal valances, especially when you consider all the breakage problems that Pontiac experienced with the plastic valances.

[bird72]

Thanks, Jim, as usual, you are a great source of info!

Looks like I screwed up. I sold the 73 orange lenses I had figuring to easily buy 72 white ones. Sounds like the clear are very hard to find in 72 style. I guess I now need to hunt down a set of orange ones being they are more common.

BTW, my 72 definitely came with a metal valance, it had all the original paint on when I sanded it.

[Lloyd-TX]

Here's some valance and parking lamp info on my 11C '72 Formula . . .

Unfortunately, I can't say for certain what is original to the car, and what isn't, though it appears to be original to me.

Clear parking lamp lenses, metal housings w/ separate lenses. My park lamp bezels (buckets or fillers) are argent silver, BTW.

Steel valance panel, and my car does have that center bracket which is used with the steel valance but not the plastic piece.

FWIW.

[Jim Rotella]

I'd be interesred to find out if any of the '72 Firebirds with metal parking lamp housings have the original parking lamp wire harnesses still intact. The connectors are quite different on the two types. The harness for the metal housing plugs directly into the socket from behind. The socket and harness are connected together as one piece on the '72-'73 plastic housing. The one piece plastic parking lamp assembly is illustrated in the 1972 Service Manual and it states that the lenses are not replaceable because the lense and housing are serviced as a unit.

Many exceptions can take place on the assembly line, but I would say that someone probably replaced the plastic housings with metal ones on these '72 cars. The 1970-71 lenses and metal housings are much easier to come by than the clear plastic assemblies used on the early '72 cars. Another possibilty would be that when a broken plastic valance was repalced with a metal valance from a salvage yard, it would be fairly easy to swap the whole valance assembly, parking lamps and all. All that would be required is to splice the wiring of the two types of sockets together.

[Norwood]

Has anybody bought the repop lenses?

[necdb3]

Am I correct in my thoughts that the early 72 clear lens vehicle had a different front harness than the late 72 amber lens vehicle? I thought they used the same harness front 70-early 72, and changed to amber lens in January and at the same time changed the harness to the 73 style.

What are the date codes on the clear plastic one piece lenses?

Dave

[x-bird2]

FWIW, just going off the 73 assembly manual gives a change date of 1-10-72 and change in the number from 911813 to 911720 for the lens assembly. exact same date of change on the front harness assembly from 9428904 to 9428902.

[bird72]

I can clear some of this up.

My 72 which I bought and it had all original front end pieces (due to color and sanding evidence). It came with a metal valence. It came with clear lenses. They had THE SAME plug socket type as 73's. I pitched the original clear ones (they were scratched and oversprayed bad) and replaced with orange 73's. They fit exactly the same, plug wise as the clear 72's. Both had plastic housings glued to lenses, exact same back part.

I'll buy single or pair of either color... help

[necdb3]

That's what I always thought. The harness and socket style changed when they introduced the amber lens. Basically, ALL late 72 amber lens vehicles have the 73 P/N harness.

In ordering a new reproduction harness for a late 72 bird, you have to buy the harness that's for a 73

Dave

[GonicGM]

Why would the harness change with change to amber lens if the clear lens (plastic housing) predates it and is otherwise the same.

[screamingchief]

Another data point based on my '72 plain-jane bird,clear lenses,plastic housings,chrome bezels,metal valence,has the bracket too.

Cant swear it's all OE,but if the valence was replaced they used an NOS valence and bracket.

Harness looks to be intact too,sockets look to be OE as well.

[Jim Rotella]

I've got a pair of both clear and amber lenses and they're both dated 72. They both have the quick release style plastic socket and they are both interchangeable. The plastic socket type harness works with both lenses. I bought my clear plastic lamp assembly from the owner of a low mileage '72 Esprit back in the 80's, and it had the same quick release plastic sockets as my April '72 built Trans Am which came from the factory with amber lenses. I've seen many other '72 cars with clear plastic parking lamp assemblies and the '72 Service Manual also shows them as one piece. Also, others have posted here at PY in an older thread that their late '72 Firebirds were equipped with clear lenses. There dosen't seem to be a clear cut answer in regards to a changeover date on the actual production line, but maybe they used whatever they had available at the time.

[toomanybirds]

I don't have a 72, but have found this thread interesting to read. Out of curiosity, I went to the MPC printed 9-72, here is what I found:

Harness:
8904358, 70-72 F, (park lamp bulb integral with park lamp)
8908931, 72-73 F, (park lamp bulb part of harness)

Lamp/Housing:
916814, 70-72 F, Lamp (park lamp bulb integral with park lamp & clear lens)
5963966, 72 F, Housing (w/lens) (bulb part of harness) (clear)
5965930, 72-73 F, Housing (w/lens) (amber)

So it would appear that the 72 cars came with all 3 types of parklamps, the 70-71 style metal housing with clear lens, the 72 only clear lens/housing with the twist in bulb socket on the harness, and the 72-73 amber lens/housing with the twist in socket.

Very interesting.

[Jim Rotella]

toomanybirds,

That is very interesting, 3 types of parklamps in a strike shortened year with Firebird production ending in early April of '72. Why three different types in one model year? I wonder how many Firebirds were actually built with the metal housings?