I bought some nos 682 guide lights. They have never been installed. They have SEALED BEAM GUIDE cast into the bottom of the gl***. They have 760 cast into the top. Looks like a projector bulb sealed inside. How do I tell what voltage the bulbs are? Can I Ohm them out? If I fry them I screw up a really cool part. Were old guide lights 6 volt? The guy I bought them from says they have been sitting since at least 1962.
Sealed beams became standard in 1940. The fact that they proudly advertised that they are "sealed beam" makes me think that they are early. 12V became the norm in the mid 50s. Since they are not marked, my guess is that 12Vs were not available when they were made so there was no reason to designate the voltage. I'd ***ume that they are 6V and just get new 12V sealed beams.
That makes sense. WW1 didn't become WW1 until after WW2. It's a shame cause these are new looking, and the lenses are what separates them from repos.
I think I know the bulbs you're talking about, do they have metal nubs on them to center them in the housing? I had a pair of nos lights with the original bulbs, but I can't remember if they were 12V or 6V....
Bulbs are often marked on the back. Have you removed them from the buckets? If not, take a look. I'll bet they're 6-volt bulbs (sometimes marked 6-8 volts).
I pulled the small marker bulb. It didn't have any markings either. I'm going to shoot 12v to the small bulb and see what happens.
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