Hot Rods Headlight's on early cars & trucks ~ what's your thought's?

The Sedan in mockup

 

Pretty much like everything else about hot rods, it's just a matter of personal taste. I don't usually care for the big headlights. Don't care much for the Wood lights or E&J either. But there are always exceptions. Very low fenderless '33-'34 coupes look good with big headlights, so do some chopped and channeled Model A's. Gives them a kinda mean look.
In the spirit of "use what you have" I'm replacing the big chrome headlights on my newly acquired Model A with some smaller, plainer, Arrow units I've had squirreled away for 20 years or more. I didn't mind the big lights but I wanted to make it mine. I painted the buckets body color and I'm having the rings chromed. I'll put them on a dropped headlight bar. Simple and traditional.
The way I got it.....


Big lights on the dropped bar........


The old Arrows painted and waiting for chrome rings...

 

If you want to sell the big lights let me know.. Good looking car.

 

Farmall tractor lights on this one. They are absolutely terrible but I wanted the smallest light I could find that look decent. I’m going to try and find a halogen or led bulb that helps. At this point these lights show you where you are not where your going.

 

1936 Cadillac on a 1930 Ford Roadster.

 

Very cool car...for a brighter light that fits them housings, look in to aircraft landing lights.
Thats what I did on my Farmall cub tractor, same housings 4",
Its a 1950 so it didn't have sealed beam lights it was the small bulb with a reflector, same housing just removed the reflector and bulb and replaced it with the 4" aircraft sealed beam also it had been converted to 12 volt already.
The aircraft lights are available in 4"and 5" also 12 & 24 volt,
Years back I had 4 of the 5" aircraft landing lights mounted in rubber tractor housings on the front of a O.T 280 Z back roads runner ...when I turned them on ..wow I could see for ever.
I know there is brighter stuff available now days ,but back then and using what I had + being free they worked for me.

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Hey HRP, I found another good headlight thread from a few years back. Check it out............
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/headlights.1081022/
Oh wait, deja vu, that one is you too.................

 

Variety is the ****e of life !

 

Brilliant


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I like to make sure everyone is happy so I’m going with big and little


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Dream BIG

 

Well, as long as the hood still opens this is not my car

 

I used the Big light on cars I have , I like the drop bar or off the frame rail , just depends on the look of the car, & year.
( Rake stance wheel tire combo some time color )
I was not around before 70 , The Area that I am from pretty much all the Hot Rods & Kustoms 40s & older where using original headlights & some with seal beam, Trends where different across Us , like chop on west , East channeled.
( seeing pics 48 -70s connected with multiple generations of hot rodders)
My experience with As & 32 light
( & some other years & manufactures) , the Originals & newer Reflectors & some of the bulb location to Flutes are the problem , (also flute clocking) I have spent time experimenting with different manufactures halogen Bulb's
( filaments are different same # ) & moving the bulb in & out from flute's .& clocking bulb different.
The Standard new chrome reflectors are not great at all, Silvertone is the best . & Bob drakes new design,
( I would like for them to be Metal & Silvertone or have them done )
much improvement over the standard chromed reflector, what ever combo & adjustment I have I get hi beans all the time When my lights are on low
(& all ways on Low ) Then I switch to Hi beam , the other vehicle will switch back to low beam.

 

Hey, thanks for the info on the landing lights. I don’t plan on driving this thing at night but I was caught out around dusk once last summer and I could not see a thing.

 

Man I like the Art Deco look of the lights, are they aftermarket or were they original to a production model? HRP

 

You got to drive it at night at least once...then I'm sure you will want to do it more.
Night driving was one of my favorite times when I had a 27 T roadster years back...going down the road in the open air , just the sound of the engine rumbling, mine was a 427 Ford w/4" exhaust pipes coming directly off of the roadster headers flange and dumping out in front of the N-50x15" rear tires that of course was almost directly beside me...it sounded good... and watching the front wheels&tires go around, lower half of the windshield tilted outward a bit so that the air coming over the engine could take the chill off on a cool evening...anyways give it a try.

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^^^^Ditto. When I lived in LA my GF and I would bundle up and drive my roadster up into the hills late at night and look down at the city lights. So nice.


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Someone on the internet said American La France
1940’s

 

^^^^^^
= $$$!!

 

I've got the stock commercial lights on my 36, it was a fire truck once, I converted the lights to halogen units. I don't drive it at night, I can't see more than about fifty feet, but in that fifty feet, I can see the whole world, they illuminate everything, more so on high beam. I don't have a choice, the truck looks odd with smaller lights, I also don't run the stainless grille surround, it takes your eyes off the truck, makes you focus on the grille, same as a chrome windsheild frame, which I also don't run.

 

How about Headlights for 37 Ford Highboy. When building the Highboy a few years back I wanted keep the 37 Iden***y. So I fabricated these using the top half of 37 Chevy and bottom half of 37 Cadillac, with 37 Ford headlights, free standing for the Highboy look.

 

BLC’s are my favorite. by WWII they were the standard replacement on all the cars with headlight bars. Sealed beams were the best and they were a standard size used by all the cars of the era. They just looked like they fit properly on most cars.

 

BLC

 

Saw a 31 fenderless Chevy with a 348 with 3 duces and a set of these lights for sale. In the 20`s. Looked like a deal to me. @Wally

 

I know of one pair..

And they’re not for sale.

 

He found 2 sets, sold one pair, and the other went on his car. That style of headlights do look like aftermarket, but they are not.

 

That light is definitely unique, at first glance it is almost alien looking, I really like it. HRP

 

Changed out the small headlights and motorcycle turn signals for 32 style with built in turn signals. In the process of making it more of a restorod. Rear bumper went on today. Front tomorrow.

 

^^^^
Unique color, on 3W

 

I can see having headlights...