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Old 12-25-2018, 03:30 PM   #1
Fourspd2quad
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Default '51 Woodie tail light and parking lenses?

Hi everyone and Happy Holidays! Can anyone tell me what material the original lenses were? I am finding what people are calling NOS parts and they are plastic. Just wondering because I have seen some that are glass. What is correct? Thanks!!!
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Old 12-26-2018, 08:51 AM   #2
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Default Re: '51 Woodie tail light and parking lenses?

The taillights housings on 1949-1951 Ford / Mercury woodies were carry overs from 1933 to 1936 Ford taillight housings. The lens for them were glass.
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Old 12-26-2018, 09:37 AM   #3
TJ
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Default Re: '51 Woodie tail light and parking lenses?

It's possible that the plastic lenses are NOS replacement parts from Ford. The originals were in fact glass.
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Old 12-26-2018, 10:56 AM   #4
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Default Re: '51 Woodie tail light and parking lenses?

I have owned '51 Fords on and off since 1957. I don't remember seeing anything but plastic parking light lenses. I am not completely certain about the parking light lenses, but I am almost sure that the '51 car taillight lenses were plastic. Given this, I can't see any logical reason that the front wouldn't be plastic as well. And, I can't believe station wagon PL lenses would be different those on passenger cars.
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Old 12-26-2018, 10:03 PM   #5
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Default Re: '51 Woodie tail light and parking lenses?

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Originally Posted by TJ View Post
It's possible that the plastic lenses are NOS replacement parts from Ford. The originals were in fact glass.
No, the parking lights were plastic on the 51s. The glass ones are reproductions although I have never seen one.
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Old 12-30-2018, 08:45 PM   #6
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Default Re: '51 Woodie tail light and parking lenses?

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Thanks everyone for their help. Here is an ad for glass parking light lenses. They claim to be '51's.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1951-Ford-p...frcectupt=true
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Old 12-30-2018, 11:51 PM   #7
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Default Re: '51 Woodie tail light and parking lenses?


I believe that the Tail Lights Lens on the 1951 Ford Country Squire were glass, the same lens as used in the 1933 thru 1936 Fords. In Australia, the same taillights were used on our local 1937 Fords. However, on the passenger cars with the new fancy tail light, the lens was plastic. From my observation, the 1951 Ford passenger cars used plastic tail light lens for the very first time, while the wagons continued using the carry-over early glass lens. I have a NOS Ford lens for the 1949 and 1950 Ford passenger car, and it is glass. Please correct me if I am wrong?
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Old 12-30-2018, 11:59 PM   #8
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Default Re: '51 Woodie tail light and parking lenses?




Looking at these two cars, it seems that the Park Light Lens are plastic?
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Old 12-31-2018, 12:32 AM   #9
50fordcoupeman
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Default Re: '51 Woodie tail light and parking lenses?

Mercman,
My avatar, although not a woodie, has glass rear lenses and plastic front lenses. Who knows if they are original though.
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Old 12-31-2018, 01:53 AM   #10
mercman from oz
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Default Re: '51 Woodie tail light and parking lenses?

50fordcoupeman, You are correct. I believe that the 49 and 50 Ford Passenger cars were Glass, as I have a NOS Glass Lens in my collection. I am of the opinion that Ford changed to Plastic Lens with the 1951 Ford Passenger cars, except the Woody, which continued using Glass Tail Lights of the earlier design.
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Old 12-31-2018, 02:04 AM   #11
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Default Re: '51 Woodie tail light and parking lenses?

Yes on the '49. My friend has one. It's amazing we can converse half way around the world like this!!!
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Old 12-31-2018, 11:42 AM   #12
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Default Re: '51 Woodie tail light and parking lenses?

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Originally Posted by Fourspd2quad View Post
Thanks everyone for their help. Here is an ad for glass parking light lenses. They claim to be '51's.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1951-Ford-p...frcectupt=true
The seller is calling these remanufactured. That answers your question. They are not originals but they are a nice repos that are very desirable. They look very much like the originals. No one would ever know the difference and they would last longer.
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Old 01-01-2019, 03:08 PM   #13
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Default Re: '51 Woodie tail light and parking lenses?

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Originally Posted by philipswanson View Post
The seller is calling these remanufactured. That answers your question. They are not originals but they are a nice repos that are very desirable. They look very much like the originals. No one would ever know the difference and they would last longer.
Phil,
I guess I got a bit confused as I saw wagon tail lights being glass and the front parking lights being offered as plastic and glass.
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Old 01-01-2019, 07:16 PM   #14
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Default Re: '51 Woodie tail light and parking lenses?

The part number for the lens was unchanged for the pickup type tail lamps and the station wagons. If they were changed to plastic the end suffix would have changed. Now this is only for the round style tail lamp lens as mentioned since this is the one in question. Aftermarket replacements would more likely been plastic but they won't have the Ford part number.
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Old 01-02-2019, 04:14 AM   #15
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Default Re: '51 Woodie tail light and parking lenses?

Head lights and tail lights are glass on my 50 woodie. Everything else is plastic. Same on my 50 deluxe coupe that is all original.
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Old 01-02-2019, 10:05 AM   #16
Gary in La.
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Default Re: '51 Woodie tail light and parking lenses?

In Lorin Sorensen's book "FORD GOLDEN FIFTIES" in the 1950 chapter it's stated that Ford was trying to lower weight and cost of the new cars. This came under the direction of Gordon Buehrig who introduced the "new" high impact molded acrylic plastic. It was put into production for the tail, park and back-up lenses. Suspect the previous glass lenses were used until gone so there probably was a mixture for some time off the line.
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