[DeTomaso] '74 Taillight Lens

[Larry Finch]

regarding Larry Weston’s two sets of tail lights: one with threaded machine screws, the other with ‘wood’ screws.

As in all things Pantera, we have come to accept variations in assembly/equipment as indicative of factory-created variety.

What we tend to forget is these cars are FORTY+ years old and until just recently they have not been seen as collector-worthy cars. Thus repairs made by all the previous owners have not been restricted to “originality”.

I have received used lights from Europe with numerous ‘incorrect’ lens screws. Even in metric Europe, folks often tend towards the “I’ll use what I have on-hand” repair approaches.

And here in metric-phobia USA, not many garage coffee cans have 4mm phillips, filiister head machine screws.

The observation that the ‘wood screw’ lenses do not show signs of screw-hole cracks just tells me that set's lenses are newer than the other set. I suspect that set was compiled from housings/lenses some time after manufacture, perhaps from different sources, and the P.O. fell prey to the “use what I have” option for the lens screws.

The white nylon washers with the ‘wood screws’ are original to Carello, however.  They often remain attached to used lenses after the screws have been removed.

Larry -  Are all four lenses marked Carello? There are reproduction ‘Carello style’ lenses on the current market - MrFiat and Hall sell that version.

Also, since Jeff had to reduce the diameter of the machine screw heads he found I suspect what he used were in fact pan head machine screws. The two styles are closely similar, but the fillister style tends to have sharper head edges and sides; some fillister head sides are totally flat and parallel to the threaded shafts.

I still do not believe any Carello lights originally came with ‘wood screws’.

Larry