<VV> Late Model Amber Rear Signals ?

[Arlette Pat & Carl Kelsen]

G’day everyone,
I have been interested in American cars since childhood. For me that’s now nearly 60 years! I have a real passion for US cars and the most part I believe US car design has led the automotive world (particular during the immediate post second world decades of the 1950s and 1960s).

That said, I have never understood why American cars (including the Chevrolet Corvair) insist on using their red tail / stop lights also as ‘red’ turn signals! A far safer arrangement is to have seperate amber turn signals. In fact Australian Design Rules (ADRs) have required rear amber turn signals since 1959!

The well known and highly respected Corvair Expert Mr. Larry Claypool wrote a tech article ( a copy of which appears in volume three of the CORSA Corvair Technical Guide) covering the conversion off late model backup lights so as to allow for rear amber turn signals. This conversion used the stock reversing white lights also as amber turn signals by have two globes.

I am doing my best to understand and follow Larry Claypools directions. Larry suggests in the abovemerntioned article that using two stock rear lamp housings I should cut off the flanged portion from one so that only the “bucket” where the globe socket plugs in remains. Then cut out the bottom of the bucket on the second rear lamp housing so that it’s ‘open-ended’. Then attach the two parts so that a double length long housing is made that will accommodate two globe sockets rather than just one.

I have done the above cutting but I have not found that the two parts, (the  buckets) don’t fit perfectly. The buckets have a slight tapered shape and the tapper travels in the wrong direction to make for a good fit. I think I may have to take these parts to my preferred body shop guy and see what he can do with them.

But before I do, I wondered if anyone has attempted this conversion or if Larry Claypool himself is reading this post, then perhaps he might give me a little more information? In particular I would love to see photos of a converted late model ‘double plug’ tail lamp housing.

I can’t see that I have incorrectly cut the two taillight housings, but seeing photos of how they should be cut would at least confirm that I am on the right track with all of this work.

Alternatively, I wonder at times if there are any new LED light conversions that would enable both amber turn signals and white reversing lights from the existing backup lights. LEDs are something I know little about!

Sorry for the lengthy email. Would interested if anyone could add anything to the above?

Regards from Australia (down under)
Carl Kelsen
RHD ‘65 Monza convertible