white or clear? (close up pics added on post 25)

[Don65Stang]

This still perplexes me. I looked through my collection of tail light lenses on the shelf & I have both present.

 

[will e]

This still perplexes me. I looked through my collection of tail light lenses on the shelf & I have both present.

Yeah, it's kind of fun. How often do you get to uncover a mystery like this on the internet? Sure, it's no grassy nole but it is interesting. More and more I am thinking they were clear either all of or most of the run. Maybe some white ones in the end with replacements being in white.

I wish I could remember which ones my car had and why I picked up another pair (and what color they were). I didn't notice the difference until I started to polish them with lens polish. I did the clear one first and then started the white one and thought it would 'clean up'. I finally realized they were different. I then assumed the 73 was white. But now... who knows???

 

[OLE PONY]

For whatever it's worth, my convertible was built in April 1973 and still has the original tail lights and has the clear backup light lens.

 

[OMS]

I finally had time to go through several boxes of lights and looked at 7 cars

ALL clear, found 3 white-ish looking ones [ 2 were 71-2, 1 was a 73 ] They were white because they were faded / sun-bleached.

I don't think there was a white, the bleached ones I had were same part numbers as all the others. I think it is caused by sun, heat, chemicals but was not made that way.

 

[will e]

You know Don, I thought the same thing when I originally started cleaning these years ago. I had done the clear one first and was amazed what plastic polish/cleaner can do, then I started in on the second one. I had spent lots of time on the red part and was going to tackle the backup light thinking it would polish clear. It didn't. It cleaned up NICE but not clear. The white ones are white plastic. No doubt that they were made that way on purpose. I will take a close up of it.

 

[will e]

Here are some close ups of the white ones, you can see they are that way on purpose. Also note that they are 'smooth' not ridged like the clear ones:

And the clear one. Notice the 'ridges' in it, the white one doesn't have these. The white one does have the same part number and the little dot in the center and the 'Ford' stamp.

 

[Totalled]

Weird. They're clear on my '73.

 

[JimNiki]

mine were a clear gone yucky white through age. Nothing a sharp blade couldn't fix.

 

[Jim and Jutta]

Since you're torn on the two, I'd listen to your wife rather than us and go with the white to keep her happy.

 

[will e]

The poll was for what is YOUR favorite, not what I should do. But at the time I posted the poll I thought white was used in all 73. They were not. It looks more and more to me like white was used for replacements. Now I will have to verify if I have two white ones... If I do I will probably go that route.