History Why spotlights?

Why are spotlights a popular kustom thing? Other than on an emergency vehicle I can't really see a need for them. Seems odd that folks would go through the trouble of chopping tops, shaving trim, lowering suspension, and frenching lights and then add giant spot lights to the A pillars. Can anyone shed some light on this?

 

Spotlights were one of the best ways to be obnoxious at the drive in theater.

 

Extra chrome.
I don’t care for em on a custom. Theyclutter up the flow of the A post.
Old work truck, I’m in

 

They look cool and they're shiny

 

Back in the day, when people lived on unpaved roads, with no street lights , spotlights were used to find addresses and house numbers after the sun went down. Not needed in todays world.

 

You need these:
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...pot-lights-appleton-6v.1255316/#post-14374515

 

I totally agree, They look stupid on a custom, but what do I know I'm 71 and didn't live in the Custom era. REALLY dumb are fake Appletons, just screw them into a fender, no need to wire anything.

Bob

 

Why drill A hole in the A pillar for someone to weld back shut ?

 

It's part of the paint by numbers kit.

 

The great Floyd Clymer actually invented a spotlight that mounted by drilling a hole through your windshield.

 

Functional spotlights were useful in the era before street lights were popular, and pre-war and early post-war Cadillacs and Packards often came right from the factory with spot lights. So if you are going to put a Cadillac grille and tail lights onto your Chevy or a Packard grille onto your '36 Ford, the spotlights were a natural addition for the high-end look. Same reason you might use a full wheel cover from a high end car on your cheapie model.

Dummy spots were a cheaper way to get the same look, just like hubcaps that looked like mag wheels, etc.

The idea that the goal of a custom car was just a smoothed-off version of the original car didn't come along until much later.

 

Laughing reading all these comments. Not sure I would necessarily call my car a custom (maybe very mild custom), but it got the spotlight mounted in 56 so the owner could see better to throw papers...

 

A sign of luxury and status. What BJR and Squablow said. Oh yeah chrome or stainless.

One thing I know about customs, they don't all, always win the heart of the observer.

 

There have been some informative threads on this, try a search.

 

I love it when we get a curveball answer that just makes perfect sense. It restores faith in the way the world works....

 

I see what you did there . . .

 

Why spotlights?
Why not?

 

Wit all things custom, everyone had their own taste and that leads to exceptions.
Here is a custom from '52 that was very much a smoother, nicer version of itself. You will note there are no spotlights on it.

 

As you might know, I`m a custom lover. No spotlights for me. I am not a trend follower. Just because everybody else does, doesn`t make me feel like I should. I read somewhere, that is where the antenna was mounted originally on some cars. When installing spotlights. It covers up the hole when frenching the antenna somewhere else during the build while still driving the car.

 

I doubt jacklighting deer was an activity with custom cars, but at least they would have a purpose. Did moonshiner/ bootleggers use them? I am not a fan, but I didn’t live through that time.

 

A great amount of ‘accessories’..i.e. spotlights, visors, bumper overriders, seat covers, radios and on and on, were installed by new car dealerships post WWII to increase the gross profit as the pent up demand for new cars meant you could sell anything. This was explained to me decades ago by a fellow ‘who was there’. And you can see the truth of it by looking at typical cars from ‘46 thru ‘50 or so. Look at the cars in old photos…..

Ray

 

Hello,

For us old guys, as little kids, spotlights were the necessary item when anyone went to the drive in theaters as a family. The half time intermission was full of fun chase and catch light shows. Drawing your name on the big screen, finding another light to intimidate, all in fun.

In 1953, our dad got a set of spotlights installed on his big 1953 Buick sedan. He had two reasons. One, for his two sons to go crazy at halftime drive-in movie times and the other had a more practical reason. He and his fishing friends had many off road excursions planned for Baja Mexico secluded beaches.

But, in order to get to those secluded beaches, the winding dirt roads had no street lights and were in some dark out of the way locations. Not the best for normal headlights viewing trying to get to the darkened camp site. When our dad was driving, our mom used her spotlight to light up the right side of the dirt road and drainage gulleys. Our dad used his to swing back and forth to light ups the other side of the road and oncoming curves and dips.

When we got to the darkened camp sites on the beaches and coves, it was dark, but the spot lights made it feel a lot safer, scanning the whole area. My brother and I liked shining the spot lights out into the water. Our crazy dad actually did some darkened beach surf fishing… his idea was to get a jump on the others, while the big perch and b*** hit like crazy in the dark.

Jnaki

For us as teenagers, my brother liked the appletons, but said they weakened the roof pillars and did not put any on his cars or later on, surf vans. By the time we actually needed a brighter light for darkened desert roads, hi intensity bulbs were used in the place of the high beam bulbs and that lit up the dark desert roads as if it were daylight.

Note:

The high intensity lights worked better on dark roads, but were deemed illegal by the CHP. They were too bright and dangerous if anyone used them on normal dark streets. But out in the So Cal dark desert roads at night, it was a miraculous item to light up the road to make sure we did not go off into the drainage ditches that ran along the sides. It was a simple removal and fix-it ticket and they went back on for the next desert race weekend. “Bad boys, bad boys, what are you going to do…?”

 

I thought spotlights looked really cool when I was a kid so of course, I had to have them. Maybe I can supplement my old age pension by delivering pizza. The spotlights sure would help find house numbers.

 

My GMC had em on so it will get at least one when it goes back together.

 

I agree. I’m knowing it’s a custom thing either real oo fake, but I think the ruin the lines on a some. A 51 chopped 4 door Merc with a Carson lift off top was parked beside me at Donut Derelicts this morning without them and looked perfect.

 

When I bought my ‘37 Chevy, it was ‘accessorized’ beyond my taste. As for the spotlight, it and other stuff soon were removed. I didn’t want to disturb the paint with welding at this time, so I fashioned a patch and used panel adhesive to attach it. Sure, it is visible, but not so much so as that gawd awful spotlight.

Ray

 

Probably for the same reason that women shave their eyebrows, armpits, privates and legs and then put on a FUR COAT !!!

 

You wouldn't think so but even today here in the rural south people don't put their number on their house or mail box, that is if they even have a mail box. Making delivery's is a big part of Bremda's floral business and often this time of year we make delivery's after the sun sets, we have a spotlight that plugs in the cigarette lighter. HRP

 

When I was a kid right after the war our car was a 41 Ford convert that father had bought before the war. Driven very little during the war. It had skirts duals etc and a spotlight on drivers post. We lived way out in the country and I remember it being used quite a bit to spot coyotes, foxes etc after chickens. I recall going out at night with my Mom using the spotlight when the cattle got out. The next car was a 49 Buick convert and it had one as well. Different times-no streetlights etc anywhere near where we lived. Also all the pickups had one along with a rifle rack.

 

EYE OF THE TIMES,>ya>> ,lot of you don't have it*{the eye*},like a hole in your brain,you did not live the times,,that even goes for some that are old enough to have gotten it,,but didn't* hang with the right group.
They were cool.......................................................but,,,> At the point car show rules sheets in the 1950 ,started giving extra trophy points for each add on!! It did start getting crazy though! with too many do-dads.