steves66c20,
It sounds like you have things well in hand. Make sure both lamps are good and the contacts on them, and the sockets are clean. Use your vise-grips to attach a wire to a good clean frame point, and touch the brass housing of the lamp holder.
If this does it..you will have to clean a good path to ground through your freshly painted taillights, making sure the bed is well grounded to the frame.
If this light assembly is common with the taillights, they shouldn't work either if it is a ground/fresh paint deal!
Stuart
