The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay 1957 3100 Tail Light from Classic Industries

I ordered 2 of Classic Industries CT25665 Tail Lamp Assys. The contacts on the end of the wires seem to have a very flimsy way to connect to the plastic housing the fits into the brass bulb housing sleeve. And the rubber boot that I assume is supposed to cover the exposed bulb sleeve, appears to be a bit too small. Push on the boot hard enough and the sleeve gets pushed into the entire housing. What am I doing wrong?

The spring loaded bulb contacts are "retained" in a plastic insulator. That insulator and it's contacts are retained into the lamp housing socket ID (rear protrusion) with a bayonet lock.

Your "bulb sleeve", I call socket.

I don't remember how the spring loaded bulb contacts are "held" into the insulator. I think they just float in there until a bulb is placed. So put a bulb in the socket after you install the bayonet insulator. I believe you can gently pull back on the wires on the contacts to "seat" contacts down in the insulator while installing bulb if you need to. Then everything is tight. Then slide the sleeving with boot down the wire bundle and onto socket OD (rear protrusion). You can slightly heat the boot or use soap. Needs to fit tight.

There is another bayonet for the bulb, as you know.

Test it to see it light before final install.

If you need to talk more, post good pics of all the pieces so we can be on the same page with names of parts and assembly.

Thanks for the reply. I understand how the plastic bayonet fitting works, as well as how the bulb will only install one way, allowing to have a tail light separate for the brake/turn signal. I should have worded my question a bit differently. I was concerned over what I felt was the frailty of the wire ends and how they seemed insecure in the plastic housing/metal contacts. I have attached a photo of the ends. My second concern was the lack of flexibility of the rubber boot. Using lubricant, and much force, without securing the socket from the inside, the entire socket pushed through the housing. See attached photo. I thought that either the boot should be more pliable or the socket be more securely attached. If this is the way that these are meant to be, then OK. I was wondering if anyone else had these problem with this setup. Again, I should have been more clear.

Show me a pic of the other end of those wires and show me the back and front of your new lamp housing. Lens off. The socket is supposed to be PERMANENTLY attached to housing. I will wait for more pics. Show EVERYTHING you bought (ALL parts) and EVERYTHING you have. Show the parts separate/separated from each other.
The boot they supplied has to fit the housing they supplied. You must be mixing parts????????

I understand all of your questions.
Is it possible you have the bulb and insulator on the wrong ends?

I bought the Tail Lamp Assy. Part #CT25665 as mentioned in my first post. The housing has the double-ended socket, (what I called a sleeve) bulb, plastic fitting for the wires, lens, gasket and screws installed. Included is the black and white pigtail harness, The harness has the boot attached as well as some loosely fitting black plastic protecting the wires for several inches. There are small contacts installed on the end of the wires. To install, you must first determine which wire, and which contact in the plastic fitting corresponds to the brake light and tail light. Install the wires into the appropriate holes and slide the boot and plastic shielding up the wire. As mentioned, the boot should be a snug fit over the double ended socket (The plastic fitting end). This socket has one end meant solely for the bulb with offset bayonet connecters. The other end of the double sided socket is designed to accept the plastic fitting for the wires. It too is a bayonet style fitting but the pins/lugs are horizontal to each other. There is no way to swap ends of the socket or the bulb or plastic fitting. Upon lubing, and then pushing the boot onto the socket, the socket itself slid into the taillight housing. The socket is NOT permanently attached to the housing. Maybe it should be, but it is not in this case! I can move it through the housing with minimal force, no tools required. Since it moved, I was curious as to whether anyone else had this problem. And if quality is an issue, is this also reflected in the quality of the little connectors on the end of the wires that slide into the plastic housing.
I have not mixed parts. The parts I have are what was provided in the assembly. If preferred, I can install the socket, bulb and plastic fitting into the housing and send a photo if you like. I think this is just a matter of quality control, or lack thereof.

Do not take my questions or my suggestions/opinions personally. There is no other way for me to help. If someone knows better answers, they can respond.

1. I believe the socket should not come loose from the housing. Call the company.... or fix it to be pressed back in by examining how it was held.
2. I asked to see the other ends of those wires, I guess I see that the other end is a blade contact and shell (connector) to be able to continue the wiring onward to the cab.
3. You are saying that the wires with the weird shape contact don't fit very well into the white insulator. I see a bent down tab, which is supposed to lock/snap into a step inside the insulator and then I guess the weird shape part of the contact is supposed to contact the back side of the spring loaded bulb contacts shown in place inside the insulator.
4. I understand you are saying the boot won't fit over the socket that came loose. That does not make since. Show me a pic of trying to put on the boot. Maybe their boot just fits over the insulator.

keep in mind, until a better helper comes along, I'm doing my best to figure out parts I don't have in my hand. I do have experience with wiring lights and etc. The tail lights I've used are similar but not exact. I prefer the prewired insulator.
All I can do is look at pics, and questions, understand your efforts and feedback what I think.

Let me know if my assuptions and how parts go together is correct. Also can't you compare the other light to discover whether quality control is just one light or if the other light has the same issues?

I appreciate your input. I believe the key issue to all of this is that the socket should be permanently attached. This is not. As a result, when attempting to attach the boot, the socket just pushes through the housing.
The other end of the wiring is a factory style blade connector.
With enough force, the very non-flexible boot will fit over the socket... The fault is that the socket is not properly attached and pushes through.
I will call Classic Industries This morning.
Thanks for your input, questions, and guidance.

Agreed;
If you heat the rubber boot a little with a heat gun, it will slide on better and when cool is will "shrink" back tight. Let us know what the vendor says and your final outcome.
If you need any help with the actual wiring, let us know.
Glad to help. you are welcome.

Spoke with Classic Industries. They acknowledged the problem and are sending out a replacement assembly. They do not want to original one. Fast and helpful customer service.
All is good.
Thanks again!

couple of Mig tacks will fix it. Light was probably made in China. But so is the Mig welder and the mig wire and the helmet and the gloves and ...... It's OK, Americans aren't Made in America anymore either.

Good one, bartamos.

Poorly made would not adequately describe that part. Yes the socket should be either soldered or pressed tightly into
the housing. But... the housing is painted or powder coated so it wouldn't create a ground anyway.
I purchased a license plate light assembly from one of the local suppliers that had the entire socket powder
coated. I had to clean off the coating from the inside to get the thing to work. People making this stuff don't have a clue
how stuff works and vendors don't either. They just push parts across the counter and collect your money.
Fred

I bough a taillight chrome lens surround from them a few years back
It would not seat properly onto the original housing of the 47-53 tail light
And when I tried to massage it to fit the chrome started flaking off in my hands
That part went directly into metal recycling I was so disappointed with the material thickness and fit and finish
I ended up silver spraying an original until I decide if I want to send a bunch of tiny parts off for new chrome.
-s

Yes Fred you are right. Grounding is an issue with lighting. Parts are painted or powder coated. Housing, brackets, truck frame. It's up to us to be cognizant of that. The manufacturers/vendors have to protect the product on long sea journeys. Salt air, storage, etc. So that we receive a nice looking unrusted product. It's just the nature of the game with auto electrical which uses the metal and chassis as ground. As you know, most troubles are a ground problem. Seems silly but we have to take off the paint, mount the thing and then paint. Maybe add a wire here or there. Some use dielectric compounds.

I bought a set of re-pop taillights... the service rep warned me that they were not very "stout".... they were not, but did work just fine (after I put in replacement bulb sockets for the newer bulbs).