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Appleton spotlights

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by kkoacolonel, Feb 24, 2008.

  1. Chad s
    Joined: Oct 6, 2005
    Posts: 1,717

    Chad s
    Member

    the pre war Appletons (112's) have the handle and the thumb switch.

    The post-way appletons (552's) have a rotary switch at the end of the metal handle.

    Both these styles show up on the other appleton models from different years.

    The Lorraine switch and handle styles evolved along side of the appleton ones, and were the same for any given year.
     
  2. kkoacolonel
    Joined: Oct 27, 2005
    Posts: 966

    kkoacolonel
    Member
    from Union,NJ

    Guys,you gotta admit it.There is only one type of spotlight to put on a sled
     
  3. Chad s
    Joined: Oct 6, 2005
    Posts: 1,717

    Chad s
    Member

    I just took this pic to demonstrate the above descriptions:
     

    Attached Files:

  4. kkoacolonel
    Joined: Oct 27, 2005
    Posts: 966

    kkoacolonel
    Member
    from Union,NJ

    I had the Kustom Kraft repo's on mine for a few years.But gotta have the right ones
     
  5. Chad s
    Joined: Oct 6, 2005
    Posts: 1,717

    Chad s
    Member

    The guys that done understand the difference between an appleton 112/552 and a Unity or other spot,most likely havnt had one in their hands. There is something magical about them!
     
  6. kkoacolonel
    Joined: Oct 27, 2005
    Posts: 966

    kkoacolonel
    Member
    from Union,NJ

    Chad,you are 100% right.They are like the Holy Grail of sledsville.When Bill Layman repo'd the Kustom Krafts,you remember he came out with the dummies and with the handles.Well back then the ones with the handles were like $450.00.I was 18 when I did my 51,couldn't afford that back then.I settled for the $55.00 Cal Customs.But vowed to myself,someday I will have the real deal
     
  7. Chad s
    Joined: Oct 6, 2005
    Posts: 1,717

    Chad s
    Member

    Haha, I dont think I was around, I was born in 1984!
     
  8. Zephyr3789
    Joined: Sep 10, 2007
    Posts: 312

    Zephyr3789
    Member

    Chad,

    I would love to have a few of those plastic handles for the 112's. Would it be possible to buy a few from you when they are finished?
     
  9. SlowandLow63
    Joined: Sep 18, 2004
    Posts: 5,958

    SlowandLow63
    Member
    from Central NJ

    I have no idea what that pic is that you posted. Didn't see them on the spot at all. The handles were pretty much together when I put them on the spots. I put the driver side on, adjusted it so it was pretty and tightened the locknut towards the base. It snugged the light up so it would move by hand, but not flop around. Sweet. Same thing for the other side and no dice. I took it apart to see if I was missing something and to no avail. I had the base, and a snap ring holding the lock nut on, and that was it. With the parts there, I saw no way it could possibly get locked down. Honestly if you had a spare handle, that would cure the ails in one shot.
     
  10. Chad s
    Joined: Oct 6, 2005
    Posts: 1,717

    Chad s
    Member

    Ok,
    You have one spot with a very tight pin on the lock nut (outside the car), and one thats standard. This is not the area that puts tension on the spot. let me take a picture of a spot with the tensioning part installed so you see where it goes.

    These are Appletons right? I have never seen an appleton with a lock ring. Appletons use a pin to retain attach the hex/threaded part to the outer post that the bucket mounts on.
     
  11. Chad s
    Joined: Oct 6, 2005
    Posts: 1,717

    Chad s
    Member

    The blue arrow is the part that puts the tension on the spotight from the whole out side post turning. This part goes inside the car, and one or 2 of the little posts with holes at the end screws to the garnish molding, and then you tighten the nut on the tensioner to provide tension.
     

    Attached Files:

  12. SlowandLow63
    Joined: Sep 18, 2004
    Posts: 5,958

    SlowandLow63
    Member
    from Central NJ

    Definite Appleton, definite snap ring. I know Vic mentioned they were brand new, maybe a new addition to a repop? Not sure. Awaiting pic.
     
  13. SlowandLow63
    Joined: Sep 18, 2004
    Posts: 5,958

    SlowandLow63
    Member
    from Central NJ

    Neither of them had that. And frankly I don't think it would work on the kart because the rod goes throgh the dash. So basically that lock nut does nothing but sit there and look pretty. And you don't think were missing anything internally?
     
  14. kustomclassics
    Joined: Apr 10, 2004
    Posts: 448

    kustomclassics
    Member

    Hey Chad who do you trust to chrome plate your appletons without grinding away the appleton stamp ?
     
  15. Chad s
    Joined: Oct 6, 2005
    Posts: 1,717

    Chad s
    Member

    Havnt gone there yet! I'm sending a pair of 552's to advanced, after they are metal finished, so advanced only needs one light pass of copper.
     
  16. Chad s
    Joined: Oct 6, 2005
    Posts: 1,717

    Chad s
    Member

    Are they stamped appleton 112 or 552 on the bucket? Could they be the above mentioned kustom kraft ones from the 80's?

    See, these spots never worked well with a truck as late as the kart. If you look at a Unity brand outer bracket for that truck (appleton never made one for that truck) , you would find its much different than the one you have on your appletons.

    The tensioner bracket absolutely did nothing but provide tension. The one I posted a pic of (apposed to the collet style) also can work in conjunction with a little ring that creates a stop point for the spot, so it can never be tilted too far and hut the paint on the cowl.

