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How to repair taillight sockets on 66 F-85 station wagon
My 66 F-85 wagon has been sitting for several years and I didn't notice water got inside the taillights. Now the sockets are bad and looks like they aren't designed to be replaced. Crazy! Anybody know how to repair or replace these sockets? Guess I have to cut them off and try to find replacement sockets that snap into the hole.
How rusty are the sockets?, Is the spring tension still good on the contacts?
I have repaired 66 turn signal housings , they are similar to your housings.
Depending on how bad they are, I have two ways I like to repair them< your are going to have to cutoff and then recrimp new terminals on the wire either way.
I am doing one right now and will send you some pictures tomorrow.
If the wiring is bad or the spring tension is no good , you will need to get some Standard Motor products S39 pigtails.
Nick
I’ve got a couple of ‘66’s, not with those kinds of sockets, but here’s what I’d recommend.
1) Avoid offshore (Ch*nese) replacements. You will very likely be disappointed in their quality, unless your GM originals are beyond repair. In which case, go for it with the offshore stuff.
2) If you’re going the route of restoring what GM built 60 years ago, a dremel is your friend. The idea is to use the rotary tool with various sanding and grinding tips to restore electrical conductivity to the end of the conductor wires. Simply put, grind off the rust/grime/carbon to get to a clean brass surface on the mushroom heads of the wire ends and also to the inside of the cylinder in which the bulb sits.
3) If you can get good replacements as recommended above, go to it, but this job is not all that different from cleaning up a corroded AA battery contact - clean off the cr*p and it should work.
How rusty are the sockets?, Is the spring tension still good on the contacts?
I have repaired 66 turn signal housings , they are similar to your housings.
Depending on how bad they are, I have two ways I like to repair them< your are going to have to cutoff and then recrimp new terminals on the wire either way.
I am doing one right now and will send you some pictures tomorrow.
If the wiring is bad or the spring tension is no good , you will need to get some Standard Motor products S39 pigtails.
Nick
The lower sockets don't look good but are still solid. I just can't get a new bulb to push down and turn. I guess the springs are frozen or something.. One of the front turn signal housings is also bad from water getting inside. I look forward to seeing the pictures of your repair. Thanks.
Thank you Chris for your reply and Nick for your PM with the pictures and part numbers. I will try cleaning the sockets before rebuilding them. Thanks again, Mike
