Tail Light Ideas, Stepside
 

Alright fellas so I've finally got a floor installed and my bed put on the truck. Its a '68 with a long stepside. I mounted the stock tail lights and realized: I hate them. They're just big and ruin the flow of the design for me. So I've been pondering some different ideas. I have a roll pan lying around that I still need to install and was thinking about mounting some lights to it instead. I'm not a fan of the stereotypical c4 vette lights so thats not really a thought for me. I got to thinking about '65 Impala lights and how they have the angled buckets. Maybe I could flip them over and place them against the roll pan, would they be a close parallel to the ground? Anybody know the angle of the buckets on those lights? Any other ideas for light set ups?

Re: Tail Light Ideas, Stepside
 

Tail Light Ideas, Stepside <<< google this

Re: Tail Light Ideas, Stepside
 

55-59 Tail Lights, no reverse light.

Smoothed chains and bed sides.

Re: Tail Light Ideas, Stepside
 

Re: Tail Light Ideas, Stepside
 

LED lights cut into the bumper.

Re: Tail Light Ideas, Stepside
 

Went with 55-59 tailights but mounted them low.

***yeah I know it says Chevrolet on the tailigate...GMC on order***

Re: Tail Light Ideas, Stepside
 

I didn't think a boxy Stepside bed with fenders stuck on had much "flow" to it. Other than the styling of the fenders themselves, it's just a utilitarian box with things bolted to it. I can see wanting to minimize the bulk of the originals with smaller units and possibly tucked closer to the bumper or bottom of bed. But Stepside look right with lights stuck "on" them and not "in" them. There is no place for them to be put "in". It's an old fashioned traditional truck design and Fleetside is the modern sleek design. I've seen very few custom light mods on Stepside beds that have turned out nicely. The show Stepside I did I used chrome '50s Chevy Truck lights tucked against the bed and just above the bumper, same as EVRLET.

Re: Tail Light Ideas, Stepside
 

Ka-chow!

From this thread: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=259119

Re: Tail Light Ideas, Stepside
 

Steps lend better to mods....:chevy:

Re: Tail Light Ideas, Stepside
 

We put Chevy van light in ours

Re: Tail Light Ideas, Stepside
 

We put Chevy van light in ours

Re: Tail Light Ideas, Stepside
 

just my opinion, but I don't mind them.

Re: Tail Light Ideas, Stepside
 

I like the stock lights. Lights in the fenders just don't really look right to me.

Re: Tail Light Ideas, Stepside
 

Same thing as cutting in a sunroof or CD player in my eyes. Love the trucks for what they are and hack something ugly up to make it look better is my policy. But others can do what they want and I'll do what I like. I've already been through all the change this change that to come to realize these trucks were done right in the GM design studios and all these years of being a favorite vehicle is the proof in the pudding. I've seen some mods done well enough that they fit the vehicle, look as if GM might have done it. But even those, in time, can raise the question "was this a good idea?". Leave them alone and there is no question, "just the way they are"... and good enough. If the size bothers you, just make them smaller. The trucks look funky when they are hidden, like something is missing. They key here is fight the temptation. It's a typical thing to want to modify these simple rear ends because it is so easy to bolt on or cut in something else.

Since you want a modified look, here are two examples with bumper and one with roll pan. I personally feel the roll pand add too much bulk, and once again, too much finishing off for the crude design of a Stepside. A more tasteful, body line enhancing way to go is a roll pan tucked up under the bed running between the fenders. I threw a few other pictures in for other examples