Cobra Tail light lenses don't fit on GT?

Topdowncruise

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Apr 7, 2005
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I bought a pair of Cobra tail light lenses from 50resto to change out my cheese graters.Anyway they don't seem to fit because the Cobra lenses are far more shallow (about an inch).This would cause them to be too far recessed under the trunk lid.I was told I could just swap the lenses not the whole tail light assembly.Am I missing smething here?Otherwise,it looks like I will have to return them.Thanks.
 
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So,this is normal for these cobra lenses and LX's to be further in than the stock GT's.It is further in say about .5 inch?It doesn't look odd?Hey Old Blue,I checked out the pics of your car,the LX lights seem to be flush with the trunk lid.
 
the Lx's fit mine just fine tho

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I swapped to LXs on my old GT and they fit just fine. I only replaced the lenses, but I'm sure the GT and LX housings are exactly the same.

Are you saying that the Cobra housings are more shallow or the lenses?
 
Topdowncruise said:
I bought a pair of Cobra tail light lenses from 50resto to change out my cheese graters.Anyway they don't seem to fit because the Cobra lenses are far more shallow (about an inch).This would cause them to be too far recessed under the trunk lid.I was told I could just swap the lenses not the whole tail light assembly.Am I missing smething here?Otherwise,it looks like I will have to return them.Thanks.

btw, how was the install of just the lenses? my rear driver side lens has a couple nicks in it, and i want to get a new pair and have them painted with translucent black paint...
 
BStevens said:
btw, how was the install of just the lenses? my rear driver side lens has a couple nicks in it, and i want to get a new pair and have them painted with translucent black paint...
Installing new lenses is easy stuff. Just gotta buy new clips and butyl (the sticky rubber compound that seals them up). Then take off your old lenses by popping them off. Remove all the old seal and reinstall the new. Install your new clips on the new lenses and just clip them back into the housing.
 
88 Fox GT said:
I swapped to LXs on my old GT and they fit just fine. I only replaced the lenses, but I'm sure the GT and LX housings are exactly the same.

Are you saying that the Cobra housings are more shallow or the lenses?
I have never seen the Cobra housing,I am just putting the Cobra lenses on the GT housing.The lenses themselves are not as deep by about an inch.I didn't realize how much until the guy stripping down my car and painting it pointed it out.The Pics you guys have provided don't look like the lights are recessed but it is hard to be sure.Bstevens:I haven't had them installed yet so I can't comment on how easy.As of now it looks like I might return them.
 
It's just how they are.

All the taillight housings from 1983-1993 are the same, so buying CObra housings will not fix the problem. It's the same part.

The problem is the lens is shallower than the 87+ lenses. Gotta remember the '93 Cobra taillight lens is nothing more than some '86 SVO lenses Ford resurrected. The 83-86 lenses are slightly shallower (both non-striped and striped SVO). I do not know why? Perhaps the '83's has a different hatch that did not protrude as much? Only way to tell is to find some original '83's or '84's and see how far the hatch sticks out.

But as far as i know, any 83-86 lens put on an '87+ Mustang is recessed.

Mine are sunken in too, but it doesn't bother me. Excuse the dirty car.
 

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I bought a pair of mint 1986 GT lenses and housing on ebay a little over a year ago for the price of just one of those lenses from 50resto.

Before I put them on I sized up the housings of the 86GT with the lenses already in them to the LX's on my car. The housings were very very close to each other in size. Only difference was probably about a couple of millimetres in difference.

Yes, the LX lenses are "bulbous" or rounder than the 86GT's or the Cobra's. I knew before I put them on that I'd have some overhang from the hatch lid and yes, I do. It's recessed about half an inch. Unless you're a foxbody stang buff, you'd never know the difference. I don't know how it would look recessed on a notch/trunk though. I think the hatch let's me get away with some of the overhang.

I went down to the local autoparts store and got a roll of black pinstripping material sold in the autobody section and was able to pinstripe both lenses with about a foot left to spare. Again, unless you got up really close to the lenses or ran your fingers over the surface, you'd swear they were true Cobra's. I was rather meticulous as to making sure the space separating each stripe on the lense was proportionate.

As for swapping out the lenses, the ones I got from ebay the butyl seals were dry and the lense of one of them was rather loose. So I gently pryed the lense off the housing using a large flathead screwdriver and just resealed the lense to the housing by covering the old butyl with fresh sylicon sealer. The I just re-seated the lense in the housing and wrapped tape around the lense and the housing to keep it snug for drying and left it overnight. Next morning I reinstalled. Holds great now!!!!

Even though you can do this job with the housings still attached to your car, I highly advise that you take them off and do it right at a workbench or kitchen table. That way, you can clean the housing also.
 
PonyBoy90 said:
As for swapping out the lenses, the ones I got from ebay the butyl seals were dry and the lense of one of them was rather loose. So I gently pryed the lense off the housing using a large flathead screwdriver and just resealed the lense to the housing by covering the old butyl with fresh sylicon sealer. The I just re-seated the lense in the housing and wrapped tape around the lense and the housing to keep it snug for drying and left it overnight. Next morning I reinstalled. Holds great now!!!!


You can get fresh Butyl tape at advanced auto or Napa. It's sold in the aisle where the glues and RTV is. It's in a white box called 3m Window tape or something like that. You get 15' for $13.

I just redid my lenses a couple days ago to put fresh butyl and repaint the reflectors inside chrome so the bulbs would light up better. SInce it's 3/8" thick, you have to stretch it out thinner. I think i used 2 feet to do both lenses. Now they are sealed as good as factory.

Also, the pinstripe i used is also sold at local parts store. It's the brand that has the red V6 Mustang on the label. I think i used 1/8" thick. Wipe the lens down with alcohol first and let dry and apply the stripe. I did this 2 years ago and it has yet to peel. You can't even tell unless you get up close and try to feel for the stripe.

I know that cobras have a break int he middle stripe on the side for the reflector, but i chose to keep it continuous.


I paid $25 for the lenses off ebay, $10 for two housings from boneyard, $13 for fresh butyl, $5 for a can of chrome spray paint and $5 for pinstripe.....and then i sold my factory LX taillights for $100 :)