tail light lenses

[my8thholden]

morning Gents ..and any interested ladies ..On dismantling my tail light assemblies for cleaning and new rubber weather seals ,there is a orange lense under the red lense ,the lower is clear ..it is a Holden part 7410528  ..my car is original,the lower clear lense has no globe holder ,so never used ,so the tail/brake light blinks, so was it an attempt by Holden to give a orange glow to the light ? ,I dont know what you get when 32candle power travels through orange and red lenses ,probably a kind of yellow...this must have been encountered before ,i would appreciate some "enlightment"  .I intend to leave as original the clear lower lense ,but convert to blinker with yellow globe..I imagine I will then leave the orange lense out of the tail/brake light .What are the two little clear plastic " windows" in the body near the globe ?...thx Vern ..

[mcl1959]

Lot of conjecture about red and orange lenses. I believe they were all originally red and are fading to orange. I worked in the plastic industry for quite a while and sun is not the only reason why lenses turn orange, age also sees the red turn slowly orange. I have seen those inner lenses half red and half orange.
Clear lenses tend to go milky.
My last FE had exactly what you propose, orange globes in clear lenses. It was fine and passed engineering.
You should leave the inner lense in the taillight as it helps diffuse the light.
I have a few brand new lower clear lenses available. Send me a message if interested. Rare Spares price is $35 each, I will sell for $30 the pair.
The two windows are basically boot lights. Leave your parkers on and open the boot at night and you will see the effect.
Originally there was a plastic blank in the lower light hole on FE and early FC. I also have a few of these available. Once again, send me a message

Ken

[DJ]

Ken, do you know the reason behind Holden's inner & outer lens design?

[fcee]

Hi , I was of the understanding that the clear lower lens was for the reverse light kit that was available as an extra .cheers Steve .

[ardiesse]

The inner lens is a Fresnel lens, like what lighthouses have.  Its purpose is to make the illumination uniformly bright across the entire lens.  If there were no inner lens, you'd just see a tinted and faint version of the lamp filament.  The outer lens is just for coloured decoration.

Rob

[my8thholden]

Thanks for the "enlightment" gents  ..that inner lense of mine has really faded very evenly,and is a strong vibrant orange ..I sent images to Dave as I have his mobile ..

Ken ..yes i'll take the two clear lower lenses ,pls put with other items you have for me ,one of mine is cracked right thru ,the other non through deformation cracks and milky ,they polish up ok with plastic headlight cleaner ,I find it returns ,,certainly does on daughters Holden Astra ..Vern

[mcl1959]

thanks Rob, Fresnel is the word I was thinking of. They are diffusers which spread the light evenly.
Correct Steve, the clear lense's original use is for optional reverse lights.
Vern, I don't think a lot of these fade to orange, I think they age to orange which is quite different.
Ken

[DJ]

Thanks for the clarity. Vern's orange inner lens ........

[my8thholden]

Dave ..THX for putting images up , I will put the two lenses in when assembling brake half of assembly ..I now know I am half plastic , cause I have faded and aged from black to grey  ..Vern