First off, i apologize it will be a kind of long post but i want to explain myself and explore my options. While i know everyone here shares varying opinions on everything; i am asking for your opinions. As all of you know our current project is a 50 plym 4 door sedan. love it or hate it; i know its not everyone's cup of tea. It's a budget build and it's going to be a very mild custom when finished in the next few weeks. This photo was photoshopped courtesy of a fellow hamber a few months back. It is an actual photo of the car. The only thing changed on the photo is shaved door handles, the blue color, the wheels, the wide whites and lowered in the rear. The rest of the photo is completely stock for the car and it is unchopped and will remain unchopped The car does not have mirrors and they did not come stock on the car when it was purchased new. We will not be putting mirros on it. We were thinking about putting actual Spotlights on the car but we're undecided on how it would look. They were an option at the dealership for this car from MOPAR int he Accesories pamphlet. Thoughts and expert advice? Now if we end up going for it; this IS a budget build and i have recently done some quick browsing of the appleton spots online and i think my eyeballs just fell out of my head at the prices and i'm not sure if we could even afford the real deal. Another concern we had over the real appletons was putting large holes in the car just to get the handles through to the interior and we probably would wire them anyways since we just wouldnt use them...we would be going for the "look". I'm not even sure if i'd be able to FIND them. So, this might make some of your cringe but... i started browsing the dummy spots and after doing so i KNOW we wouldnt want the cheap-o ****py looking dummies that are completely irregular shaped and theyre not even "tear-drop" shaped.. If we did go for the spotlight look, what do you think about the dummy spotlights that actually have the cl***y look of the Appletons...like the Kustom Kraft ones? They'd be a lot easier to install while adding "the look" to the car which is our goal. I know many of you will say, well...theyre fake and fake is...well...fake. i understand that. but at the same time i'm not sure i can justify spending hundreds of dollars on the real deal only to put giant holes in the car for a handle on spots that we will likely never wire. So, fellow HAMBers, what do you think about putting spots on this car? If you think they would look nice, what are your thoughts about spending the money to buy real ones vs. dummy spots that would still give them same effect. Where do you purchase the Kustom Kraft ones and any sources to go to that i could find real appletons? TIA i greatly appreciate it.
I guess I'll vote for: wheel centers of some kind, a stripe or low-key graphic/stripe and no spots. It's a clean looking car, not really needing ornaments IMO.
thanks! yea we're not going for the wheels put on it in the photoshop picture. they were just thrown on there to give us some sort of idea in our head. We were thinking some sort of stripe but have no clue what would work on the car since all of the trim is staying put.
I love dummy spots, so I'd say put them on in a heartbeat. However, when mine went on I thought I'd try something different; http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=562159 I like the way it turned out, and you never know, it might be of some use to you. Good luck and remember, sometimes fake is both traditional and cool. Paul
Years ago the factory treatment included a triple stripe form, which I've seen updated. A fine upper and lower stripe, of say a lighter color, w/a center stripe of the darker hue. Usually the front and rear were arrow headed/tailed using the lighter color/fine stripes. (this was OEM, on a '35 Plymouth)
I think you already have the LOOK. Anything else is just for the sake of doing so. Sometimes less is more.
Well to be completely honest. Are you going for a certain period look? I.E. Early 50s mid 50s late 50s early 60s. If you do plan on going with spots lose the Visor. If you want to keep the visor do not go with spots as it will look to cluttered around that area. If you go with spots and with what is seems to be a late 50s style dummy spots will be fine, but the expensive ones are the way to go. You can generally find them on Ebay. Also Night Prowlers sells a decent set too. If you go with a mid 50s or early 50s look then go with the cheaper Appletons that you can still find that will still look decent when installed. Not all customs used the 112s or 552s back then. Although they were the popular ones to use. When you say a large hole will be drilled there isnt. The shaft on the part that goes through the pillar is very small and not large at all. As far as the stripe goes I wouldnt do that. I would simply buy a longer piece of side stainless that will go mid way or to the tip of the front doors. Again you can find these on Ebay super cheap. Hell I even have a few sets that I can sell to you cheap. It will break up that wide expanse of body and will look way nicer then a painted on stripe. You can even go with ones that will go into the rear doors but just take your time on cutting the stainless. AS far as wheels I would go with the chrome reverse with painted centers for the late 50s look. For the early to mid 50s look you can go with a wide variety of caps that are on ebay. Maybe some nice 51 Chrysler caps or some 55 Olds non flipper caps. You can again get a set on ebay pretty cheap. This just my opinion on the car and what I would do if I owned it and was on a budget.
