'49 Mercury Woodie Tail Lights ... now I know why

[Joe Handley]

One problem with this body though, there are no protruding fenders to attatch them to.

[Harry P.]

One problem with this body though, there are no protruding fenders to attatch them to.

Come on, Joe! You're smarter than that!

The possibilities are literally endless. I could do these all day. Are you telling me that back in the '40s these ideas were incomprehensible and the only way out was the "taillight on a stick" nonsense?

[sjordan2]

All of these modifications make sense only if you buy into Art's claim that the original design with the projecting taillights, if moved further outboard, could get knocked off. That's total nonsense and has no precedent that I've ever heard of.

Edited June 10, 2015 by sjordan2

[Casey]

put the lights in the fenders and there would have been no "problem" to solve, no need for the clever engineering in the first place.

You are overlooking something else which needed to be fully visible with the tailgate lowered...

[sjordan2]

You are overlooking something else which needed to be fully visible with the tailgate lowered...

Could you explain that further? I don't see what you mean. Your post assumes that the taillights had to remain on the tailgate, which is disputable.

Edited June 10, 2015 by sjordan2

[Harry P.]

All of these modifications make sense only if you buy into Art's claim that the original design with the projecting taillights, if moved further outboard, could get knocked off. That's total nonsense and has no precedent that I've ever heard of.

I think he meant that moving the existing "pod" style taillights out to the corners wouldn't work... but there is no reason the taillights had to be self-contained pods like that at all! I was talking about taillights that are integrated into the fender corners.

The whole "taillights on a stick" think is silly, unnecessary engineering overkill. A "solution" to a self-inflicted problem.

[Harry P.]

You are overlooking something else which needed to be fully visible with the tailgate lowered...

If you mean the license plate... you put it in a recess in the bumper, like almost every other car. But there have also been plenty of station wagons where the rear plate was in a recess in the tailgate and was not visible if the tailgate was open.

Isn't driving with the tailgate open illegal in the first place?

[Casey]

If you mean the license plate... you put it in a recess in the bumper, like almost every other car.

The recess which is filled by the spare tire when the tailgate is in the lowered position? *crunch*

I'm not arguing they could've done things differently, and for the record I agree both the tail light and license plate positions could've been resolved in another way, but they weren't. Why not?

[Harry P.]

The recess which is filled by the spare tire when the tailgate is in the lowered position? *crunch*

I'm not arguing they could've done things differently, and for the record I agree both the tail light and license plate positions could've been resolved in another way, but they weren't. Why not?

Put the spare in a well under the floor. Or if the external spare was some sort of "design feature," put the plate in the middle of it. Or in a recess in the rear bumper, like I said.

Yes, they could have done things differently. Namely, logically. I'll never understand why they went with those crazy, completely unnecessary pivoting taillights.

[Jon Cole]

Rear plate and their lights fold down on the tailgate of our 2004 Subaru Brat, although seldom used. So the whole concept of tailgates with fold down items is real.

Edited June 10, 2015 by Jon Cole

[Foxer]

[Harry P.]

Sanity!

[Art Anderson]

If you mean the license plate... you put it in a recess in the bumper, like almost every other car. But there have also been plenty of station wagons where the rear plate was in a recess in the tailgate and was not visible if the tailgate was open.

Isn't driving with the tailgate open illegal in the first place?

I've never heard of the act of driving a station wagon with the tailgate open being illegal--certainly not in Indiana. After all, station wagons were originally marketed as commercial vehicles, and in many states (Indiana was one) could be licensed either as a light commercial car or as a passenger car. And, many were bought with the idea of being able to go to the lumberyard, cart home lengths of wood for home improvement projects, among other things.

Art

[Casey]

It looks like there's a cut out in the bottom half of the tail light bucket, but it's hard to tell if there's a provision for casting light upon the license plate?

[Ace-Garageguy]

Just a thought...I distinctly remember that in some jurisdictions, an overhanging load had the be red-flagged at the extreme end. I'm guessing these odd taillights deployed at the ends of the open gate might have been intended to comply with some regional regs.

