Back Up Lights

see2xu · Addicted!

Back Up Lights

65 SD L79 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

ya one year only no other models have the same and none of them survived

see2xu · Addicted!

Seems like maybe fullsize '64-'66 Pontiac reverse lamps are the same; ordered a pair from OPG, and will post if they work. I can't see the General tooling up a special part for a few thousand cars. Even 55 years ago, those economics wouldn't work. Punching the Chevelle bumper with a insert in the dies to open the hole for the Pontiac lights would have made more sense; just take that piece out of the press when forming a Chevrolet bumper.

-- Edited by see2xu on Tuesday 1st of December 2020 05:13:30 PM

66 Beau · Poncho Master!

Good luck with the Pontiac lights - to my knowledge, they are not a match, but if they are, there'll be a whole bunch of happy Beaumont owners out there!!

The General may have been hesitant to gear up for a few thousand cars, but the tail lights, grill, side trim, etc were all unique to that one car for that one year. The bumper itself is unique to the Beaumont too. The holes for the tail lights are not simply cutouts from a Chevelle bumper. The holes have a boss around them that the tail light housing butts up to.

I saw back-up lights on what I think was a '65 Mustang. Believe it or not, they looked awfully similar (externally visual part anyway). I know the '65 GTO reverse lights are also similar, but the bumper angle is wrong so the lights don't fit.

The actual Beaumont pieces have a large finned cylindrical portion that cannot be seen except from under the car - and that was often the target for rocks coming off the rear tires. This contributed in no small way to the scarcity of these pieces.

Please let us know if you find something that works. You're not alone in the search!

r66sd · Addicted!

I saved this from a while ago so dont know if they sold or not?

r66sd · Addicted!

Prefectca · Poncho Master!

Its hard to say if the back up lights are borrowed from a different GM vehicle. I was doing work on a 1951 GMC suburban and was trying to find front park lights. I ended up using 55 Chevy pickup parking lights. The 55 lights were a bit larger, look okay and are available reproduction. I did find that the original type parking lights were the same as 1947 Buick reverse lights!

Paul

see2xu · Addicted!

My career spanned from just before NAFTA, to the global trade of the new millennium, so I sort of overlook what the industry was like when I was a pre-teen. It seems inconceivable, now, to tool up for a few hundred parts, unless it's a MacLaren or a Bugatti, but things were more relaxed back then. The Marketing and Engineering people had much more say over what was done, Operations and the beancounters took a back seat, and they were able to pass the costs through in the pricing because competition was polite and restrained. All the Big 3 had to worry about, in those days, was Austins, Sunbeams, MGs and Triumphs, which was sort of like the wheelchair Olympics.

I'll let everybody know how the full-size lights work. My buddy is a fabricator, used to work on the Petty cars locally, so he may be able to make something that will work, if the repro items aren't going to fit or function properly.

Lt1 Burb · Addicted!

That is kinda cool, another Beaumont owner in the lower 48, not too many of us.

see2xu · Addicted!

The same week I was finally able to title mine (NC is a pain in the patoot regarding out-of-state, let alone out-of-country, registration), someone else registered the only other Beaumont (pronounced Bewmint by the locals, they call Beaufort, SC, Bewfirt) presently bearing NC tags. The inspector wouldnt/couldnt tell me where it is, but Im hoping to see it at a car show.

Remember those?

kelico · Poncho Master!

Ive still been trying to Draw up the reverse light housing, and I have a mold for the lenses.. so if you need lenses.. i have a few in my desk (I've been away for quite awhile and totally put this stuff out of my mind)

just printed a start of a light housing yesterday (dec 15 2020).

I put the resolution to DRAFT so the finish is pretty rough.. it was more as a test to see if the fins and the angle of the body to flange were close to correct or not.. but really.. I may just make a light that will have the proper flange size and then us the GTO components for the rest of the housing and mounting brackets

see2xu · Addicted!

Wow, yeah, that would be great. Were yet to test-fit the full-size ones, theyve arrived but other projects have been demanding. But, yes, 3D printed housings and lenses would be ideal. So, wed just add wires and the bulb socket from another GM model line of the same vintage, and away we go?

kelico · Poncho Master!

I believe that would be the case yes..
PM sending..

jmont64 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Good to hear from you Kelly. Glad you popped in.

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

jmont64 wrote:
Good to hear from you Kelly. Glad you popped in.

Agreed! I noticed the other day you have a birthday coming to. An early happy birthday Kelly!

And stop by here more often, your input has been missed.

kelico · Poncho Master!

thanks guys!!

see2xu · Addicted!

SUCCESS!

Housing, Backup Lamp, 1964-66 GTL/Bonn/Cat, 1965-66 Grand Prix @ OPGI.com

Lenses, Back-Up Lamp, 1964-66 GTL/Bonn/Cat/1965-66 GP @ OPGI.com

They fit, they look right, and the light cast is pretty much where we'd expect it to be.

Save your gaskets - they aren't part of the deal, ditto the lens fasteners. One revelation - the fasteners that came with my car are a bit too big, either diameter or thread count, and the threads end too soon, for the replica housings. Fortunately, my buddy has a seemingly infinite supply of GM mechanical and electrical attaching pieces (his family owned a Chebby dealership in Northern Virginia, years ago, and he scavenged all kinds of stuff when it closed), so they're now properly in place. We used LED replacements for 1154 bulbs, which worked perfectly.

The lenses are directional, so clocking matters. 45 or 90 degrees off vertical can give you a lazy eye look, or produce searchlight patterns. Not like this old girl is going to be backing into dark places at night, much...

-- Edited by see2xu on Friday 18th of December 2020 03:58:42 PM

-- Edited by see2xu on Friday 18th of December 2020 04:06:29 PM

-- Edited by see2xu on Friday 18th of December 2020 04:14:18 PM

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

see2xu · Addicted!

Thanks, Bro. I meant the pictures I took of my car, with the lamps installed, and comparing the old lens that came with mine, to the ones from OPG. They aren't uploading for some reason.

**Update - they finally "took"!**

-- Edited by see2xu on Friday 18th of December 2020 04:15:51 PM

Pontiacanada · A Poncho Legend!

I bought those for my '64 Parisienne (they are exactly like a '64 Parisienne's original lights).

Many people on this website said they wouldn't fit a '66 Beaumont. Now we know they will work.

They look good!

66 Beau · Poncho Master!

Thats great news!!! They look good in there.

There are a bunch of 66 Beaumonts running around with their exhaust pipes sticking out of their bumpers. No excuse for that now...

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

see2xu wrote:
Thanks, Bro. I meant the pictures I took of my car, with the lamps installed, and comparing the old lens that came with mine, to the ones from OPG. They aren't uploading for some reason.

LOL, sorry about that! Oh well, it's good that everyone can get a good look at them close up anyway!

I think you've made the day for some 66 Beaumont owners who've been trying to figure out what to do about back up lights.

see2xu · Addicted!

No apology needed. Dunno why the .jpgs werent uploading. But, then, magically, they did.

May be Russian hackers.

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

Blame it on COVID.

Lt1 Burb · Addicted!

Definitely better than holes,