There comes a time in every car's life where the bumper starts to sag, the paint peels, and the lights just aren't as bright as they used to be. It would seem that Project Mongoose is currently at this point. After a slight rear end mishap caused by a Volvo Parts Delivery Boy we found the tail lights did not fare very well. Both lenses were broken in the impact.

In our attempt to try to restore some of the car's original beauty we decided on genuine SVT Cobra replacement tail light lenses. These are the same lenses that were used on the 1984 - 1986 SVOs and 1993 SVT Cobras. Several vendors offer Cobra taillight lenses for around $80 each. What they don't tell you is that these are just the lenses. This means that you will have to use your existing housing and glue the lenses on yourself. For about the same price we were able to get genuine factory Cobra tail lights as a COMPLETE assembly from Performance Parts, Inc. (PPI) for about the same price as just the lens.

This assured us of a factory fit, excellent lens to lens assembly seal, and quality construction. Not to mention the fact that these are genuine Ford parts, NOT reproductions or take-off pieces. The entire installation can be done in under an hour with only the use of basic hand tools and minimal mechanical ability. You will need a Phillips head screwdriver, assorted deep dish sockets and ratchet. Also keep in mind that these instructions will work if you're putting GT taillights on an LX or LX taillights on a GT!

The first step is to remove the interior trim piece from around the rear of the car. There is no need to remove the two side interior panels that this piece is connected to.

Rather than disconnect the interior trunk light we opted to just lay the rear most trim piece down.

The next step is to remove all the bulb assemblies from the lens assembly. Simply give them a quarter turn, pull them out and lay them down. Now is also a good time to replace any burned out bulbs.

Several nuts hold the light assembly on to the rear of the car, you will need a deep well socket to get to these. Remove them and carefully pull the old lens assembly from the rear of the car.

The new lights come with a protective plastic strip over the lenses. Leave this on until the installation is complete. You will also see three rubber seals on the different sections of the lens assembly surrounding the openings for the bulb assemblies. These seal against the rear of the car when the lens assemblies are tightened and prevent water from entering the taillight.

Insert the new lens assembly into the existing mounting holes.

Tighten all the nuts making sure that you get a tight fit around each of the three rubber seals.

Repeat this procedure for the other side.

Re-install the bulb assemblies.

Re-install the interior trim panels.

Remove the protective strip and admire!