72 Side Marker Lens R&R help...My Turn!

[Jer]

Okay, now it's my turn!

After the post about the 73 side markers, I decided that 1:00 AM and 83 degrees was a good time and temp to go out and put the new Repo front amber side marker lens that just came in today from Ebay (columbiaparts).

The old one was gone when I bought my SE, with just the pigtail and burned-out bulb hangin' out of the fender hole, and the remnants of the white plastic housing tabs still in their holes, with the retainer nuts holding them on from the inside.

I drilled out the remnants, "capturing" the nuts with long bent needle nose pliers, then began checking it out on how to install the thing and put the nuts on the back....the whole thing is enclosed in the fender, or that's what it looks like anyway, except for a 1" or 1-1/4" hole where the wires go in from the inside.

Okay, so far so good, but then came the wierdness.

I popped the 72 Body Service Manual DVD into the computer and went to that section, and it says--plain as day:

"1) position lamp assembly in fender opening and install two capnuts."

"2) Connect lamp lead to harness" !!!

By this point, I'm thinking, "Install two capnuts?...lamp lead?...what lamp lead?..what in the world are they talking about?...it's a lens with a white permanently attached housing behind it with the female socket for the harness plug (which the 194 bulb pops into), and the two male plugs that go into the two holes."

And how am I supposed to put the capnuts (retainers) on when the whole thing is sealed up and inaccessible once the lens/housing is put back in the hole(s) ??!!

So, I figure they put the wrong instructions under the wrong heading (the book covers Cudas, Coronets, Challengers, etc.), and I scroll down a bit, and there's the exact illustration of my set up: lens, housing, little gasket, hole in fender, retaining nuts, everything, and properly titled: "Fig. 9--Front Side Marker Lamp--Dart-Challenger--Coronet and Charger" !!

I should have stayed in the house scrolling the posts here.

Does anyone have any idea how to get those capnuts [or retainer nuts or whatever you want to call them] snapped or screwed back on the rear of my lens-housing prongs, without dismantling (what looks like) the entire left front fender?

So there ya go....registered on 1971-1974dodgecharger.com for less than 3 weeks and I'm already sounding stupid...is anyone impressed?

Thanks for any help, guys.

On the plus side, it's 4:45 AM here in Bakersfield CA and a cold front has moved in, it's a chilly 77 degrees with 32% humidity...where's my coat?

Jer.

[hotrodder]

#Thinking# With my '72 SE, the drivers side front light is... gone. The despription you gave about "what's left" sounds like mine. Based on what I saw, for the very short time that I was looking at it, all it looks like is the housing screws to the fender, and the light plugs into the back of it. My build date is 2/72, but I don't see what that has to do with anything..... I'll give it another look, and see what's what.

[Nacho-RT74]

sidemarkers back side area is not sealed. You get access to that throught wheel opening. Just need to spin the steering wheel to more room

[Jer]

Nacho, you are absolutely right, and that's what I thought until last night, when the whole thing was closed in and I couldn't get to it.

So I went back out there this evening (I avoid any temperature over 85 if I can, when it's combined with a hot sun), and listen to this:

A previous owner--or SOMEBODY--had craftily sealed the area with black painted cardboard! (I THOUGHTI remembered being able to access those lights, even though it's been 31 years since I owned one)....so what I thought was the inside of the fender when I was peeking in thru the wire hole from the engine side, was the backside of that black cardboard.

I don't know why they did it, but it fired me up to look the rest of the car over, and there were 8 other places--some bigger, some smaller, that had the same thing done to it.

According to it's history, this has always been a California car, so unless it was up in the Sierras or extremely north CA, I can't imagine why anyone would have done that. If it was a Midwest or East car, I might think maybe to keep the salt out of the "innards", but not out here!

Anyway, the huge problem is solved, the light is installed, I look like a dork , and once again Nacho shines!! (Wonder how much Recyclers are paying per pound for cardboard these days?)

THANKS FOR THE HELP NACHO

Jer.

[Nacho-RT74]

Ouch... some A$$hole SEALED then... AND WITH CARDBOARD !!!

you're welcome however I didn't do anything LOL.