Replacing Tail Light/Brake Light bulb sockets

[LSM360]

I've replaced my Tail/Brake Light sockets once before on my '89 Diplomat a long time ago with some OEM ones. Despite the car staying dry, these OEM ones are problematic and often take some wiggling for them to come back on. I THINK it's usually a problem with the way they ground.

I'm wondering if anyone has found a later OEM Mopar lamp socket that will twist and lock in to an M Body tail lamp housing. I see some NOS ones on Feebay that look similar (insert and twist to lock) but I can't tell if they will actually fit. Most are now LED which is fine (probably better anyway). I'm not looking to swap out for sequential. Just a better option than stock.

Thanks,

Larry

 

[AMC Diplomat]

I used K car sockets. I pulled a harness out of a K Lebaron and converted to the M body by adding a ground.

 

[LSM360]

I would imagine the K car socket from same era may present some of the same reliability issues. Strange, because my '89 parts catalog shows part number 4450815 for rear tail/stop lamp socket but when I look up that number it's the metal one used for rear side marker.

 

[AMC Diplomat]

I would imagine the K car socket from same era may present some of the same reliability issues. Strange, because my '89 parts catalog shows part number 4450815 for rear tail/stop lamp socket but when I look up that number it's the metal one used for rear side marker.

Mine came out of an 84 Lebaron in a junkyard. I think it was an 84. My car spent most of its life in Idaho/Utah/Arizona, so all the plastics were destroyed including the tail sockets But in NY that stuff survives while the sheet metal rots.

I haven't had an issue since.

 

[MoparDan]

The Cherry Bomb's taillight wiring started shorting out everywhere, ended up putting an '87 Fifth Avenue wiring harness on, one of the taillights didn't work so I cut the only socket that still worked and spliced it in place, I haven't had an issue since, I also had to modify the license plate light to work with the single bulb Fury's and Diplomats have

 

[LSM360]

I've been up in my attic trying to organize the huge amount of stuff I have up there, mostly car stuff but other stuff too. Well I'll be dipped (thanks Derek). I found several used ones I had up there so I'll see if they work. This is the problem with never having enough time and just putting stuff up there in a hurry because no time to catalog it all and then forgetting what's been up there for twenty-something years.