Can anyone tell me if the spoiler w/ the third brake light is the same for a convertible as the other models??

Thanks
Ed

 

Hello Ed,

No, the convertible rear spoiler is different from the coupe spoiler.


Ken

 

actually the center piece is the same, the sides are different thats all

 

are you positive of this?? i kind of need a center spoiler. If its the same i just get one off a junk car.

 

All 3 pieces are unique to the convertible. The only part that interchanges with the coupe is the HMSL (high mount stop light) lens. It is the same as the coupes from 86-90.

Lon

 

i'm pretty sure these guys are right. the center part of the spoiler on my IROC is more rounded on the edges...but it could just be a different style spoiler from 86-90/91-92. however i still believe the convertible center piece is specific to the convertible model only

 

Lon is correct. All three pieces are different. He's the convertible expert here. And if that doesn't suffice, I'll step in and say the same thing. Today, I own one convertible and one coupe. If anyone doubts us, say so and I'll take a couple of very definitive pics of both, showing the difference.

 

hmm, well you learn something new everyday.

 

Deff. different. I sold the center section off my vert to a buddy for like $100shipped.

put a 91-92Z on mine.

 

They got a deal. I paid $200 for a spare center section of the spoiler and picked it up. I seem to recall that one of the aftermarket parts suppliers that makes spoilers and hoods makes reproductions of the convertible spoiler in fiberglass.

Lon

 

ya he did. His blew off on the hiway and mine was just collecting dust so I figured what the heck.

I still have other parts i should dig out Im not usin like the rear pannels by the seats.

 

unfortunatly it isnt exactly the same. the hard top spoilers were one peice since they didnt have a trunk ours was split into 3 peices for the trunk. There is a site out there( i lost the bookmarks) that is making new spoilers for the 3rd gen verts again, just do some searching for it i promise it is out there somewhere.

 

'86 had the hatch glass mounted CHMSL; '87-'90 had the spoiler mounted CHMSL.

The only difference that I've noticed in the '87-'90 years is the 'sport coupes' had a slightly different CHMSL light, unique to the sport coupe spoiler (which is slightly raised off of the hatch lid). It is almost impossible to tell the difference on the car, but once you remove the lights and put them side by side, there is a slight difference.

 

I couldn't recall off the top of my head if it was 85 or 86 that had the one-year HMSL attached to the exterior of the upper hatch. To satisfy my curiosity I'll have to look up part numbers to confirm a difference in HMSL on the SC model, I'm not aware of it.

Lon

 

I remember reading a long time ago, shortly after I got my vert, that the smaller third brake light found on the 86/87 convertibles were actually a Ford light *shrug*... Does anyone know if there is any truth to that?? And if so - which Ford?


Ken

 

Lon,

Others have called me on this as well and while I'm not sure if there is a part number difference, I've found a couple of sport coupes in the boneyard over the years that do, in fact, have a slightly different 3rd brake light, specific to the sport coupe spoiler. I'll try and dig around the garage this weekend and see if I can turn one of them up and post pictures.

1986 was the first year that 3rd brake lights were required on passenger cars in the US, and it was obvious (as was possibly the case with the F-body) that many manufacturer's tooling was not quite ready to incorporate the change into the car bodies, as many cars during the first couple of years of the requirement had lights that looked like an afterthought rather than an integral part of the design.


Ken,

I have also heard this, but I, too, am not sure which model Ford is was. Being that the early CHMSL's were made in Italy (stamped in the plastic), it's quite possible that the same light model was used on a few different cars.