taillight differences.

[rcsavage]

i ordered a set of taillights and i didnt notice it immediatlly, but there different. i went to install it and my old lights used 4 bulbs and this new one uses 3 what gives. the spot where my fourth bulb goes in like blocked off by a cover. can i get it out?

edit: also does the lens come off of the part that mounts to the car? if so i might switch the lens. is this very hard?

 

[Frankiek3]

My 91 has amber for the one light reflector. Not sure if this is for all 91's or just pluses. 89 and 90 has white and red only. I don't know about the light holes.

 

[Jonny Cash]

Just pluses have amber lenses. I had em, didnt like em, sold em.

The all red looks way meaner.

 

[rcsavage]

this is straight off shotimes.com:
The package was cosmetic only and consisted of :

* Plastic hood with a "power bulge" in the middle area. Not highly visible from outside, but really noticable on the inside. If a fridge magnet sticks to your hood, you don't have the Plus hood. Note that due to the plastic hood, the brass metal ground

* device on most SHO's had to be replaced with a ground strap that connected to the metal foil backing of the hood pad (not needed on the steel hood) and attached to the same spot as the metal spring ground device. All black mirrors instead of body color top insert.
* Black B and C pillars. These were covered with a black vinyl tape.
* Line in the body cladding around the lower portion was body colored not black.
* Taurus emblem on the trunk lid was body color instead of chrome.
* 24 V DOHC badges on the front fenders behind the wheels, between the accent line and body cladding.
* SOME plus's got a subtle plastic spoiler on the trunk very similar to the factory ones on 93/95 models except it did NOT have a CHMSL (Center High Mounted Stop Light) - that was still on the package tray. This spoiler was in short supply when the package was released and thus did not get on all of them.
* White SHO plus packages got white wheels, all other plus's/SHO's got silver wheels.
* Some regular SHO's in 90 and 91 somehow got the plastic hood, and several 89/91 regular SHO's have it now like my 89 since I ordered the hood from my local dealers parts department. I doubt if you can still get them.
* There was a dark green color in 91 that was only available with the plus package.

There were no suspension or motor differences.

The ROD shifter became available for ALL SHO's about 6-91, it was not a plus "feature".

The popular "police/taxi" grill is NOT a plus option - many gen 1 SHO's have it though.

it doesnt say anything about tail lights.

ok now i have another question. are there any tail lights without amber that have four light holes. if not, i doubt ford would add an extra light hole just for the plus.

also do you guys have 89,90, or 91 shos. i think that the 91 got the amber 4 hole while the 89 and 90 got the solid red 3 hole.

sorry about this. just kind of upset that these only have 3 holes.

 

[ohioshodude]

ford made both full red and red/amber taillights. there is no rhyme or reason to what car has what. i've seen taurus L's with ambers and i've seen LX's and sho with all red and vise versa. there is no figuring out this one.

 

[rcsavage]

ok thanks i guess i need to try to return these to the person i bought these from. thanks.

 

[etc1006]

AFAIK the amber turns were originally on the '86 Taurus. They "revived" them for something different for the 89 SHO. Thats what I've heard/read.

 

[SHObill]

savage, its an easy fix since you already have the 4th bulb wired in. Do you have an old busted tailight. If so take a hole saw on a drill press & cutout all the bulb holes. Then take a smaller holesaw & cut a hole in the blank spot on the newer TL. Epoxy ring to housing,insert bulb. I've done this to my 89 & 90. OR I've got a set off the plus with amber & 4 holes if you want em.

 

[AREA 91]

The amber tail lights first appeared in 86, and were brought back for the SHO in 91. All 91 SHO's, including +'s, got the amber lights. 89-90 SHO's got the plain red.

 

[shonole]

The amber tail lights first appeared in 86, and were brought back for the SHO in 91. All 91 SHO's, including +'s, got the amber lights. 89-90 SHO's got the plain red.

Yep. That's the way I remember it anyway.