License plate light options

[jjbunn]

For some reason my '71 TR6 has no license plate lights. None on the rear bumper, none on the rear valence. There are wires to hook them up, but nothing there, and no evidence that a light has ever been installed.

I don't fancy drilling the rear bumper, so am wondering what options I have for adding a light. What have others used? Or am I the only one without a light?!

 

[Bugeye58]

Julian, you could add something like this. These were standard on a host of cars. Spits, Sprites, TR3's, etc.
Available from all the usual suspects.
It would require drilling two small holes in the rear valance for the mounting studs, and a slightly larger one for the grommet and wires.
Jeff

 

[jjbunn]

Julian, you could add something like this. These were standard on a host of cars. Spits, Sprites, TR3's, etc.
Available from all the usual suspects.
It would require drilling two small holes in the rear valance for the mounting studs, and a slightly larger one for the grommet and wires.
Jeff

That looks just the ticket - good suggestion: thanks, Jeff!

 

[Bugeye58]

Julian, you can see one installed on this picture of Tom's TR3.
Jeff

 

[Guest]

Julian, did you look for the two rectangular holes under the lip where your key goes in? There should be the holes there, especially if there is wiring.

These whole light assemblies, which are recessed, are available cheap enough from TRF. That is where I got mine.

 

[BryanC]

did you look for the two rectangular holes under the lip where your key goes in?

The earlier cars (like the '71) did not have holes under the lip. They had a separate light that attached to the top of the center bumper bar. There was a hole in the valance near the bumper for the wiring to pass through. It sounds like someone replaced the center bumper section with one from a later car that doesn't have the holes to mount the light.

You could replace the bumper bar and light or go to something like the one shown above and attach it to the rear valance or attach it to a license plate frame if you don't want to drill the valance (see an MGA license plate frame for an example of this).

Bryan

 

[Deleted member 451]

If you are thinking about the TR3 light you may want the TR2 light instead. I've been thinking about changing mine to a TR2 light and figuring out a way to make it a third brake light also. Shouldn't be to hard. Anyone have any ideas on this?

 

[PeterK]

I like the look of the TR2 license light too, easy to tap into the brake circuit and use a a brake light on a 3.

BUT, it is not sufficiently high enough off the ground to be considered a "third" brake light. For safety, a 3rd BL needs to be mount higher up on the car.

 

[DNK]

Julian, You can buy a brand new one (pretty pricey), get a used one on ebay and have it redone(pretty pricey too). I am sure there is a few early 6's in your area to see were it is mounted. I would bet the holes are there in the body for the wiring. It probably didn't have 1 because it's a Belgian (sp?) car

Note: just had the one I got from a forum member rechromed and it cost me almost $300. Looks beautiful though

 

[Andrew Mace]

...I would bet the holes are there in the body for the wiring. It probably didn't have 1 because it's a Belgian (sp?) car....

I'd assume that there was some sort of number plate light on the car originally. But, being a Belgian-assembled car, it's possible that the car -- originally destined for some other market such as Germany -- had something other than the "normal" number plate lamp setup. This was often the case for cars built to German spec's. Unfortunately, I don't have an original TR6 Spare Parts Catalogue to look at, so I don't know what that German spec. setup might have looked like on a TR6.

 

[DNK]

Andy, not having a book on TRs, the world is coming to an end.

 

[Andrew Mace]

Andy, not having a book on TRs, the world is coming to an end.

Yeah, I know....

I do have just about every Factory TR Spare Parts Catalogue up through the TR250 (but not TR5), as well as most all the Spitfire, GT6, Herald and Vitesse (and a lot of Standards, too)....

 

[roofman]

That TR3 plate light looks kinda big to be fitted above the plate. Check the measurements before buying one.

 

[roofman]

https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-UNIVE...sspagenameZWDVW
Check these out.
https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Pair-smal...sspagenameZWDVW

 

[jjbunn]

Thanks ... I just ordered a TR3-style light. I think there is plenty of vertical space to fit it, but will post again once I have it and it's installed.

 

[DNK]

You should have looked at the 73 and newer style . It would probably look better.

 

[jjbunn]

Julian, you could add something like this. These were standard on a host of cars. Spits, Sprites, TR3's, etc.
Available from all the usual suspects.
It would require drilling two small holes in the rear valance for the mounting studs, and a slightly larger one for the grommet and wires.
Jeff

So I tried one of the lights Bugeye58 suggested, but it turned out to be too tall, and wouldn't quite fit.

In the end I went with a BMW affair, with lights at either side. This unit is off a '72 BMW 2002, so is period correct /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif Or is this sacrilege?!

Big version here: https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2310/2113261521_9d9ea835f8_o.jpg

 

[DNK]

Works for me Almost looks original

 

[TR4nut]

Yep, looks like a Spitfire setup.

Randy