The way I remember it is that for the US market `68 and `69 are identical, with a reflective panel built into the lens over the brake/tail lamp. To meet the increased reflector area mandated for 1970, side reflectors were added to the housings and small rectangular reflectors added at the bumper brackets; the lens panel over the brake/tail lamp was made "clear" red (no reflector function) which made those lights appear slightly brighter. In `71 the req'd reflective area was increased again; VW enlarged the entire taillight assembly (including the size of the side reflectors) - the reflective panel in the lens over the brake/tail lamp was reintroduced, now large enough to meet the US regulations so the bumper reflectors were dropped. The `71/`72 lenses are side-specific, not interchangeable like the `68/`69 or `70...that implies that THEY may have had some reflector area on their outboard sides, but I can't recall for sure.
I don't know for certain how it went down on European models, but I believe that they used lenses similar to the US-market `68/`69 (just with amber upper sections) with the reflective panels and with no side or bumper reflectors from `68 through `72, like these: http://www.bfyobsoleteparts.com/Beetle-European-Taillight-Lens-German-Hella-ca-0-pr-4245-pg-6.html What you probably got from Mid-America are aftermarket knockoffs, basically a 1970 US-market lens but with an amber top section. --- Bert Knupp <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Volks, > > What year(s) did the USA models use small clear > reflector inserts inside the > taillight assemblies? The 1970 USA model had large > outside reflectors > screwed onto the taillight bezels, but that isn't > what I need. > > I ordered a pair of "European" taillight lenses from > Mid-America Motorworks, > but (a) they were not European (neither the amber > nor the red could meet DIN > standards, they'd been stripped of any identifying > marks, numbers, etc., and > were poor-quality castings) and (b) they didn't > contain the European > internal side reflectors used in 1970 -- I think. > Meanwhile, I've gotten > two new 1968 German "tombstone" (a/k/a "flatiron") > lenses that look good -- > but have no internal side reflectors. > > Anyhow -- overseas they used clear internal > reflectors. I think. Does > anybody know for sure what the European taillights > had in the 1970 models? > If I were junkyard shopping, where might I scarf up > some clear internal > reflectors here in the USA? > > Bert Knupp in Music City USA ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ _______________________________________________ vintagvw site list [email protected] http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw
