ever seen headlights mounted right next each other? Building 27 coupe thinking about mounting headlights tight right at the bottom of the radiator shell. I think I have seen it before, but I have searched online and cannot find any photos?
Check your states laws. There are some weird laws out there that arent real commonly known. I once got a repair order for my turn signals not being 24" apart from each other.
I don't know about "somewhere else" but there are laws on the books about placement of headlights a certain distance from each other. HRP
I believe headlight placement is federal law. I don't know about distance apart, but I remember something about center of light 21" above the pavement. I'm sure there is a plus or minus goes with that figure.
yes there is a federal law on placement distances of headlights it used to be 24" -54" but they lowered it to 22" a few years ago because of some economy cars with low hoods as for the plus minus ,its a cut and dry measurement . for width it as standard 108 fmcsa table II lists outerlimits of the body or as far out as practable so basically you cannot mount them together .
I kinda think this must be a non-enforced law. We had a Highway Patrolman nicknamed "Mudflap" for ticketing ground to bottom of bumper height violations. Looks like free money to the right go getter with no conscience.
You will have to do some research. I spent a couple minutes on the google machine and found the federal motor vehicle safety standards are all available online, hot rod hotline and multiple other street rod sites have good right ups on the subject, and the sema action network is always there to help with any legal questions about street rods and applicable laws in your area. I personally have driven my car to the state trooper station nearby and they were more than willing to come out and answer any questions I had with no h***le. As far as looks, outside of show rods the closest I can find headlights mounted are opposite sides of the grill shell. Keep in mind the lower and closer together you mount them, the farther you'll have to stray from conventional aiming methods. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
There are laws setting the height of the headlights also. Not too low as many of us like and not too high either. They p***ed them when the "Big Foot" style of trucks were blinding people in their rear view mirrors in traffic. If your state has an inspection system it's probably in the manual. Maryland state inspection includes HL adjustment.
after doing some digging , headlight placement is only enforcable by federal law if the vehicle was manufactuered after JAN, 1 1968 http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/FMVSS/ but still a state law might be more strict , so check with your state MV law agency .
Federal law only applies to manufacturers, not the end user (unless engaged in interstate trade), but most states simply adopt the federal specs as state law but you can find exceptions on a per-state basis. It's happened before; when the first 4-headlight systems were offered on some new cars in '57, they were not legal in some midwestern states, only quick action by congress fixed that. And Carroll Shelby ran into this with the first GT500 Mustangs; the early versions had 'driving lights' mounted in the center of the grill right next to each other, he was forced to move them outboard for sale in some states (and this may have been the reason for the updated '68 specs). As was pointed out, enforcement can be lax. But all it takes is one LEO with knowledge of the law and a real or perceived reason to pull you over...
It can be done but you should have some white running lights or spot lights that are standard width apart. The danger is that an oncoming truck could mistake your car as being farther away and narrower than it is, because of the close set, narrow headlights and side swipe your car. The Healey Silverstone had 2 close set headlights behind the grille but also had a pair of white running lights on the fenders.
Remember that the lower and closer together the lights are, the less effective they are at lighting the road.
I know in Ohio they starter to enforce some new laws ,when they started the high mud trucks ,you know the ones that are ten foot off the ground and the headlight dead in your eyes
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