Last year for glass tail light lenses?

[Eric Q. #17675]

Hey all:

I was looking at some reproduction tail light lenses being offered on ebay for my car (40 6227C). I cant tell if they are glass or plastic (awaiting response from seller) but the thing that amazed me was the price of them. $575 for a pair. The seller acknowledges they are expensive and it might very well be that it costs nearly that much to make reproductions but yikes, that sure seems expensive. They had better be glass for me to even consider that price.

Anyhow, I was wondering when Cadillac stopped using glass and switched over to plastic for their lenses. I had a 47 Chevy and it used glass but my next comparison is my 72 ElCamino which is plastic. I was hoping someone else could narrow this range down a bit.

Merry Christmas,
Eric Q.

[Barry M. Wheeler #2189]

Hi, 1947 was the last year (except for the Series 75 which used 1941 lenses)...for glass tail lamp lenses. The repro ones I saw on eBay, and which may be the ones you are looking at, are outrageouly overpriced and the repros generally available are not nearly that much. Besides, All Cadillacs of the Forties should have both original and reproductions. They have a web site, and usually have a full page ad in Hemmings Motor News. Without going into the ins and outs of this persons pricing, there is NO Cadillac tail lens worth that much. They simply arent that scarce. Craveat Emptor!

[Eric Q. #17675]

Thanks for the reply Barry. I imagine we are looking at the same tail light lenses on ebay. Since I already have lenses for my restoration project I wont be purchasing any but Im glad you confirmed my suspicion that they were over priced.

Eric Q.