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1972 Buick Skylark Tail Light Bulb


Guest Hawk5619

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Guest Hawk5619

Hello,

I know this is a stupid question but will ask anyway. I just bought a 1972 Skylark that has been sitting for many years. I got it running and it runs good. It has a bad tail light bulb so no problem, I grab a 1157 bulb and pop the trunk to put it in. I notice there is no socket that is accessable in the trunk rear panel like other cars. I look at the outer lense and see four screws, no problem I will just remove those screws and remove the lense and the bulb will be right there. I take those four screws out and that lense will barely move, Grab a small flat blade screw drive to pry it loose. That lense will not come free and I do not want to brake it. What am I missing to get to that bulb? This car has sat in the New Mexico desert for about 10 years and everything needed lots of lube as in doors, hood just to open. What is the correct way to get to those rear bulbs?

Thanks for all help

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Guest Hawk5619

Thanks John,

I took out those 4 screws that are in plain site BUT will take a closer look tomorrow. They must be underneath or well hidden.

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I had a 1969 Skylark around 1990 and a sticker like this peeled off one day:

20130807we-no-user-serviceable-parts-inside.gif

The car was actually quite interesting. It was low mileage, never driven in bad weather, with the dimmer switch mounted in place of the cigarette lighter. The original owner was a woman with one leg. She only took short hops.

Bernie

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I had a 1969 Skylark around 1990 and a sticker like this peeled off one day:

20130807we-no-user-serviceable-parts-inside.gif

The original owner was a woman with one leg. She only took short hops.

Bernie

Groan...

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I do not have access to my 72 today and I cant remember how many screws there are. I do remember I had 1 that was warped from age/heat or what ever reason. it is a tight fit, maybe you could try another forum, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post it here...

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Hello,

I know this is a stupid question but will ask anyway. I just bought a 1972 Skylark that has been sitting for many years. I got it running and it runs good. It has a bad tail light bulb so no problem, I grab a 1157 bulb and pop the trunk to put it in. I notice there is no socket that is accessable in the trunk rear panel like other cars. I look at the outer lense and see four screws, no problem I will just remove those screws and remove the lense and the bulb will be right there. I take those four screws out and that lense will barely move, Grab a small flat blade screw drive to pry it loose. That lense will not come free and I do not want to brake it. What am I missing to get to that bulb? This car has sat in the New Mexico desert for about 10 years and everything needed lots of lube as in doors, hood just to open. What is the correct way to get to those rear bulbs?

Thanks for all help

does it have the N-25 bumper? Or stock bumper?

Im pretty sure on the 72 lark like mine you have to pull the socket from the behind the bumper.

Or you could do like the guy that owned mine before me and take a cut wheel to the inside of the trunk (not advised)

post-58377-143142973182_thumb.jpg

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Even if you get the screws out, the rubber gasket might have "melted" from the continued heat exposure over the summers. Perhaps it just dried-out and crumbles? Might need some sort of "release agent", combined with your gentle prying along the edges, to get things apart? "Release agent" as in some sort of penetrating oil?

Please keep us posted on your progress.

NTX5467

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Hello,

I know this is a stupid question but will ask anyway. I just bought a 1972 Skylark that has been sitting for many years. I got it running and it runs good. It has a bad tail light bulb so no problem, I grab a 1157 bulb and pop the trunk to put it in. I notice there is no socket that is accessable in the trunk rear panel like other cars. I look at the outer lense and see four screws, no problem I will just remove those screws and remove the lense and the bulb will be right there. I take those four screws out and that lense will barely move, Grab a small flat blade screw drive to pry it loose. That lense will not come free and I do not want to brake it. What am I missing to get to that bulb? This car has sat in the New Mexico desert for about 10 years and everything needed lots of lube as in doors, hood just to open. What is the correct way to get to those rear bulbs?

Thanks for all help

does it have the N-25 bumper? Or stock bumper?

Im pretty sure on the 72 lark like mine you have to pull the socket from the behind the bumper.

