Flare Side Rear Lights and License Plate Bracket - Removal

[ArdWrknTrk]

@ArdWrknTrk (Jim) - no worries, I wasn't trying to be snide.

I didn't take it that way, but I'm embarrassed that I wasn't paying more attention.

[Bronco638]

@ArdWrknTrk (Jim) - no worries, I wasn't trying to be snide.

As suspected, the taillights are not original (the front of the truck is to the right):

So, it seems as if there's four (?) power sources; left turn signal/brake (LG/O), right turn signal/brake (O/LB), running lights (BR), and license plate light (BR). What's the fourth? Reverse? I think it's Black with a Pink or Red tracer. Partial credit for using spade connectors (as opposed to twisted wires).

Here's what the license plate bracket light looks like:

The light was grounded to the rear, lower panel of the bed, via the inboard license plate mounting bolt. Power came from one of the wires running to the taillight.

Lastly, here's a screen shot from the 1980 EVTM showing the taillights:

I can now see that the ground point is at the taillight housing itself. What threw me was the G1004 ground point.

And, thanks for verifying that my bed still has the stock taillight supports. I can see that running a grounding wire, to the frame, is a great idea.

[Rembrant]

Here's what the license plate bracket light looks like:

https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n152396/20240424_173539.jpg

That's the original factory lamp for the Flareside license plate bracket. They're long obsolete and fairly hard to find. They do show up on Ebay from time to time as they were used on a couple other Ford vehicles.

 

[Rembrant]

I can now see that the ground point is at the taillight housing itself. What threw me was the G1004 ground point.

The lack of a ground wire has caused a lot of confusion for Flareside owners over the years. The topic comes up occasionally because I think we all (by default) assume there's a ground wire. Truth is, there never was one. The Flareside beds may have been an OK grounding point when they were new, but add in some rust and the taillights got wonky pretty quickly.

Grote used to sell new lights that were almost identical to the factory originals, but they obsoleted them about two years ago. I bought and installed two sets of them.

 

[Bronco638]

I can now see that the ground point is at the taillight housing itself. What threw me was the G1004 ground point.

The lack of a ground wire has caused a lot of confusion for Flareside owners over the years. The topic comes up occasionally because I think we all (by default) assume there's a ground wire. Truth is, there never was one. The Flareside beds may have been an OK grounding point when they were new, but add in some rust and the taillights got wonky pretty quickly.

Grote used to sell new lights that were almost identical to the factory originals, but they obsoleted them about two years ago. I bought and installed two sets of them.

"Grote used to sell new lights that were almost identical to the factory originals, but they obsoleted them about two years ago. I bought and installed two sets of them."

So, what I see in the picture, that you posted, are taillights that are pretty close to the O.E. units? Mine clearly are trailer units and going into the "parts not to be used" pile (one is busted pretty badly and is garbage).

Thanks for confirming I have the O.E. license plate light. I'm going to assume that I have the O.E. license plate bracket, too. I know those are hard to find.

[Rembrant]

"Grote used to sell new lights that were almost identical to the factory originals, but they obsoleted them about two years ago. I bought and installed two sets of them."

So, what I see in the picture, that you posted, are taillights that are pretty close to the O.E. units? Mine clearly are trailer units and going into the "parts not to be used" pile (one is busted pretty badly and is garbage).

Thanks for confirming I have the O.E. license plate light. I'm going to assume that I have the O.E. license plate bracket, too. I know those are hard to find.

Yes sir, that is the factory original Flareside license plate bracket. Long obsolete and very hard to find. Yours looks to be in quite nice condition.

The part numbers for the Grote lights was 52802 and 52812. You may still find them in stock in a warehouse or with an aftermarket supplier somewhere, but Grote stopped making them about 2 years ago. They're almost identical to the originals. Only thing I had to do was cut off the plugs and extend the harness a little bit. Otherwise, they're basically the same thing. Good luck finding them though...I'm not sure on the availability. You could also look around the Grote website...they may have some similar lights still available.

[viven44]

Sorry,...

I get into a lot of threads and I was looking at your name, and not your sig.

I don't know how many oversights I will have by the time I get to your post count

[Bronco638]

Yes sir, that is the factory original Flareside license plate bracket. Long

obsolete and very hard to find. Yours looks to be in quite nice condition.

Thanks for confirming. It was bent backwards a little but I think I can fix that without stress weakening the sheet metal.

I'm headed to a major Midwest swap meet this weekend outside of Madison, WI. I'll see if I can source something there. I have lots of parts to shop for, so it'll be interesting to see what's available. Naturally, the weather is supposed to be 'variable' (ah, spring in the Midwest) so I'm hoping I don't have to slog thru muddy goo....

EDIT: These look promising:

LINK

They don't seem to have the reflector on one side (so, there's no left or right) but they're pretty close. The price is pretty good, too. The Grote 52802 and 52812 seem to be NLA everywhere I checked.

[ArdWrknTrk]

As suspected, the taillights are not original (the front of the truck is to the right):

So, it seems as if there's four (?) power sources; left turn signal/brake (LG/O), right turn signal/brake (O/LB), running lights (BR), and license plate light (BR). What's the fourth? Reverse? I think it's Black with a Pink or Red tracer. Partial credit for using spade connectors (as opposed to twisted wires).

Here's what the license plate bracket light looks like:

The light was grounded to the rear, lower panel of the bed, via the inboard license plate mounting bolt. Power came from one of the wires running to the taillight.

Lastly, here's a screen shot from the 1980 EVTM showing the taillights:

I can now see that the ground point is at the taillight housing itself. What threw me was the G1004 ground point.

And, thanks for verifying that my bed still has the stock taillight supports. I can see that running a grounding wire, to the frame, is a great idea.

Confirmed, bk/pk is backup lights...

I think Ron (Reamer) was repoping those license plate brackets.

Maybe look in the marketplace?

[Bronco638]

Confirmed, bk/pk is backup lights...

I think Ron (Reamer) was repoping those license plate brackets.

Maybe look in the marketplace?

Thanks for confirming that the BK/PK wire is backup. I couldn't find that on the EVTM. I think my license plate bracket will be OK once it gets a little TLC. But, yes, I did see that Reamer was reproducing them.