1968 Tail light mounting area

[Tequila]

I was looking at the tail light mounting area on my GT/CS and wondering if they had taken standard tail light panels and cut it out to mount the CS tail panel filler plates from the factory?

Please refer to the circled section in the attached picture. It looks like they cut it off with a saw. We stripped the entire tail section and interior of the trunk and it doesn't look the panel has been replaced. All the spot welds appear to be factory.

Just curious... Thanks.

 

[Ruppstang]

GTCS,HCS and Shelby's all were built on the same line as all Mustangs. The difference is at a point in their build they received adds and deletes on the Ford line. The Shelby's were partly assembled and shipped to Shelby and AO Smith for completion.
The short answer is yes they modified a standard taillight panel.
Marty

 

[Mosesatm]

I was looking at the tail light mounting area on my GT/CS and wondering if they had taken standard tail light panels and cut it out to mount the CS tail panel filler plates from the factory?

Please refer to the circled section in the attached picture. It looks like they cut it off with a saw. We stripped the entire tail section and interior of the trunk and it doesn't look the panel has been replaced. All the spot welds appear to be factory.

Just curious... Thanks.

Those may be tin snip cuts.

 

[Tequila]

Thanks guys. that makes sense.

wow. tin snip cuts from factory??

 

[Mosesatm]

Note how the cuts don't continue straight across.

 

[Ruppstang]

Here is a picture of our GT350 that show some of the tape use to cover the taillight opening during the shipment from the Metuchen NJ assembly plant to the AO Smith plant where the Shelby conversion was done.