Or you could do like the guy that owned mine before me and take a cut wheel to the inside of the trunk (not advised)

also it may be the socket. If you out in a new bulb without a change the socket will need to be replaced. The tail/brake would go out when the brakes were applied two sockets on my car were bad. Oreillys has them so any parts store should have them in stock.

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Guest Hawk5619

I just got the Skylark back from the muffler shop, they reminded me that it has a bad bulb in the back. I told them just to replace it. Nope they either forgot OR could not figure out how to do it. Pull the rear bumper to change a bulb seems extreme. There is 4 screws holding on that lens so mabe wd40 and more prying? Anyone have 72 Skylark that would know for sure?

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Should also be a screw on each end of the lens. there are 6 all together, WD40 it to no end, should help alot, pulling the bumper is not the easiest idea cause then you still have to pull the housing from the bumper and then lens from the housing. Where are you located, may know some friends that can help!

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Guest Hawk5619

I am in Wellington, Colorado. I was just looking at this again and I can put my hand behind the bumper by sticking it through the plate pull down to the gas cap. I can feel the one nut on that side put to get to the other it looks like it needs to be up on a lift. I will take it back to the muffler shop and get it up in the air to see what is going on. It has other little promblems as in heater blows but no heat etc. I think I need a shop manual!

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Can you post a picture of the lens side and one of the back through the gas tank access hole. 72's may be different than 69's but in the case of the 69 I was able to loosen the rear bumper without actually removing it. The bumper dropped down to access the nuts holding the entire assembly to the rear bumper. But the bulbs still came out from the lens side.

You should not pry on that lens too much unless you have a spare. You don't want to crack it.

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I just got the Skylark back from the muffler shop, they reminded me that it has a bad bulb in the back. I told them just to replace it. Nope they either forgot OR could not figure out how to do it. Pull the rear bumper to change a bulb seems extreme. There is 4 screws holding on that lens so mabe wd40 and more prying? Anyone have 72 Skylark that would know for sure?

I have a 72 and if it has the rubber surrounds which it should you can not pull the lens from the front. The housing has to be removed from the bumper then separate the lense. However, the sockets come out from the back side of the bumper. If you can not do it with bumper attached you will have to loosen or remove the bumper to access the sockets. Unless you you want to cut holes in the trunk.

also it may be the socket. If you put in a new bulb without a change (meaning the bulb still doesnt work) the socket will need to be replaced. The tail/brake would go out mine when the brakes were applied on my lark. two sockets on my car were bad. Oreillys has them so any parts store should have them in stock.

I explained this in the above postings.

Sorry, but that's how Buick designed it.

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  • 1 month later...
Guest Hawk5619

I have been off this board for a while but thought I should chime in and say that I got the lense off and replaced the bad bulb. There is 4 screws that go thru the"lense" and screw into the tail light "assembly." After removing the 4 screws I had about 4 small screwdrivers and when I was able gently lossen one corner from the gasket I stuck a screwdriver in to hold it. Worked on the other side and was able to slip a small screwdriver between the rubber surrond and the lense. Shot some wd40 around the

whole thing and slowly was able to break the lense free from that gasket. I worked it out past the

rubber surrond and without breaking the lense was able to have access to the bulds. I read the other posts about removing the bumper and that looks to be nessary to remove the "assembly" which would be needed if the sockets were bad and needed to be placed. I only had one bad bulb but after all the work to get in there I replaced all three.

Thanks for all help,

Rick

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  • 7 months later...
Guest DawgDoc

I had a similar situation as Hawk5619 but have now successfully removed the lenses. My problem is actually getting the bulbs out of their sockets. Is there a trick to that? They are quite difficult to grasp and, although they can be wiggled some, they wont turn. Any suggestions?

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I had a 1969 Skylark around 1990 and a sticker like this peeled off one day:

20130807we-no-user-serviceable-parts-ins

The car was actually quite interesting. It was low mileage, never driven in bad weather, with the dimmer switch mounted in place of the cigarette lighter. The original owner was a woman with one leg. She only took short hops.

Bernie

When she tried standing, did she go by the name of Eileen?

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