Back-up light era

I checked the search function a few different ways, if I failed to find the info I was looking for it was a sin of ommission not commission.

I have back-up lights on my 59 CJ5, they are similar to the parking/turn signal lights on the front. In looking around at Jeep pictures, and old pictures/drawings I get the impression that they were not always there. What year started the individual back-up lights?

 

I recall the first year they were mandated by the DOT was 1966 (or maybe 1967).

 

I have a one owner 68 cj5 and it has back-up lights from the factory.

 

69 has them

 

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that the ones I have were slapped on by a P.O. well after the fact and I'd be best served by scarificing the guts to the dumpster gods and keeping the lenses, right?

I mean I'm in AZ and I'm running without a top. I can spit further than the back of my vehicle so I should be able to see most everything in my tail lights.

Thoughts?

 

I can't say what year backup lights started but my Daughter's '70 has them.
My '57 definitely has no provision for them.
If they are the same as the front then they have been added.
A pic as they say is worth a thousand words. Save some pics to Photobucket or something similar then link them here and maybe we can ID what you have?

 

Looking through a pair of service manuals, listening to you-all, and surfing the interweb it seems that the back-up lights were "Used on late model" jeeps with the T-14 tranmission, actuated by an external switch.

Thankls for the help, it's one thing to track down an answer, and another to have folks providing clues along the way to ease up on the second guessing one's self.

 

Didn't the '64-'68 have turn signals and use a double element bulb? I can't remember if the '64-68 had turn signals for sure or not...

 

I think Patrick is right, they look the same, just a one termnal vs two.Let me go check my parts shed.

 

Ok here is what I found out, both backup and turn signal sockets are the same, same size, same bolt spacings, same depth, turn signal socket has 2 wires, reverse socket has 1 wire. FWIW, the #'s on the sockets are as follows, HL APSO sae-pu-64-a apb sae 66 (both the frt and rear sockets have the same #) Reverse lens #'s are APSO APB sae r66 hl. Turn signal lens #'s are APSO sae pd 64 a hl.

 

MY 67 had a T86 with no b/u lights nor a switch on the tranny, I swapped in a T14 that had the switch so plan to add the lights, I am wondering that since in late 67 they discontinued the T86 for the T14 if they started using the lights then? My 70 has them from the factory and like stated are a housing that looks like the early front turn signal housing with clear lenses.

 

my 68 has them from the factory.

 

Thanks for posting the info. Kind of what I thought, front has two wires for turn signals, and has an amber lens, back up light has one wire and a clear lens so they are different.

 

nickmil:
I thought I'd replied to your request for a picture, sorry about the tardy response, no slight intended. I recently purchased a set of Hall type tail lights and am deleting the back-up lights (allready promised to someone).