dummy spots are one of the most ridiculous accessories a person could ad to a car. my favorites are the ones where the owner mounted them on the hood. if you want shiny blobs on your car why not buy some aluminum pots and pans, polish them up and screw them on your car. I've seen old pots at yard sales for 50 cents. real spots on the other hand, are a cool accessory. I bought 2 for my old 49 Chevy sedan, I think with the right brackets and 2 nice unity lights I was out about $125.00
I understand your point of view, but as a big fan of spotlights general and dummies in particular (if the American car market of the 50s and early 60s wasn't about unnecessary excess I'll eat my hat) I think they have a huge place in Kustom tradition, and are not just about bolting something on because it's there. I have a 1954 Ford panel van that has just about enough headroom for me and my wheelchair in back. I would dearly love to chop the whole thing to improve its proportions, but that can't happen. However, what I have been able to do is lose my peep mirrors, and fit some semi-dummy spots (see previous post) which in my humble opinion help fill the void of the huge windscreen and draw the eye to the lower portions of the body, giving the illusion of a slight chop. Before and after below. I don't believe pots and pans would have had quite the same effect. I guess it all depends on how you view "unnecessary". Also, after being on here for a couple years now, I get the impression that many states have outlawed spotlights, and I'm fairly certain that it's illegal to use them while driving over here, so doesn't that effectively turn a lot of them into dummies anyway? Paul
in my opinion dummy spots are a waste of time, don't look good and don't work. that car doesn't need real ones unless your jacking deer. spot lights are for work equipment.
I accept your apology. Half way through your long-winded, explain everything story, I gave up. From the comments of others, (one or two sentences) I guess you were interested in spots/ Just a suggesstion, ask what you want without the commentary after every sentence.
thanks for e suggestion but i gave commentary after every sentence because i know how people like you can be about the subject....case in point right here. I know if i came out and just said iw as seriously considering fake ones, i would've gotten my head taken off for even considering the idea...even though, realistically, $700.00 for a pair of 6" spots is a bit rediculous in my books and not really feasable. My original question was would they even look good on the car, if so, would fake ones be OK? If it was so long for you to even consider reading then you have no place to even consider replying.
I'm going to take a long shot guess here, but with a signature like "rust is my favourite colour"you are probably not a big fan of Kustoms. I'll go one step further and after looking at your profile, I would guess that you are far more into your hot rods. If I am correct (and I fully apologise if I'm not) why is a hot Rodder posting opinions on a clearly marked customs thread? They are two different animals and if you don't dig customs, then you won't understand the history of spotlights both working and dummy, on them. I have absolutely no clue about hot rods so I don't post on threads about them. Just an observation, no insult intended. Paul
and this is the exact reason why I explained myself in depth...to avoid the rude and extremely bias replies. The one thing i dont understand about this subject is the reasoning behind having the "real deal"....is it just to have the handles cluttering up your dash? Or is it just to say "i spent the million dollars on the set just to say i have the real deal".... If we spent the money and purchased the Kustom Kraft dummy lights that are exact replicas of the Appletons then whats the difference? Just because they dont work and dont have a handle renders them useless? If i wanted to buy the real deal appletons then isn't that considered purchasing "shiney blobs to strap to my car". Funny how the real appletons are not considered "shiney strap-on blobs" while the fake ones which are exact replicas are considered a disaster on a car. Technically they are the same thing... minus the handle. Technically you are saying that any spotlights on a car are shiney wasteless blobs and you might as well go purchase some pots and pans at a local yard sale. this argument could go both ways. technically i could argue that buying a set of modern sportlights and jimmying up some half-fast brackets to make them look real and cl***ic is just about as cheap as the fake ones. my point is that if we were to put spots on this car, we wouldn't waste our time wiring them, etc because, frankly, they would never ever be used. they would be on the car to give it a nostalgic look. i'm pretty sure working spotlights in this state are most likely illegal...just like every other silly thing with a car here in the great state of CT. i understand and rspect everyones opinions here and i can understand your reasoning for disliking fake spotlights. i'm a traditionalist too and if i had my way i would love to put a nice set of real appletons on the car. if we can't find a decent set of real spots for a decent, affordable price... then whats so different than putting fake exact replicas on the car. the argument could go both ways here and i understand that but i'm trying to be realistic.
good point. maybe we should sent him towards the thread about "rust is not patina...its a sorry excuse for not taking care of and preserving a vehicle"
Never ask about dummy spots on this forum. They will rip you about your whole car and by the end of the thread you will wonder why you even asked. Do what you what and don't worry about what everyone else thinks.
Ha .... great comeback .... I love it! Keep it up, man. The language is a fine thing. Too damn bad nobody bothers to use it much anymore. Got attention spans of freakin' gnats. EDIT: Oops .... my bad! Guess I shoulda said "keep it up, gal".
Why don't you have whoever photoshopped your car add some spotlights, then you'll know if you like them or not. X2 on one or more mirrors for safety.
it has been my observation that you cannot ask about nearly anything on this forum without getting at least three ***hole answers to every one decent answer. Guess that's just part of the gig. Now, as far as the spots go... Not sure why you wouldn't take the time to wire them, whether you planned on using them or not, but I say go for the dummy spots. They'll look OK on your car.
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