Looking to replace my old worn license plate lamp on my 72 240z.

Any pros and cons on the new repro?

https://share.google/JYmCApNhdtEwbOrTC

It's probably better than an original lamp considering those have been exposed to UV and exhaust fumes for over half a century.

And it looks like the correct color.

16 minutes ago, cgsheen1 said:

And it looks like the correct color.

This is mine. Really worn!

The stock color matched the rear panels for license and tail light surrounds. Many don't get that right. It wasn't until we got the "museum car" in the shop that we understood what the correct color (paint) should be. Of course that's an individual choice but there are few surviving examples of the actual paint used 50 or more years ago. We thought many of the restoration examples here in Arizona ( a place notoriously hard on paint, plastic, and rubber ) were correct until we saw the panels from a car that had very little real world exposure (less than 4K miles) and was stored in a Pennsylvania Toyota dealership automobile collection for most of it's life. You would also be blown away by the original Nissan weatherstrip - we were - and it was actually awesome compared to most new offerings...

On 1/10/2026 at 2:12 PM, cgsheen1 said:

The stock color matched the rear panels for license and tail light surrounds. Many don't get that right. It wasn't until we got the "museum car" in the shop that we understood what the correct color (paint) should be. Of course that's an individual choice but there are few surviving examples of the actual paint used 50 or more years ago. We thought many of the restoration examples here in Arizona ( a place notoriously hard on paint, plastic, and rubber ) were correct until we saw the panels from a car that had very little real world exposure (less than 4K miles) and was stored in a Pennsylvania Toyota dealership automobile collection for most of it's life. You would also be blown away by the original Nissan weatherstrip - we were - and it was actually awesome compared to most new offerings...

Any pictures from that car?

Lots. Interesting thing about that paint is it's character. It can look very darkish in the shade - gunmetal-ish AND and fairly bright silver in the sun. I think that's why most people can't get it correct - they see it light and paint their panels light-gray. They see it dark and paint it something close to that. It's a metallic color and "pops" in the light and shows it's darker character in the shade.

Outside in full Arizona sun. Except for the glare the true color is shown on the plate light and the lower tail light surrounds. Much lighter than many people think - due to the silver metallic. Notice how the tone shifts with the angle of the shot in the very next photo:

Honestly it's very difficult to capture the true color with a photo. Looks dark, huh? Not in real life...

This is MUCH closer to real life. This is in the shop, with the bay door open, and the rear end exposed to natural light from outside. Fairly close to what you actually see with your eye balls... Not so dark now.

Notice how the repainted surrounds on the blue 280 are just a touch darker (and probably don't have the same metallic as stock).

Don't you wish your plate light looked this good? (okay, never noticed before that the right surround was cracked!)

Edited January 16Jan 16 by cgsheen1

On 1/16/2026 at 5:03 PM, cgsheen1 said:

Lots. Interesting thing about that paint is it's character. It can look very darkish in the shade - gunmetal-ish AND and fairly bright silver in the sun. I think that's why most people can't get it correct - they see it light and paint their panels light-gray. They see it dark and paint it something close to that. It's a metallic color and "pops" in the light and shows it's darker character in the shade.

Outside in full Arizona sun. Except for the glare the true color is shown on the plate light and the lower tail light surrounds. Much lighter than many people think - due to the silver metallic. Notice how the tone shifts with the angle of the shot in the very next photo:

Honestly it's very difficult to capture the true color with a photo. Looks dark, huh? Not in real life...

This is MUCH closer to real life. This is in the shop, with the bay door open, and the rear end exposed to natural light from outside. Fairly close to what you actually see with your eye balls... Not so dark now.

Notice how the repainted surrounds on the blue 280 are just a touch darker (and probably don't have the same metallic as stock).

Don't you wish your plate light looked this good? (okay, never noticed before that the right surround was cracked!)

Just received this replica of the original lamp. Hope the wires in the car reach the femal and male plugs of this lamp. Why did the manufacturer glued the sockets with silicone?