Yeah I know I'm a stickler for detail and a PITA purist, but this one really grates on me every time I hear it from self styled experts, so I thought I would post a couple of photos. There is no such thing as a '33/'34 headlight as far as Ford passenger cars are concerned. The 1933 headlight is not reproduced as far as I am aware, but the '34 is. The 1933 headlight is more pointed and approximately 7/8" longer than the 1934 headlight. I understand that the same may be true for cowl lights but have yet to proof of that. Here to illustrate the point are a couple of photos I took of originals when replacing the '34 headlights on my 1933. The running change order from the 1933 style body to the 1934 was issued in early September 1933. Production of the true 1933 models was a scant seven months, while production of the 1934 style was for some sixteen months. This accounts for the relative rarity of the 1933 models when compared with the 1934 style cars....
I would love to see your list of differences between '33 vs '34 cars. Curious how many more there are that I don't know about.
Well I got a 33 and 34 and didnt know it--LOL Details,Details but then I am not a concourse guy either
Everything interchanges between the two years of headlight. The only difference is the length of the buckets. As for the differences between 1933 and 1934 there are people out there far better equipped to answer this than I am, but some of the more obvious ones are dished grille, curved hood louvers, single central hand for 1933. 1934 has a hole in the bottom of the cowl to latch the rear hood handle, 1933 does not - this is an easy way to tell if that hoodless, doorless shell you found is a a 1933 or a 1934. The dash on the 1933 has no insert cutout in front of the driver, the 1934 does. 1934 style doors have a one inch 'sail panel' or inset at the rear for the front door window opening. This is for the crank back ventilation feature which Ford licensed for the 1934 year. Crank the window all the way up and keep cranking and it will open an inch for ventilation. All 1933 inside door handles were at the front of the door - this continued into early 1934 production but then later the handles were moved to the center of the door. These are just a few which may help figure out what you are looking at. Here is a 1933 side window - no sail panel or inset at the rear of the window opening: Here is a 1934 and you can see the sail panel at the rear of the window clearly. Note also the dual hood handles and the straight louvers.
I never really noticed it, but I really like the way the hood louvers seem to follow the different profile of the grill between the two years.
Other way round, isn't it? Or am I mis-reading? The bare '33 dash has the cut-out both sides, so gauge insert and glove box can be swapped side-for-side for LHD or RHD cars. The '34 dash just has three holes for the speedo, amps and fuel gauges in front of the driver, so is specific to either LHD or RHD. BTW, my old '34 Tudor had '34 commercial headlamps, which I think look the best of the lot.
do you have a overall measurement of the 33 lights so i can measure mine as i dont have any 34s to check the differance,cheers Martin
I'll measure both today and post them. I may be confused about the dash issue with the cutouts. I'll crawl under the dash on the '33 and report back. The skirtless fenders were only in the first few weeks of production in February 1933. I have only ever seen one roadster in the flesh that has them - a buddy and I were staring at it trying to figure out what did not feel 'right' about it and then the penny dropped - after about 15 minutes....
Great thread, I'm always interested in learning about details. How rare are the short skirted fenders, or were they just a styling test pattern?
Thanks for saving me Harms Way - I have been trying to figure out for 30 minutes how to 'borrow' that photo off egay. This below from a blog on the Early Ford V8 Club explains it pretty well: [FONT=arial,helvetica,verdana]The "skirtless" fenders were first seen in the pre-production standard '33 fordor. The skirts, more properly "valances", were missing from the commercial models, and likely were used early in the model year because there was a strike at the Briggs plant, and Murray was called upon to supply bodies. Their commercial dies stamped out the "skirtless" type, which also used the commercial running boards, for a short time, as did the wagons. It also marked the end of the sidemount spare tires. You are right that these cars were rare, as few were released to dealers. [/FONT]
I'll post some pics of some less obvious differences 'cause I have one of each. I expect to get in trouble since Henry sometimes furnished his contracted body builders with leftover pieces. It's all fun though!
Just checked my 1933 dash and it would appear you are right - it does have a cut out, although this is a Canadian built car. I am trying to remember what kind of dash my long departed 1933 woodie wagon had....
33 has cut out so you can easy swap gauge insert's from left to right steering.. 33 have 20amp gauge 34 have 30amp gauge. 33 rest the hood front corner to the upper radiatortank 34 to the firewall.
I forgot about the indents for the hood on the 1933 firewall perimeter - another way to tell a basic 1933 shell from a 1934 - thanks Mr 42....
oh man there are many differences between 33-34. 33 and 'early 34 has inside door handles way up to the front of the door, 33 hood tops have a bead across the front edge. 33 curved hood louvers, one hood handle. 34 cowls have that notch on top of the firewall/cowl for hood sides to set in when hood is opened. 33 coupe (maybe all models?) have different rear quarters in front of the rear wheels. 33 bumpers have totally different bumper brace holes. 33 is narrower and this continued into 'early 34. so braces and bumpers are different. 33 cowl lights are longer. i can spot on sitting alone a mile away. i dont know or remember if 33 cowl vents had no screen and 34s did? along with the other things mentioned in this post there are many more differences. i guess i like 34s. ive been driving a 33 "everyday" for over 3 weeks now and since im driving it daily it must be a toy to play with to anyone that sees it sitting and that polished hood handle is a 'magnet and people have to reach down and turn it and open the hood where as 34 has 2 handles that they cant figure out how to open!!! the other day im driving hearing a noise. i pull over and theres the hood latch up, hood side flappin in the breeze, someone opened it at the store i was in i suppose and couldnt shut it. whatever!!??!! usually when im near the car people walk up and HAVE TO grab that hood latch!!!!!!!!!! i just watch them try to shut it again not saying anything then ill make a big deal closing it like it is a major feat! hahahahaaaa ---- what i really want to do is say: GET THE FUCK OFF MY CAR!!!!! but i dont. and as far as a greyhound FORGET IT ill leave them at home on a shelf i dont want mine broken.
Then you get into the interior differences, like the header panel and the door pulls and the garnish moldings..................can you say Model 40.1, 40.2, 40.3 etc ?
Did you get around to measuring the depths of each headlight bucket, and post the dimensions? This info. would be really handy for swap meet look n, Thanks
While building my 34, I wondered why my dash was cut out for an interment panel insert but looking around for a better one, I came across many that were not cut out but had a raised (stamped) area there. I'm thinking, Std. vs Deluxe ?? ( I went back and read the posts on dash cut outs, still kinda confused because other 33/34 " experts say it was model difference). Who's right???
i saw an oddball once, a 34 tudor with the instrument panel cut out like a 33, but it was plain steel, not engine turned. in canada if that matters
There is a very detailed article about '33/'34 Ford headlights and taillights in the March-April 2018 issue of the V-8 Times.
Does that mean the female dove tails on the cowl are different from '33 to '34 or are they the same part and located differently. Reason I'm asking is have '34 doors on a '33 body and I had to cut and re-locate the wedges on the repop '33-'34 male dovetails to fit the repop '33-'34 female dovetails.