    Perhaps since the handles come through the dash, you could mount the tensioners inside the dash, on the other side where the handle passes through?

    There is nothing internal that stops the outer post from spinning on the bottom hex/thread part. Its only held on there by a lin (or in yout case, a snap ring, which allows it to freely spin. All of mine are like this.
     
  17. Chad s
    Joined: Oct 6, 2005
    Posts: 1,717

    Chad s
    Member

    Here is a breakdown of all of the parts you should have.
    [​IMG]
     
  18. SlowandLow63
    Joined: Sep 18, 2004
    Posts: 5,958

    SlowandLow63
    Member
    from Central NJ

    I personally am not sure. There wasn't any stamping on the bucket, but they were sent out for copper plating and the plater ground away the tabs on the ring to cinch them together so I don't doubt he may have ground the stamp away as well. I'm sure well figure something out to keep it in place. Thanks for your help though Chad. I just wasn;t sure if I lost pieces or was just plain retarded.

    Probably both! :)
     
  19. Chad s
    Joined: Oct 6, 2005
    Posts: 1,717

    Chad s
    Member

    Just because there is on stamp on the bucket doesnt mean its not an Appleton, they made unmarked ones as well, which come up fairly often. But I figured if it was stamped, with a model number, we'd be 100% sure of what we had here.

    Ok, well, just so we can see if were on the same page, here is one more pic. Is the blue arrow pointing to where the spot is swiveling around and not stayng in position?

    The red arrow points to the partially hammered out pin that locks the hext part to the post part on every appleton I have seen.
     

    Attached Files:

  20. 53chevy
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 1,570

    53chevy
    Member

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Again, I take crappy photos. This may help or confuse (Hahaha!)

    Ken
     
  21. barry mazza
    Joined: May 18, 2006
    Posts: 129

    barry mazza
    Member

    Had a bunch of Appeltons over the yrs, the thing about the spots on the Aztec , they were the ones that Barris sold for 19 bucks or so in the small mags. I could never find even one with the small dummy sized shell. Then I had the luck to see a Merc with a set on them. He let me look inside and what do you think. They were dummy steel shells on the small Appelton shell stands. The little spots that no one wanted but had nice handles on them. It was just a matter of making the big hole larger and using long screws to hold the spots shells on the stands. They used a bulb from a motorcycle. I don't know who made these up for Barris but, I have only seen one other set on a car, Ray Soffs 50 Ford , the "CONN YANKEE" has them on it and Ron Francos old 50 Merc convert from Conn as well. I'am sure these were used on the KOPPER KART as well.
    BARRESSE'
     
  22. bolsa boy
    Joined: Nov 25, 2006
    Posts: 188

    bolsa boy
    Member

    I'd like to use some on my 36 Roadster put can't mount them on the windshield post. Can they be mounted through the cowl or the doors and still look right?
     
  23. SlowandLow63
    Joined: Sep 18, 2004
    Posts: 5,958

    SlowandLow63
    Member
    from Central NJ

    Yes, the hex nut and the base that mounts to the cowl stay put and the spot droops all over the place. The only difference I can see is that the hex nut is retained onto the spot shaft (to the left of your blue arrow) with the snap ring. It looks like in your pic the hex nut is retained to the base. And no, there were no such pins running through the hex nut.
     
  24. Chad s
    Joined: Oct 6, 2005
    Posts: 1,717

    Chad s
    Member

    Thats interesting.

    Regardless, you'll have to find some way to provide tension, if you can make the original appleton tensioners I posted a pic of work, just say the word and I'll send them over.
     
  25. SlowandLow63
    Joined: Sep 18, 2004
    Posts: 5,958

    SlowandLow63
    Member
    from Central NJ

    I'll let Mark or Vic make that call, I'm merely a pawn in this battle. But I thank you for your help. We'll figure something out, I'm heading down thursday to bring down some little odds and ends from the platers if Vic can't make it and I'll mess with em then. Or Mark has already fixed them and were wasting our time, haha.
     
  26. Chad s
    Joined: Oct 6, 2005
    Posts: 1,717

    Chad s
    Member

    Cool,
    Still working on getting all the ford chop pics together, I'll have it done soon!
     
  27. I agree with Barry, I don't believe the Kopper Kart, Aztec, El Capitola and many of Barris' later built cars used either Appleton 112's nor 552's. These were getting hard to find by the late 50's early 60's

    In around 1958 there were smaller (5 inch) spotlights being made that looked very similar to the Cal Custom dummy spots but had Appleton handles and were a working spotlight.
    I had a set on a '56 Merc I built in '59 when I was a kid.

    If you look close at the copper plated spotlights on the Kopper Kart in the attached picture taken from Andy Southard's book, they look like the smaller spotlights that both Barris and Eastern auto sold, not the larger 112's or 552's.

    Does anyone have an example of these later "Appletons"?

    Mick
     

    Attached Files:

  28. fat141
    Joined: Jul 30, 2006
    Posts: 1,575

    fat141
    Member

    Any one out there got a picture of a spotlight mounted through the windscreen post on a 49-52 Chevie sedan.I am having a long term discussion with a diehard custom guy about this. I dont reckon that there is enough room between the windshield surround an the rain gutter.I mounted mine on the door just above the beltline trim. Any help out there please
    Rod
     
  29. One of my handles got chewed up by a dog. I need a handle and the knob that's on the back,above the handle. If you can make new ones,i'll send you my good ones and you can make me the set. What do you think?
     
  30. Give me a minute,i'll find the pic.
     

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