Manx Club

I am looking for a pair of chrome VW tail lights for my Manx 1964 and have only found the painted ones , do you have to have them chromed yourself or does anyone know where i can order them? please e-mail me at res1w3c6@verizon.net or post here. Thanks

I would recommend you get the painted ones (real German is best, Mexico & Brazil are OK) and then get them triple chromed. The chroming process can be as much as $100 or so, but worth it. The chrome ones that are sold in VW parts shops are pretty cheap and won't last very long. And, the bulb sockets in the cheap ones aren't very good either. IMHO

thanks Allen i have looked on the internet and have not even found the cheep ones you talk about, ordered a pair and when they came they were painted, will send back or have chromed , where can i get the cheep ones ? Thanks

Since this subject sort of came up. What is the best method of removing the mounting stud on the Tailight housing to replace it with a bolt?

I dont know as i have not taken my old lights off yet and have not even looked to see how they are mounted?

I just used a dremel to cut off the bolt and then used a drill to drill it out. When drilling it out, make sure that you have the metal properly secured so that if the bit gets snagged it doesn't bend the mounting bracket. FYI: I never saw any cheap chromed tailight housings and mine where $125 per to get chromed.

Thanks Dave, Didn't know if it was better to drill them out or if you coulld knock them out supporting the backside. I guess I have four stud heads to cut off (one set chromed and one set painted) till I make my mind up which ones I like more.

The flat heads of the studs are spot-welded to the legs of the housings. To grind off the heads, you'll need to get in there with a small grinder or you can drill out the threaded section of each stud. A Dremel would work but it'll be slow-going. My set had three broken studs which needed to be removed anyway. All four heads were ground off and longer bolts are used to mount the housings back on. It cost $70 plus shipping to have mine chromed here in Hawaii. Be sure to tweak them to fit on the car before sending off to be chromed. The first pair I worked with were the imported cheapos. I trimmed off a little from the sides to allow the tops to fit better; still didn't get them right. Next set were German originals. Got a good deal off ebay since the broken studs were part of the description. Luckily, no rust at all, which made the turn-around time from the chrome shop a fast and painless ordeal. These were stiffer than the cheapos, and took more effort to pull the sides apart to allow a better fit. The tabs for the lens mounting screws needed to be tweaked outwards...once the housings fit on the car; the screws would not go back into the "cross-eyed" holes. But that was the easy part. If possible, locate a German pair without any rust. The original chrome trim rings are way better than the aluminum versions too. BTW, the imported bulbholders use a whimpy plastic insulator for the socket contacts; breaks easily. Stick with the originals. Good luck!

If you need to drill the sheet metal taillight mounting ears try to use a "Uni Bit" instead of a conventional twist drill. It minimizes the possibility of twisting the ear off.

One more option to chrome is to have them powder coated chrome colore.That way you get the chrome look without all the polishing that gos with it.

Crate/Man, My appologies, I can't find any of (what I thought) are the cheap chrome ones, either. I must have had one of those brain things, and shifted right out of gear and into a "headlight" thing. Or, maybe it was at one of the VW shows that someone told me about cheap chrome tail lights, well, I can't find them now. Maybe someone else can. Sorry for the confusion.

thanks i guess i will have to have them chromed?