body and interior Reflectors, What Year, And Location? 72 Vs. 73

[jerry]

did the obligatory search... okay, maybe i could have worked alittle harder, but... the kitties be damn (oh forgive me, Ramone, RIP)

 

anyhow, i'm working on the tailpanel of a 72 and when i compared it to an early 6-fuse 71 and a 73 tailpanel, i did not see holes in the tailpanel on either of those two models.  i was really surprised not to see them on the 73. 

 

is this a design change or am i dealing with a 'shaved' panel on the 73?  if i remember correctly my late model 71 had em as well.  my thinking is that the tailpanel reflectors were added when the 12-fuse cars came out and then BMW realized that they were superfluous and removed them on the 73's.  true?

 

 

[jgerock]

I think the reflectors were added to the USA-bound 2002's in 1970. Could be wrong though.

 

My Agave 71 had reflectors in the rear panel. VIN 2572558

This Nevada 71 also had them VIN 1678583

My 69 2002 # 1666269 does not have them. The 73tii does.

 

[jerry]

thanks for a very definitive answer.  i guess my 73 with the missing reflectors has a story to tell when i get to that point....

i knew my early 71 had a replacement tail panel.  i'm gonna probably shave them on this 72, i like the cleaner look, and they can always be reinstalled, should this car survive me.

[layers]

Hi Jerry--

 

My late '73 had reflectors mounted above the rear bumper when I took delivery new from the dealer.  While some may debate the aesthetics of all of the NHTSA-encouraged (required) reflectors and marker lamps, there is no doubt they improve safety by letting others see your car more effectively on a darkened night.  That's why, on my restored '74tii that was "cleaned up" by the restorer, I added retro-reflective tape inside the front and rear turn signal assemblies and some LED rear side markers (also inside the tail lamp assemblies).

 

If the reflector part of your tail lamps is not in optimum condition you might consider applying retroreflective tape (red or white) on those surfaces to help the overall reflectance and also act as a retroreflector if your parking lamps are off at night.  I found some at a NAPA car parts store for less than $1.50 for a nice piece you can trim to size.

 

Larry

[jgerock]

New Roundie tail panels are not pre-punched for the reflectors.

[Mike Self]

The two rear reflectors were added sometime during the 1970 model run...could have been at the beginning, could have been a 1 Jan 1970 requirement, in which case the factory may not have started installing them until that date. 

 

cheers

mike

[TobyB]

yeah, as Mike says, it  was a 1970 requirement, but neither my late 69 nor Jenn's early 70 had them originally.

And other manufacturers overseas were likewise a bit sluggish in getting them onto production vehicles...

 

t

Edited July 22, 2013 by TobyB

[jgerock]

yeah, as Mike says, it  was a 1970 requirement, but neither my late 69 nor Jenn's early 70 had them originally.

And other manufacturers overseas were likewise a bit sluggish in getting them onto production vehicles...

 

t

 

I recall both VW and Porsche installing little reflectors with mounting tabs on the rear bumpers to most likely comply with the new regulations.  I believe that was for 1970 (I could be wrong again...).

[Conserv]

The two rear reflectors were added sometime during the 1970 model run...could have been at the beginning, could have been a 1 Jan 1970 requirement, in which case the factory may not have started installing them until that date.

cheers

mike

And my '70, VIN 1668093, manufactured September 8, 1969, did not have them.

Steven

Edited July 22, 2013 by Conserv

[John_in_VA]

My '70, # 1673695, had the rear panel reflectors.

[RogueDriver]

My 69 vin 1666569 does not have them.

[jerry]

are these reflectors strickly an american market thing?  i'm reconsidering not removing them from the rear.  the side reflectors have already been shaved...  appearance over safety i suppose....

[MikeWooldridge]

Speaking of safety, I replaced them with lighted side markers, hooked to the brake lights.  I had already raised the trunk floor to accomodate the tii tank, so the protrusion to the inside was no problem.

 

Edited July 24, 2013 by MikeWooldridge

[John_in_VA]

When I "shaved" the side markers from the '70, I moved the red rear side markers to the rear panel, in place of the reflectors. Holes were necessary for the bulb depth. Not sure if they provided better visibility from the rear than the reflectors, but I thought so at the time!

Edited July 23, 2013 by John_in_VA

[BradB]

I kept the rear but shaved the sides. I like the clean look. Less holes to rust, too.