Do we have any headlight collectors or individuals with in-depth knowledge about "Arrow 775 H" headlights on this board ? What time period they were actually manufactured/produced ? Are there many variations of them ? If yes, are any changes related to various time periods and how to identify them ?
Wish I could help you with the time-frame. I've got a nice pair of Arrow 775 H lights that someone gave me many years ago. Still haven't used them on anything. I like them a lot, they're not too big and not too small and nicely shaped and clean and simple. Nice pairs don't seem to command much dough like Guides.
Probably depends on the era. It would be a safe bet that a '50s/'60s car could have used them. I am a King Bees addict myself but the Arrows are my next choice. That said I am a '60s kid so what would fly for me may not fly for anyone else. I like the Arrows because they are not too deep but still have some shape to them.
The 775H was still produced new by Arrow up to a few years ago. I had called them to ask about pricing. But recently I couldn't find the lights on their website. Maybe they have finally discontinued them? SoCal Speed Shop was a dealer for the new ones, as that's what they used on their clone roadsters.
They're seen on anything from roadsters to pickups in just about every car magazine starting 1948. Many articles didn't state the make of components because it just didn't matter then like it does now - they'd be ''small sealed beams". King Bee, Yankee, Dietz & Arrow are mentioned at times. Guide lamps are a great deal more popular now than they were in the late '40s on as far as hot rod parts - the King Bee was ''it'' ... The lamps in the above pics (if bulbs native to the buckets) are post '55, as the "T-3" aiming lugs were released by Guide at mid-year, & all the other makers followed suit.
Can’t give you much history, but go here for additional info. I got mine a long time ago from SOCAL Speedshop. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/arrow-775h-headlight-help.1020903/
They were used on various makes of big trucks, and they were sold as an aftermarket replacement to change from bulb and reflector to sealed beams on old cars that head the headlight in a bucket with a ball and stud mount.
Well I just searched all over the Arrow website and can't find them anymore. But, SoCal still has them. Maybe they are only made for the specialty hot rod market now?
They were also on Norm Grabowski's " T " roadster pickup. I have bought several pairs that were used on snow plows, just to get the rims, They had big ugly plastic signal lights on the sides. I also had several pairs that came with red lenses, and a visor on top. There was also a version that had a small glass parking light lens on top.