if you do a search on spotlights there are a whole bunch of threads talking about them...history etc etc
most of the ones i have ever seen are dummy's, but i say if u got the money go for the real thing. i got some spots on my 53 because i had seen so many real old lead sleds with em it makes the car more period correct. JR
I think they just look more decorated and it adds some more chrome flare to the car. Back in the day I think there was a time when accesories were the "in" thing and everyone went crazy with swamp coolers, visors, curb feelers and so forth. The spots were on every custom car. They have been the one item that has stuck it out in the world of customs. I love them and run them on my 50.
I don't think any of them (or very few) were dummies then, they were all real. Dummies became popular for cars with wrap around windshields, so to have a real spotlight would put it in an odd place where it wouldn't look cool. Not to mention people seem to be scared to drill those bigger holes in thier car. In a time when accessories were king, they were one of the ultimate, especially to have two!
I have heard/read that back in the 50's there were alot of neighborhoods where the houses didn't have porch lights and there were very few streetlights so spotlights started on regular daily drivers as a way to see addresses on houses at night. Don't know if it's true or not as I wasn't born until the seventies. Anybody ever heard this theory?
My dad told me that in the 50's and 60's they used to project a black dot on the screen at drive-in theaters between the movies. The projectionist would move the black dot all over the place and the guys with spotlights would try to follow it.i have no idea if thats the only/real reason; just a story I heard
I think spotlights are really sexy on a ROUND custom like Shitboxes and early Chev's.........the later cars like the Tri years are tooo square for them. I think tho, if you are going to use them, go real and not dummy. A neat piece of equipment and just think of all the fun you could be havin if they work! xxx Brandy http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33679&highlight=spotlights
They became popular on customs because most were owned by guys, and they look like tits...and are chrome to boot! and....their position was dictated by the fact that they had to be easily accessible for rubbing while driving, therefore they were placed where you could reach out the window and caress them.... one of the magazines had an article a few years ago discussing this very subject...but I forget what their consensus was. Brian
Hey, if you ever drive down to Florida, look me up on the way down. I've got a really nice piece of property--with acres and acres of vintage tin just waiting for a motivated guy to get a hold of them. I'll make you one helluva deal on the whole thing. I'd keep the property and the cars myself, but I'm too busy fondling my spot lights to mess around with any more cars. -Brad
Do a search, I asked this question a while back. Most kustoms had dummies, but some guys could affoard real ones. Pretty big price difference, just as it is now. All I know is they look kool and you didnt have a kustom if you didnt have spotlights. -Dean
You didn't see any dummies (spot lights that is) in the fifties. They came out later, as alot of guys didn't want to drill a big hole though the pillar.
Asked my Dad, And he told me the first cars that was running spots in his neck of the woods were ex-cop cars. They were faster cars, and so they were the king of the street, If you saw a car with spots it might be more than you could handle and so you'd think twice about running it. So later a guy would get a car, cut a coil or add a block, then gut the muffler and add some spots. Bingo, instant fast car.
Im rebuilding the one on my shoebox at the moment. Does any body sell repop or original parts for these things? Im looking for a new handle and switch assembly.
I was told it was against the law to run real spotlights on your car in some areas since they were used on public service vehicles. So dummies were used to have the look, but not to have to worry about johnny law bustin' ya. Don't know if that's true or not, just what I was told. So dummies could actually be just as traditional as real ones.
Depends on the maker. Unity still sells parts from what I understand. Spotlights on a shitbox huh? Weird. xxx
I was hanging out with some buddies in my uncle's '49 Merc when the local cops decided to roust us out of our hang out. When the hit us with the spotlight, I gave it right back to 'em. They definately do not like that, but they are legal to run, here in Texas anyway.
I know what I was doing between the movies and it wasn't chasing a black dot around a screen. Besides I couldn't reach the spotlight from the back seat.
Damn! I didn't think a popcorn and cola cost that much back then! I thought rousting about in the back seat for loose change was a new thing. Shows what I know! Here's some relevant pics of cheaper models aka Unity's. Thing is tho, like all things, even the Unity's will be going up in price after Appletons are sucked dry. No matter the maker, if you can find'em, buy'em. This Shitbox has Dummies on. You can always tell the difference.
1: The thing about needing spotlights to read house numbers at night is true. Spotlights were a very popular accessory and neighborhoods weren't lighted like they are today. Also signs at crossroads in the country roads didn't light up under the headlights like today's reflective painted signs on the freeways do.Spotlights weren't illegal in most places, harassing people by shining them in their windows or spotlighting deer were illegal tho. 2: I mostly remember a red or green dot to chase on the screen between movies. I also remember Drive-in theaters having playgrounds for the kids right under the screens. 3: There were also guys who ran dummy spots, 4 speed knobs on their 3 speed shifters, lakes pipes that weren't connected, and their sister's garter belt hanging from the mirror... I know some of you will jump in about customizers who used dummy spots. Those guys ran a business giving wannabee customers what they wanted. As for the guy fondling his spotlights above... Seek professional help soon. Your outlook will change once you've actually gotten laid...
I think they are the perfect compliment to the chrome naked ladies on the rhinestoned white rubber mud flaps.
Smokin' Joe is right. That's why spotlights were an option direct from the dealer (ever since they started sellin' cars). In the "50's" there were still lotsa rural areas where there was not adequately lit streets and neighborhoods. The "Kids" also used them to help navigate they're "customs" into area's where they could be afforded more privacy if you catch my drift. After a while they fell off as wanted items and the only ones left usin' 'em were cops and cabbies and so on. I gots me a bitchin' pair of mopars with the rear view mirrors on 'em, both sides. That's what I'll run on my 41.
I think spotlights just look badass but I suppose up here in the great white North a kid could go deer shinin with em. If you want to know how to install them here's a cool link http://www.oldmopar.com/oldmopar/spot.html JEDI
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