Mustang Monthly

How to Install Sequential Taillights

With Scott Drake's New Sequential Taillight Conversion Kit, it's Easy toAdd Cougar-Like Sequencing Rear Turn Signals to Your Vintage Mustang.

By Jim Smart

Photography by Jim Smart

Pity the Mustang nut who finds himself jealous of corporate-cousinCougar at Lincoln-Mercury. Cougars got all of those nice luxury itemsthat were well outside the beer-and-pretzel Mustang budget. One exampleof luxury was the sequential turn signals and brake lights that made theCougar distinctive. When they were new, these taillights sequenced withan attitude of luxury.

Now Mustang owners don't have to bring up the rear anymore because ScottDrake Mustang Parts has sequential taillamps for classic Mustangs.Available from National Parts Depot, these lights are a lot brighter andmore reliable than their vintage Cougar counterparts. Drake hasengineered the system from scratch for better performance, without allof the problems associated with vintage factory Cougar sequentialtaillamps. What makes the Drake system better is solid-state circuitry,devoid of mechanical relays, servos, motors, and cams. It's alsovirtually invisible. You don't know it's there until it is sequencingyour Mustang taillights. It works with precision and is fullyadjustable. What's more, you can install it in your '65-'70 Mustang in acouple of hours.

The Scott Drake sequential turn signals have two identical modulesdesigned to sequence the taillamps individually. Each module controlsthe 1-2-3 rate of each lamp assembly. You can speed up or slow down the1-2-3 pace by opening up the modules and turning two screws. Each screwis a rheostat (variable resistor) that controls the sequential pace ofthe three lamps. One of the rheostats controls how long the most inboardlamp is on before the sequencing begins. The other controls how quicklythe three lamps sequence.

Each control module gets its power from a source that is live only withthe ignition turned on. This means you need to run a separate powerlead, protected by a fuse, from the fuse box to the modules in the trunkarea. This power lead has to branch out into two leads to each of themodules to keep power going to the modules, which allows normalbrake-light operation with the ignition switch in the off position. Ifyou want the emergency flashers to sequence, you'll have to install twoflasher modules--one for the turn signals and one for the emergencyflashers. These flasher modules replace the stock flashers. If you wantemergency flashers that illuminate one bulb on each side, keep the stockemergency flasher.