1970 tail light panel? Finished 5/5

[redstangbob]

In my notes I found the match for Ford satin black trim paint Mar-Hyde Satin Black. They also make a satin grey but it's not what I would call dark. JMO, Bob C

[Dansbirds]

Thanks

[Dansbirds]

So I have removed the panel now to get started on the project. I did find some black remaining on mine at the lower areas which really isn’t all that visible when installed which I assume is what helped it survive. After removing the lower reflectors it was still black there as well so I believe black is the proper color. I found it interesting also that on the back housing of the assy. It was also sprayed black in the trunk lock area which when assembled gives it a finished look. I was curious as to how the letters were attached and while the E is cast into the trunk lock cover the rest are attached to the aluminum panel. I will be doing those with my original thought of spraying it back to black and then removing the paint off the frt of the letters. The sides of the letters show black on them in spots still so it should match. My trunk lock cover is pretty well pitted but until I find a better one this will get done the same. With this off the car I can see a small edge where the panel stayed aluminum and the paint stopped so I will use that line for reference. I will be polishing the lenses now also since they have nearly 50yrs of use on them. I started on one and they seem to be turning out well. I’ll be swapping out the trunk lock now also as I am adding bucket seats and console to this car and I found a NOS lock set so the trunk and glove boxes will all match. I’ll post some pics of what I’ve found so far and then more as this moves forward.

[Dansbirds]

Here you can see the old black at the base of the trim and also the black on the light housing where the trunk lock mounts

[Dansbirds]

Here you can see the edge of the letter is black also, and how pitted the trunk lock cover is. The other picture is with the reflector removed showing the black that was behind there. It does have a slight texture to it and it doesn’t appear to have been applied with much care when new.

[Dansbirds]

Well weather hasn’t been cooperating here as it’s cold snow and rain so progress has been slow. I decided to go with the Mar-Hyde Satin Black. I used 2 light coats just to start and see how it turned out. As of now I’m not certain if I’ll completely black out the large panel or if I will mask off the edge as my panel is pretty scratched up.

[Dansbirds]

Just a little more work

[Dansbirds]

Well it’s done and installed, we shall see how it holds up in a few months. I will now search for a new trunk lock cover as my return spring doesn’t want to hold the cover completely shut. For future reference if anyone looks, I used the Mar-Hyde Satin Black as suggested and the reference photos showing where the color was and the trim around the lens was bare. Thanks guys for the assistance.

[Davec]

Wow that looks good. Makes sense for it to have been black back in the day.

[Davec]

Here is the hinge part

[Dansbirds]

Thanks, your spring appears to be wound tighter than mine so I’m fairly certain that’s my issue