Rear lamps fitting

[ralphr1780]

My S1 came with a pair of brand new rear lamps still in their plastic bags labelled C16084 and C16085, and the corresponding rubber seal.
Decided yesterday to fit these so that I could soon test the freshly installed wiring loom.
I thought the closed headlamps were a challenge and that the tail lamps would be a piece of cake, misjudgement.
What a struggle...first the rubber gaskets needed stretching/slicing then holding with superglue, then the shape of the lamps and the body did not mate at all. Luckily I had protected the paint surface around, as 2.5h later still neither left nor right was fitted. :(
So I give up, what's the trick?

[1954Etype]

Trial fit the rear lights before painting the car or try and the original lights for your car, Ralph, then get them re-chromed.

[ralphr1780]

Thanks Angus. But the car is already painted...and the originals are only available on photos

[kingzetts]

Ralph, have you checked to be sure you have the correct lamp bodies for your body type - OTS lamp bodies are a different shape to FHC ones.

If that's not your problem, I think your only option to avoid damage to the body paint, will be to have the lamp bodies ground back at their edges to match the body contours. Then have them rechromed. The same technique is sometimes used to match new bumpers to the body shell.

If the mismatch is too great for this then you either need to bridge the gap by using a thick head of black mastic under the lamp body gasket, or you'll have to have the body recontoured (lead loaded) to match the lamps and the paint repaired.

[paulsco]

The numbers are right, but the OTS lights have a flatish top edge.
The FHC is more a W shape.

Perhaps you were supplied with the wrong ones?

Paul

[PeterCrespin]

OTS lights are easy to tell from any others, due to the curved top body edge.

FHC / 2+2 lights are much harder to tell apart, but the 2+2s have a straight edge with just a very slight curve at the end, rather than wavy top edge like the FHC, which fit where the wing curve and upper rear quarter curve blend into one another. That happens higher up on a 2+2 due to the steeper back, hence the bodywork is still comparatively straight/flat just above the bumper. There are other differences due to the steeper body angle and these show up at the reflector end, but the three different top edge profiles are the giveaway.

Angus's advice is dead right, though little consolation if people forget to 'dry fit' all chrome trim before paint. I believe SNGB or someone offers to supply unchromed lamp housings, which are then chromed and built into complete lamp units after the buyer has fettled them to the body for a perfect fit?

[vee eight]

I had the same problem as yourself. The repro lamps are not as good as the originals for shape and fit.
I had to have the area where the lamps fit reshaped to fit the contour of the new lamps. This is a real pain in the a**e and not recommended if you have just had a new paint job.

[Simon P]

Hmmmm..... Funny little lights that are a pain to fit and even then aren't particularly effective. It's almost as if by 1969 Jaguar recognised this themselves and brought out a superior model...

[Heuer]

Ralph

Is your S1 a FHC? The entire FHC rear body was redesigned in ~June 1962 and there were 6 pages of SPB detailing the new parts. Current repro FHC housings will not fit the earlier cars without re-shaping.

[ralphr1780]

Thanks folks, from the parts nrs these seem to be the correct ones for the 62 OTS that I have. I believe the route to have now the lamps reshaped then rechromed is best one.
I will take few pics this evening to illustrate and post.

[ralphr1780]

Took the seals off for better illustration. It is mostly the left side which is showing important gaps.
Here is the side view, note the side and bottom gaps.

And here is the top view.

Will have to examine closely whether some grinding could reduce the gaps uniformly before moving in this direction.

[paulsco]

Hi Ralph,

I am not sure if the problem is actually with the lights; it looks like the car wing profile is too flat.

I can't quite understand why the light is sitting proud on the outside; pulling it up closer there would reduce the gap?

If it is the captured nut attachment that is causing this, then I can't see how grinding it to shape will allow it to be mounted nearer the body.

Paul

[ralphr1780]

Have worked on the right side which was fairly close but yet not enough. And after close check and few photos found that the bulb holders in the new lamps are taller obviously than the originals as they hit the boot structure.
After some fiddling with bulb holders rubbers and grinding few mm in the boot structure, got it to fit and subsequently mounted the bumper too.
Luckily the bumper is the original rechromed and this fit fantastically easy and well. Very pleased with the result:


Now moving to the left side which will be more challenging.

[baldyz1]

As I searched high and low for pictures comparing the profile of the series 1 lamp body I thought I would share a picture I made up for others stumbling upon this thread.

Note the OTS is much lumpier around the reflector, the FHC has the wave and the 2+2 has a straighter profile.

I hope this helps someone when they are shopping on eBay or rummaging the auto jumbles.