Technical 1932 Ford headlight reflector kit

I bought 2 of the new style reflector kits from Bob Drake a few years ago and I was amazed how well they work, gone is the shiny aluminum reflector and it has been replaced with a chrome plated plastic reflecter that when in use there is no shadows like the original headlights cast, but when I tried to order another set Drakes has been out of stock for several years.

Anyone know of another source? HRP

 

Danny, what did you do with the other set?

I do know that the lights on your 1932 pickup were real bright, almost as bright as the new cars.

 

John, I gave the other set to Dave when he was building the Confused 32/34 pickup, He was trying to get it on the road and they were out of stock, they still are.

I want to install a set in my old beater Deuce sedan. HRP

 

I've been watching their site, off and on, for a few years now, for their 33/34 reflectors of same design.
Nothing, ever.

 

CW Moss or C&G Ford Parts?

 

Try googling your thread ***le.

 

I would try CW Moss. Maybe Early Ford Store. The last set of reflectors I bought were for my Model A. Those came from Brattons.

 

As far as I know they have not been made in the last 10 years I do not know the reason why it would be nice to have a set done with the original reflecting aluminum something or Silver tone ?
but in a metal design . Instead of the plastic
The Drakes put the bulb in correct location to the flutes

 

I agree the Drake reflectors are the best for updating old headlights.
My sense with Drake Parts is that Bob is slowing down and liquidating inventory, especially the items that he ordered to be manufactured for his sales catalog.
Again, my opinion, as those proprietary items sell out it appears there will be no more of them produced.

 

Didn’t know they were getting so rare.
Dang near gave these away at the last swap meet.
No wonder the guy was so happy.

 

I picked up a set of commercial lights without reflectors. I checked all the usual Ford parts places and ended up buying a set on ebay. They cost almost as much as the last complete set of repo lights I bought.

 

This is the style that has been avalible for many years and it works, but the new style that is out of stock is state of the art, and the lights are far superior to the older style. HRP

 

@HOTRODPRIMER is correct, the later reflectors moved the bulbs closer to the lens and there is also a tapered area at the top, it’s about 1/4” high tapering to zero. Possibly that area has something to do with high/low beam.

 

Can’t you chrome or re- silver the originals ?

 

It would be a great shame if this product became, or indeed has already become, unobtainable, as its far from obsolete!

I'd be in for 2 sets.

Looks to me that with scanning, 3d printing etc someone with access to that kind of tech could produce them in low volumes.

I recall when they were introduced and it was clear Drake had conducted quite some development in finessing the design. In that sense the hard work is already done? I doubt there's any patents to be considered and if Bob is no longer interested plagiarising his design is hardly theft? Surprised Speedway hasn't borrowed this already!

Chris

 

Yes , but original 6v good but @ same time beam does not project out enough
for really over 45 mph .
The regular conversions like V-T are bright but not correct for flute's beam just ****tered ,
Even with brighter bubs you need to change the depth bub to flutes ,
Origina "A"'s the bub was adjustable moving it in & out in relation to flutes .
Even in modern bulbs between manufacturers are not made the same even that they're lets say H4 ,
Just like tires
You can have same tire size as marked on tire 3 ,4,5 manufacturers
There can be as much as 1-1/2 difference in the actual size .
There are so many things like this & most people are not aware of.
I am surpriseNo one has copied the / concept of Bob Drakes design , everything else is
Stolen !!!!
Some one on here with 3d needs to make a copy of B-D plastic ones then make a die to stamp out of metal then
Silvertone , they would sell , I think 10 pair @ $200 would pay for the initial investment ,
I am Surprised Holley has not done
Plastic or metal ..

I do not know how pat or copy rights work or whats consider stolen
As is any Hamburger joint makes a hamburger same as someone else

 

@Happydaze if Bob had indeed patented the design then he certainly has rights to it. Maybe a licensing agreement could be worked out and Bob would get a royalty.

 

Very cool. I think I’m seeing the difference now. Thanks for sharing.

 

Sure you can and reproductions have been avalible for as long as I can remember, but the new type are much brighter and doesn't have shadows like the original, I'm still using the original type but the type of reflectors made of plastic like Fordors posted are as bright as modern headlights and much safer. HRP

 

Man, wish I could switch my reflectors out - I have OG BLC lights that take old school head-lamps that are barely adequate for night driving - dull and dingy (I have plenty of juice going to them, just not comparable to modern lighting).
Anyone know of a plug-and-play lamp that I can swap-out with my current?

