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Shaving Reverse Lights

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73Midget

73Midget

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I am getting ready to finish up the bodywork on my ’73 Midget so it will be ready for paint in the spring (I have been saying that since last year). This weekend I plan on cleaning the garage so I will have plenty of room.

I will start with the rear of the car. It looks as if it was bumped and repaired once, but nothing serious. I remember reading about people removing (“shaving”) the reverse lights and was thinking about giving it a go. However, I have never seen any pictures of the finished product. I imagine it would bring a cleaner look to the car.

Has anyone out there done this? Were you happy with the look? More importantly, do you have pictures?

Thanks,
 
Wow cool idea. Can you find a solution for the really ugly taillights too! I think they are worst than the reverse lights.
 
For some reason I wasn't following what you wanted to do with the reverse lights. You know that the Midget MKII and Sprite MK III and earlier cars had NO reverse lights...
 
That is a sweet little ride. I'm starting to fall in love with that color. Someday.....<stares off in the distance wistfully>
JC
 
.....Can you find a solution for the really ugly taillights too! I think they are worst than the reverse lights.

I wasn't so much concerned about their looks (they aren't *that* bad). But I wanted to drop some weight and they are really heavy. I replaced them with four round trailer-lights (very light plastic body and cheap too). The original holes for the stock lights are covered with aluminum sheet with the new lenses mounted flush and the rest behind. And they are less likely to break during a minor shunt.
Again, I didn't really do it for styling.

This pic just before the Four-Hour at Summit Point 2 months ago (I hit a tire wall pretty hard and backwards later on in the race and cracked a lens...light still worked though)
pete-on-sprite.jpg
 
The hood did take quite a bit of, let's say, "creative" rubber placement to keep it from rattling. It doesn't help that the air cleaner on the weber setup actually rubs on the hood either. That only happens at idle when the engine has the most vigorous shake. But don't be fooled; this car was never assembled with things like creature comforts, road noise, or smooth ride in mind so things of that sort are only of a lesser importance to me. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif

JACK
 
I just thought of it because one car I had shook the hood so bad it chipped all the paint off the edges.
 
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