The Evolution of Cool
January 28, 2025
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
Killer Chiller
There was a time when most hot rods had only stick shift transmissions. We can remember running a ’39 Ford transmission behind several different engine combinations, which quite often ended up with gear teeth on the bottom of the transmission case. If the transmission didn’t break the rear axle in the ’40 Ford, the rearend would. It wasn’t a solution, but it was a start.
BACK TO BASICS
Simplicity is the key here, as this ’55 Chevy perfectly embodies the sleeper theme with a no-frills look and monster power. It doesn’t even feature all the stainless Bel Air or 210 trim you normally find on most tri-5 models; but even though this is a plain-Jane 150 devoid of trim, Ernie Lankford’s all-black ’55 certainly doesn’t get overlooked.
CAMARO FAVORITE
First-generation Camaros are all the rage these days, and no wonder. With so many ways to bring them into a new era, they make great selections. So, while the big-block power and a five-speed trans served owner Gary Johnson well over the years, rocketing gas prices led him to a more efficient LS2 option.
Spotlighter
Time For Recess
Installing a Quartet of ’50 Pontiac Taillights in a Dodge Coupe
When building a custom street rod or classic, it’s the little things that count. Choosing the proper taillights for your project can sometimes be tricky. The shape of the cab, fenders, roll pan and style of the vehicle all play an important part in selecting the proper taillights for your car or truck.
Author
Josh Kaylor
Story and Photography
Choosing the Right Taillights for Your Build
When building a custom street rod or classic, it’s the little things that count. Choosing the proper taillights for your project can sometimes be tricky. The shape of the cab, fenders, roll pan and style of the vehicle all play an important part in selecting the proper taillights for your car or truck.
Shop Visit: Chattanooga Rod Design
On a recent shop visit to Chattanooga Rod Design, we found owner Anthony McDowell in the process of installing a set of Vintique’s reproduction ’50 Pontiac taillights in a ’48 Dodge coupe. McDowell purchased taillights locally at Honest Charley’s Speed Shop, also in Chattanooga. The new ’50 Pontiac taillights are available in both the modern LED version and in the traditional bulb, and the cool part is that the reproduction taillights have glass lenses whereas the originals were plastic. The plan started out as a simple, single light in the roll pan on each side of the car, but after speaking with the owner of the coupe, the decision was made to tunnel two taillights on each side, one on top of the other. This should provide plenty of brake lights on dark nights.
Fabricating Custom Taillight Buckets
After looking at the available taillight frenching kits available, the builder decided that it would be best to fabricate the taillight buckets from a few feet of 5-1/2-inch diesel exhaust tubing and a sheet of 16-gauge steel. It will be easier to cut the tubing down in size than buying a smaller size and having to stretch the metal. As we mentioned earlier, the taillights were new LED units that would provide the driver with the security of safe, bright taillights. The installation required a cutoff wheel, MIG welder, air drill and a variety of small hand tools. The complete fabrication and installation took about four hours, and the finished results looked great. Follow along as we light up the back of this ’48 Dodge coupe.
The first chore of the day was to mark the location of the new taillights. The fenders on this Dodge have been widened about 1-1/4 inch. The top bucket will go into a recessed area in the trunk, and the lower bucket will go inside the fenderwell.
Beginning with a piece of 5-1/2-inch diesel exhaust tubing, the correct length for the recess is cut off. The depth of the tunnel determines the length of the tubing.
A grinder with a cutoff wheel is used to cut along the tape. This operation can be performed with either a chop saw or plasma cutter. For safety purposes, be certain that the tubing is clamped securely in the vise.
The pipe’s diameter is a bit big and will need to be reduced. This is performed by measuring the taillights and figuring out how much of the pipe will need to be removed.
With the excess pipe removed, the two pieces are rejoined using a pair of Vise-Grips and a vise. Be sure that the edges are even as nobody likes crooked buckets.
The pipe is tack-welded every inch and allowed to cool. This will keep the thin tubing from heating and warping.
Now that the spot welds have cooled, McDowell will finish the welding by filling the gaps. The pipe remained in the vise until it was completely cool.
Once the exhaust finished cooling, a grinder was used to clean the welds and grind the tubing surface smooth. This will make it easier to install in the fenders.
The exhaust tubing was then laid over a sheet of thin steel and traced. This will serve as the rear of the bucket.
The sheetmetal was then cut out using an air nibbler. This is one of those times when a plasma cutter will come in handy. Once the blank was cut out, the edges were ground to fit the tube.
The cap is then tacked into place around the edges and ground smooth to match the edge of the exhaust tubing
Now you can see that the can is finished and ready to slide into the fenders. We built all four of these taillight housings in about two hours
With the buckets cut out, we moved on to drilling the holes in the fenders. We first marked the center of the hole and drilled a pilot hole for our hole saw.
The air drill made quick work of cutting through the 56-year-old sheetmetal. The only complication was getting through the welds in the extension.
With the upper taillight hole cut, it was on to the lower hole. We marked our location and drilled the pilot hole. The lower taillight is going to be offset from the upper by just 1/8 inch.
Once the hole was cut, a carbide burr was used to clean the hole and make any additional room for the bucket.
With the outer portion of the taillight holes cut, the upper taillight bucket needed room. After measuring the bucket, the inner wheel well was measured and marked for clearance
An air Sawzall made quick work of cutting out the inside sheetmetal.
The taillight buckets were then slipped into place and checked for proper clearance. The taillights are beginning to take shape. After the correct angle for the taillights was found, the buckets were tacked into place and checked to ensure that they remained level. This is critical, so be certain that everything is properly located.
With the taillight correctly in place, the bucket was fully welded. The excess tubing protruding from the fender will be cut flush with the body.
The edges were removed with the cutoff wheel we used to first cut the tubing. The lower bucket was then welded into position before being cut.
With the upper bucket cut and the lower bucket in place and welded, the extra tubing protruding from the fender could be cut out and ground smooth.
The buckets are in place and looking good. A grinder is used to smooth things around the edges and the lip.
The carbide burr is brought out again to clean the inside of the buckets. This will ensure that there are no sharp edges and that the taillights will slide in without any problem.
The driver’s side required a little more work as the metal had previously been worked, which made things a little more difficult. The two buckets went in perfectly with little trouble.
The buckets look great in the rear of the car and give it a true hot rod look. The owner of the coupe is an air traffic controller, so he should really dig the new look of the rear with the taillights.
Now that the buckets are installed, it’s time to drill the rear of the bucket to accommodate mounting the taillights.
We drilled a hole that then allowed the taillight to sit perfectly inside the newly formed bucket. With a simple call to Honest Charley’s, the ’50 Pontiac taillights were ready and waiting.
The taillights were then slid into place, and the nut on the rear was tightened down. There are two nuts that hold the rear in place. Be sure to position the mounting holes where they will be readily accessible.
The new LED taillights look absolutely great in the fenders and will provide plenty of warning to followers once the Dodge is back on the street.
ARTICLE SOURCES
Chattanooga Rod Design
406 Hwy. 299
Wildwood, GA 30757
423/902-7525
Vintique Inc.
2294 N. Batavia St., #D
Orange, CA 92865
714/974-1940
Info@Vintiqueinc.com
