1957 Rear taillight bulb install

[valhalla 4771]

I went to install rear taillight bulbs and notice the socket has two contact points, as does the correct bulb. The socket in the photo has the two contact points aligned pretty much perpendicular to the notches in the socket. The other side has the two contact points aligned quite differently. I'm pretty sure when I install the bulbs and twist them to lock in place the contact between the bulb contacts and the socket contacts will be different for one taillight compared to the other. Do I need to fiddle with the socket contacts to get them oriented in a particular direction? Or will the bulbs work correctly as long as I have them seated firmly, regardless of contact orientation? In other words, are the bulbs smarter than I am? (There has to be a joke in here about the brightness of the car bulb compared to the brightness of the operator's bulb, but its late in the day and the operator is tired.)

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[sre]

The blub only fits one-way. One nipple on the bulb is deeper then the other. The socket has one deeper then the other. It will only lock in the correct position.

 

[Ward 57]

If you look closely you will see one slot for the bulb pins is deeper than the other. It looks like the one in the bottom looks like it is deeper than the one on the top. The retainer pins on the bulb are offset also. That way the bulb will seat only one way keeping the tail light and brake circuits in line. Do NOT mess with the contacts.
Two other things, coat the bulb and socket in di-electric grease to prevent galvanic corrosion between the different metals and line the reflector with shiny aluminum foil. The reflectors are not so much reflective. Once you line one and compare it to the other, you will be amazed at how bright it is.

 

[paul5456]

Only way to tell for sure is to insert the bulbs and see if they work correctly. Always possible something was assembled incorrectly. You don't have to reinsert the lamp assembly back into the light unit, but you have to ground the bulb assembly for it to work.