 

@SDS , are your BLC lights using seal beam lamps, like from the 1950's?
Photo of headlight?

 

The description makes it sound like they've had them designed/manufactured, if that's true there may not be another source. Other than just watching the Bob Drake site, did you call/email them to try to get better info on the status?

 

They may have gotten a cease-and-desist order from the NHTSA. There was real plague of 'headlight conversions' featuring all sorts of re-tasked lamps (halogen, HID, LED) that didn't meet standards about that long ago that they went after. I'm not saying that the Drake conversions didn't work adequately, simply that they may have gotten included under a general ban or a fear of being sued. I do know that they tested some conversions that failed, and having a conversion tested by a licensed lab wasn't cheap. But most claimed their conversions were 'NHTSA legal' when in reality that only applied to the new lamps that were being used.

The problem is the lenses were designed to work with the OEM lamp selection, when you changed the lamp the different light emission characteristics with the new lamp and the old lens/reflector design could cause flare/glare to oncoming drivers. There is a lot of science involved in headlight design, most sellers ignored the NHTSA standards and/or failed to test to see if they met those standards.

While Europe aggressively tested for correct light patterns, the US doesn't. Sellers here are self-policing so there is legal liability involved.

 

I really don't remember the story about the manufacturing of the ket but i seem like I was told there were some similarities to the way the new (at that time) mini cooper light reflectors were made.

I have emailed and the only reply is they were out of stock but they should have them soon, I have no idea as to when is soon. HRP

 

I would like to have a set also.

 

What the Hell, after waiting 3 years to get a set of 33-34 commercial headlights, the SS reflectors are worthless. I'm putting them on a stock powered Model A and now I have to rethink putting on the 6-1 head I bought. I don't want to outrun the headlights when the 50 hp kicks in.

 

From Drake’s perspective he is likely looking at what it would cost for him to restock his shelves with a minimum order for parts that might sit there for a long time. Restorers wouldn’t be interested in them and hot rodders have plenty of other options to choose from.

 

The stainless steel reflectors are not worthless and they were the best thing avalible as a replacement for many years, they Drake reflectors just brought hot rod lighting into the new century. HRP

 

Outrunning the headlights is the real issue here. It's been imperfectly addressed by using dual-filament lamps of differing wattages along with lens/reflector designs in incandescent and halogen lights. The issue here is neither filament is likely in its ideal focus point for maximum output so a compromise is the only choice. But there is another issue, one that can't be changed: how the human eye perceives light.

Everyone knows about 'night vision'. Walk outside from a brightly lit room at night into a dark yard without a light and you won't be able to see very much. But wait a few minutes; your eyes will adjust, opening your pupils until you can start to see detail. Turn on a bright flashlight to show your immediate surroundings, and things beyond that circle of light will vanish again. But move the circle away from you, and distance detail will improve. Anyone who has ever used a telescope for stargazing will tell you that you need as little light near you as possible to get the most out of what you see through the telescope.

And this is the main issue with headlight design. The low beams are designed to throw light relatively close to the vehicle, allowing you to see (and react to) objects close the vehicle. On an incandescent or halogen system, switching to high beam shuts off the low beam and moves the light pool away from you, allowing your eyes to open up more and see more distant objects in time to react. Not switching off the low beam leaves that pool close and limits the effectiveness of your high beams. But your brain perceives it as 'better' because the pool is brighter, but total distance vision is impaired. But at speed, you don't need that close-in light. If you haven't already seen an object by that time, you won't have time to react in any case.

That is the main failing of modern HID and LED headlights IMO. HID uses the same beam for both, with a mechanical 'shutter' that drops to cut off the top of the beam. LED simply adds more light but leaves the low beam pattern in place.

IMO the best headlight system ever offered is the 4 headlight version originally offered in 1957. Certain European manufactures (Cibie and Hella mostly) refined that with as little compromise as possible, with dedicated high beams that could really reach out.

 

Are we talking about part number B-13027-QK-12 for $164.99? I wonder what Drake used in his reproduction headlights that he sold? 60 Special