It's only fairly recently that car companies have intentionally over-complicated everything to enhance perceived-value as a sales incentive. When this thing was built, there was a little more rationality, far as silly bells and whistles go. I kinda doubt these lights would have been made like this on sheer whim.

It looks like there's a cut out in the bottom half of the tail light bucket, but it's hard to tell if there's a provision for casting light upon the license plate?

The cutouts on the bottoms of the housings are white or clear lenses for doing just that...illuminating the tag. The fact that both light housings have cutouts either means the manufacturer decided to use the same tooling for both sides to save cost (in which case, a tin blanking-panel inside the RH light would stop white light shining down...and showing white light in the rear of a vehicle anywhere other than for tag illumination is also illegal), or the car's got two LH lights.

Somewhere around this time frame, cars were only required to have ONE light in the rear in some jurisdictions too.

[Art Anderson]

FWIW, Chevrolet station wagons (very few built, in comparison to Ford, of course) also had drop-gate hinged taillights as late as 1949, and as standard equipment, only a single tail/brake lamp in the center of the tailgate. Chevy did offer, apparently, single filament taillights mounted on either C-pillar just outside of the tailgate opening, apparently optional, as they don't show up in all images of either the Woodie bodied, or Fisher-built steel bodied station wagons in that year.

Plymouth and Dodge did likewise through the end of their woodie station wagon offerings as well.

Art

[southpier]

would the cut out at the bottom of the tail light housing be for back up lights or was that addition not incorporated until later?

[1930fordpickup]

With the tail lights mounted on the tailgate when they were pivoted to make the light with an inch or two of the rear of the car. If it was mounted on the rear corner ( personally I think would look better) The lights would be a foot or two from the rear of the car. Back in the day a station wagon was used more like a truck than the current SUV crowd. A load in the back of the car sitting on the tailgate could block view of one or both of the lights if they were in the rear quarters.

Not knowing the rules of lighting in 1949 it seems a bit monday morning quarterbacking to say how it should have been done.

[b-body fan]

It may have eliminated the need for a red flag for loads exceeding so far past the rear or the vehicle. ???

[richslocum]

wow this hindsight engineering committee sure gets surly at times.

[Art Anderson]

With the tail lights mounted on the tailgate when they were pivoted to make the light with an inch or two of the rear of the car. If it was mounted on the rear corner ( personally I think would look better) The lights would be a foot or two from the rear of the car. Back in the day a station wagon was used more like a truck than the current SUV crowd. A load in the back of the car sitting on the tailgate could block view of one or both of the lights if they were in the rear quarters.

Not knowing the rules of lighting in 1949 it seems a bit monday morning quarterbacking to say how it should have been done.

Bear in mind that back in 1949 (and for a couple decades later), there were no nationwide standards for most all automobiles--rather it was a collection of the laws of the then 48 individual states--which made for a few interesting variations.

Art

[southpier]

wow this hindsight engineering committee sure gets surly at times.

ebb & flow, Brother. just roll with it.

[AzTom]

I would guess it was just a carry over from the 46-48 models.

If it were do to regulations wouldn't all of the vehicles of had to comply? The 49 Mopars had taillights out on the body, and what about pickups?

[Art Anderson]

I would guess it was just a carry over from the 46-48 models.

If it were do to regulations wouldn't all of the vehicles of had to comply? The 49 Mopars had taillights out on the body, and what about pickups?

On the then-new for 1949 all steel station wagons from Dodge and Plymouth. However, both still offered traditional wood bodied station wagons that year (they were built just 20 miles from where I live, US Body & Forge in Frankfort IN). Pics of those woodie bodied '49 wagons clearly show tailgate mounted tail and brake lights.

Art

[AzTom]

Ok, I'll rephrase it. The steel 49 Dodge and Plymouth had the lights out on the body. My point is, if it were a regulation that the light had to extend out with the tail gate, then all wagons would have been that way, including pickups.