Does anybody have a photo(s) of '42 hudson tail lights on a '32 Ford? I have a pair and I can't decide if they look right or not or which way up looks best. Cheers
If you have a '32 Ford, it'd probably be easier to put them on it than to find a '42 Hudson to put them on. Seriously, I think those taillights would look good on a '32. There is the rusty hulk of a '46-7 Hudson in a junkyard near here, looks like same taillights, and I remember looking at those tailights and thinking that they would look good on a late '20s or early '30s coupe or roadster. I am really surprised that these lights didn't catch on and become popular back when Hudsons were readily available in the junkyards. The nice thing is that these are much bigger taillights than the ever popular '38-'39 Ford units. Bigger taillights make the rear end of your car more visible at night and make your brake lights more noticeable, reducing your risk of getting rear ended. Today's drivers are used to the big taillights on modern vehicles, not the much smaller ones on our older cars.
It looks like there is a left and right lamp by your pic so I'm gonna say the striped accent belongs at the top where it likely was originally in its Hudson home. Is the lens thicker on the top or bottom due to mounting on a very curved surface or does it mount flat in a pretty flat panel?
You're right there is a left and a right. I've seen a picture of a '42 Hudson and the striped accent points downwards. The lens is thicker at the top and the chrome surround is curved slightly which fits nicely on the '32 back panel. I've offered the lights up to the panel but I can't decide which way looks best, that's why I was hoping to see a photo or two.