1951 chevy pickup tail light question.

[kustomd]

I have a 51 chevy pickup that I'm doing some work to and I was wondering if they had One or two tail lights originally? My drivers side bracket looks correct but someone added some hokey ass one to the pass side so i wanted to fix it.

What do the factory 51 chevy pickup tail lights look like and did they Have one or two lights from the factory.

My truck is just a basic swb 51 3100 pickup. If that helps

Thanks for any help. I can't find any info on whether they had one or two tail lights on them and I've seen trucks built both ways.

Oh yea I'm new to the board but I'm not new to building cars and trucks. I'm also on the H.A.M.B. Been there since damn near the biggining of the board.

I have several vehicles, 51 chevy pickup, 64 or 65 panel truck, 60 impala 4dr, 48 pontiac silverstreak 2dr fastback, 49 chevy buisness coupe, 2 64-66 chevy short wheel base pickups, air bagged 94 chevy swb fleetside, 2 S10's, 95 gmc extended cab pickup.

[Old School Kid]

I also have a 51.. just de-rigged my tail lights today.. Mine also had a hooky bracket on the passenger side. I odered a new correct one for 9$ at Obsolete truck parts. I Also put a brand new one on drivers side with lic plate holder 9$.

Mine had four lights on the back. top two did the turn signals.. I replaced the housing in the orginal light with a housing that would except the dual fil bulb and rewired. I get some pictures in the day light.

[dwcsr]

They came stock with one Tail/Brake/Marker light in the rear and parking lights only in the front. I think the rear light location depended on state law.

I don't have my options book with me but I think there was a signal option that would make it two rear lights.

[mr48chev]

The brackets are different from one side to the other and on a stock rig the drivers side tail light sits higher than the passenger side because of the license plate.

Stock type tail lights are available through most of the Chevy truck goodie suppliers and they come in black, chrome or stainless.
Here is a set of ss brackets but as you can see the left light sits just that much higher than the right.
I'm planning on running a 54 rear bumper and putting the license plate in the middle. I want to run stainless lights and stainless brackets but I may have to make my own brackets to have the lights sit even with each other. I just looked on the Brothers site and 54 brackets are straight across but I don't know if they will bolt up to earlier beds.
Without a rolled pan it is near impossible to find tail lights that look good on one of these truck that aren't the original lights.

One light was original with the second an option and required in some states by then. With the minivan latte sucking soccer moms flying up behind me I want all the light I can produce without going to over sized lights.
Sometimes safe trumps cool.

[stevehsd]

Does that bracket mount to the front or rear of the stake pocket?

[dwcsr]

Mine were on the front of the pocket

[BIG CHEVY 3600]

The law required trucks to have one tail light located on the driver's side. That way a truck parked on the side of the road would be seen by on coming traffic. I'm not sure when the government decided they were needed on the passenger side, probably in the late 60s. I worked as a "new car get-ready" for a Ford company in the mid sixty's and they still had only one light then.