Hot Rods No headlight bar!

Well, have not seen many 32 full fendered coupe without a head light bar!!! But get ready, I am putting fenders on my coupe, and did not think the lights were going to be low enough even on a dropped bar, so, going to drop them quite a bit lower and not use a head light bar. Will follow with pictures and what all I am going to do to fender braces.


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Waiting for this, could be very cool.

 

Guy in our club built a street rod 3 window and didn't use a headlight bar,too me it looks strange. HRP

 

I agree with you Danny.

 

Headlight placement can get pretty critical. Too low looks weird, too high looks awkward, too close together looks "bug-eyed". Too far forward or too far back all have to be considered. Sometimes it takes a bit of mock-up and honest critique from fellow hot-rodders. Good luck, jtbarnet, hope you can make it work.

 

I think they look just right on a dropped bar even with stock lights.
Its your car and thats the beauty of hot rodding, You get to do anything you damn well please.

 

I agree it looks strange, but mostly because the headlights are soooo far apart and not so much due to the lack of headlight bar.
Just a thought.

 

What I have been doing is I narrow the headlight bar then drop it and use the bottom stock bar hole in the fender as the top hole. This makes the lights lower,and closer together.i don’t like the looks of a 32 without a headlight bar either.

 

Henry Ford should have used a dropped headlight bar. HRP

 

Plus the fact that they're not on "chopped" headlight stands, so the small headlights are floating up above the fender surface giving them a "snail eye" dune buggy look.
This happens on 33/34 Fords. That's why most guys go with chopped stands to tuck them down.
Also, they're very far forward on that 32. Without the accompanying bar running across the front of the grille, the lights don't need to be hanging out front and could/should be slid back a bit next to the grille shell.

 

Danny I think on a fender car if no light bar is used the headlights need to be right down where your fog lights are. If course I like my lights low so maybe that is why I think that.

 

The headlight bar serves another purpose besides mounting the headlights. It ties the fender braces together and adds strength to the combined ***embly, minimizing 'fender flop' of vertical vibration. The OP does say he is going to do something with the fender braces, so sounds like he has thought this through.

Ray

 

Ray,you got that right,the purple 3 window followed me one night and the light was shaking around a lot. HRP

 

I've always thought that the dropped bar like on the blue one that Rusty Rocket posted in post 6 just flat looked right for a hot rod with fenders on it.

 

There was a local guy here a couple of years ago that was running a full fendered 34 Ford pickup truck with no headlight bar. Each light was attached to the fender/fender brace with what looked like a headlight stand off of a large truck like a White or something. The lights were in the exact same position as stock but with no bar across the radiator shell. It looked good and you would hardly notice the difference just walking past it.

 

I really, really appreciate all the input guys, as far as braces, I have thought that part thru, I am going to build “gussets” down each side of fender braces, and also put small tab on back on brace, TIG weld everything, and off of the gusset tab bolt to top of shock bracket. I am build brackets for headlights and bolt to inside of frame, they will be a little lower, but centered between fender and front grill.....just lower than on a dropped bar. So my finders will be supported real strong and will not move, and the headlights will be supported strong and will not flop. One thing guys beside saying I will the head lights a little lower than on a dropped headlight bar, I fail to also let y’all know I have a 2” longer hood, so I would have to highly modify the bar to come out 2” ( at least) and drop more.....anyway, will be sure and post pictures, if you guys would like I will also post picture of the modifications I make to fender support....
Jim


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Here is my car without headlight bar.

 

Here is my 32 Cabriolet without a bar. Made tubular fender brace to serve as headlight stand and secure fender. Lights are European driving lights with halogen bulbs. Dimpled fenders to get lights lower.