Replacing the Tail Light Post

By Shad Pionek

Rump Rust

Tools needed:
- sawzall/jigsaw
- screw driver/chisel
- BFH…errrrr..hammer
- hand grinder
- drill
- welder
- tin snips
- pliers
-pry bar

Before I go into the process of replacing the rear tail light panel, there is one thing you should know. The after market panel I received WAS not factory quality (BTW...Ford does not make this panel anymore). There are 3 things this panel lacks. #1 there is no pre-bent lip on the end that connects to the quarter panel area. #2 There is no notch cut out for the hardtop post. #3 there are no tabs to hold the tail light lens in. From what I have heard from other people, all the part houses carry the same panel (although….this could be wrong). Also check your local auto store that deals with body shops. After I bought my panel from a bronco house. I found out that I could have ordered it from the local auto store (it’s a Carquest…but not sure if it’s a Carquest part). The panels I saw were the EXACT same as the one I got (but it had a made in China sticker on the inside). With all that cleared up…LET THE PARTY BEGIN!!!!!!!

The first thing you should do is remove the tailgate/hanger/latch, and taillight. Taking this stuff off will make the process a lot easier.  After you get done with that mumbo jumbo, its time to start the part of no return.

OK OK, right now your looking at the panel asking yourself “where are all the welds??” The tail light panel is really two pieces, a post and the tail light skin….There are 3 spots where the skin is held on….. #1 is along the seam of the quarter panel   #2 is a little spot on top of the post   #3 just to the right of the tail light lens, the spot welds are on the inside of the lip. 

I started to break the welds on the quarter panel area first. A simple way to find the spot weld is to take a screwdriver and smack it into the seam. You may want to use a skinny screwdriver for this process. You can also use a skinny chisel too. You want to pry back the screwdriver a little bit; this should create a small gap. If anything….pry into the taillight panel…this will keep the chances of any damage happening to your quarter panel minimum. After you start getting some gaps…its time to bust out the sawzall (or jigsaw). Just slip the blade into the small gaps and cut the spot welds in half.

 
The next weld to attack is the one on top. This weld is by far the easiest to cut. I took my hand grinder to this area (simply cause my sawzall is down for the count right now). All you have to do is make one straight cut. Just make a cut from where the outside of the panel stops…..to where the inside (hard top post square area) begins. Simple as that

Ok…The next welds are by far the worst. You can’t use brute force on this area; last thing you want is to destroy the lip of the post. This is how I did it. First I made a cut going up from the inside edge of the tail light hole……and I did the same to the bottom….this way you can get rid of almost all of the tail light panel. The next process is to unbend the lip area. An easy way of doing this is to take a small pry bar and use the little wedge end and just twist the lip area out. This way you can use the screwdriver or chisel to find the spot welds. Now you have two choices for breaking these spot welds…..you can use a hand grinder and grind down until you hit the spot welds. Or you can do the sawzall method, create a gap and slip the blade in so you can cut the weld.

 
After all the metal is off, its time to clean up the metal so you can weld. Bust out the drill and pop a few holes in the lip of the post. I didn’t do it that way…but I sure wish I would have.  That way you can do some plug welds to hold that end on.
Now the fun part…….you have to make a lip on the tail light panel so you have a way of connecting it to the quarter panel. This is where the tin snips come in handy. You will see some extra metal left on the edge of the panel. I made little cuts about 1 inch apart. This way I could bend down the lip without causing any damage to the panel. After doing this all you have to do is make it fit flush. I also made the cut on top of the panel for the hard top post to slip into. Don’t worry about cutting the little tabs (that hold the light lens on) off your old panel…..the new panel is kind of different, you place the light housing on the inside of the panel….and the lens on the outside…..that way the panel will be sandwiched between the lens and housing.

Now just line up the panel and start welding.

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