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Mon Sep 05, 2005 7:59 pm

There are very significant differences between the 49 taillight and the 50 taillights. There is also a significant difference between the early (up to July) and the late 49 taillights.

The key difference is a thin aluminum ring that is nearly flush with the lense on the late 49 lights. It's this ring that actually holds the lense in the housing.

The early 49 lights have a much wider (1/4" or so ) chrome ring with a tiny stamped VW on the top.

Lights in 1950 had no ring of any kind obviously visable from the outside. The lense and it's plastic shield are held in with a wire spring keeper with a couple of indents that hold the lense in the housing.

The 49 lights are rare (earlier more so than later) and go for upwards of $1000 a set if they are in good condition. Taillights from 1950, complete with bulb holders, lenses, etc. can be found for around $500 a set.

Mon Sep 05, 2005 8:05 pm

So this pair with the 1/4" lip are 1949?

Mon Sep 05, 2005 8:12 pm

Gary, PM twinwindows, he'll know for sure. He had them on his 49.

Mon Sep 05, 2005 8:36 pm

Gary,

I remember seeing those taillights (or some very similar ones) on eBay a couple weeks ago. The guy was selling some Beetle parts in a lot. I remember there were some gloveboxes too. Did you get the package?
Unfortunately those seem to be some attempt of 50-52 Split Taillights repro. It looks like the guy who made them didnt have much luck with them but they are still a nice try! On the 1/4 "lip" that should be because he didnt have the skills to make them rounder and therefore better looking.
I also make reproduction taillight housings for Splits like you surely know and mine are very close to originals but the hardest part to reproduce is that lip around the lens. The first repros we made looked pretty much like the ones you have, but now after some sets that we sold we are getting much better results. (And we are making new tooling to make them look exactly -we hope- like the originals now).
Hope this helps.

Mon Sep 05, 2005 8:43 pm

I posted pics to the Gallery of the 1949 thin ring taillights as well as a comparison of a 49 vs 50 housing.

Do a search for 1949 in the bug parts. Hope this helps.

Tue Sep 06, 2005 8:25 am

I'd also say that they are a pair of repros. The housing holders are made out of sheetmetal too.

Here is the 49 only taillights nlorntson posted:

And here is a complete set of pre-49 taillights:

Tue Sep 06, 2005 5:57 pm

The black, thin ring 1949 taillights are late '49 and the gray primer ones with the wide, chrome rings are early '49 taillights.